WEBVTT - Why Do Flamingos Stand on One Leg?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren vogal Bomb. Here in a large, shallow body of water,

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<v Speaker 1>hundreds of flamingos might congregate like an avian water ballet team,

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<v Speaker 1>all preening their pink feathers, resting in the sun, and

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<v Speaker 1>standing on one leg for hours at a time. Flamingos

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<v Speaker 1>even sleep that way. It's a puzzle to science why

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<v Speaker 1>exactly flamingos stand on one leg so regularly, but there

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<v Speaker 1>are lots of theories on the subject. It's an impressive

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<v Speaker 1>ability considering that flamingo's legs are longer than their bodies

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<v Speaker 1>and most of their weight is oriented horizontally. Humans are

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<v Speaker 1>oriented vertically, with almost all of our weight in line

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<v Speaker 1>with our center of gravity. It really should be easier

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<v Speaker 1>for humans to stand on one leg than four flamingos,

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<v Speaker 1>but most of us have trouble standing on one leg

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<v Speaker 1>for ten seconds blood alone four hours, like flamingos too.

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<v Speaker 1>Most large waiting birds have the ability to stand on

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<v Speaker 1>one leg, and flamingos are one of the biggest waiting

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<v Speaker 1>birds out there. They range from about fifty inches tall

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<v Speaker 1>that's about but they don't weigh much, just about five

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<v Speaker 1>to eight pounds that's two to three and a half kilos.

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<v Speaker 1>Combine their height with their coloring, and flamingos are one

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<v Speaker 1>of the most recognizable birds in the world. It's startling

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<v Speaker 1>to see a large group of pink, red or vermillion

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<v Speaker 1>birds standing one legged or otherwise in a shallow pond.

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<v Speaker 1>The color, of course, comes from the food that they eat,

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<v Speaker 1>including shrimp, which is full of carotenoid pigments, the same

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<v Speaker 1>thing that makes carrots orange. Flamingos are almost always in groups,

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<v Speaker 1>anywhere from a few birds to a few hundred or

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<v Speaker 1>even a few thousand, and they live on every continent

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<v Speaker 1>except Australia and at Arctica. They're very social, a sleeping

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<v Speaker 1>preening their feathers and eating together. To eat, flamingos fish

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<v Speaker 1>sort of. They stick their heads in the water upside

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<v Speaker 1>down and suck mud and water in through the front

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<v Speaker 1>of their beak. The up in the bottom of the

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<v Speaker 1>beak have bristles that intertwine when they meet, forming a

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<v Speaker 1>comb like filtering mechanism. The water and mud flow through,

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<v Speaker 1>getting pumped out of the sides of the beak. What's

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<v Speaker 1>left is the flamingos food, usually algae and small crustaceans.

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<v Speaker 1>They stand on both legs to eat, but on one

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<v Speaker 1>leg to sleep. It seems like sleeping would require both

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<v Speaker 1>legs on the ground for balance since the animal is unconscious.

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<v Speaker 1>So why do flamingos do it? Here are a few theories. Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>if you stood in the water all day, your skin

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<v Speaker 1>would prune up. Well, waiting birds have the same problem,

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<v Speaker 1>and this is where one of the theories comes from.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe flamingos stand on one leg to dry their other off.

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<v Speaker 1>Since flamingoes alternate which foot they've got in the water,

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<v Speaker 1>this theory does seem possible, but it's not super popular.

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<v Speaker 1>Some experts think that the one leg balancing act might

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<v Speaker 1>have to do with the flamingos brain. Many animals, including

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<v Speaker 1>dolphins and ducks, only turn off one side of their

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<v Speaker 1>brain at a time when they sleep, and ducks, along

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<v Speaker 1>with herons, storks, and geese, have also been known to

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<v Speaker 1>stand on one leg for long periods of time. If

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<v Speaker 1>flamingoes keep half their brain awake while they sleep, that

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<v Speaker 1>could explain why they sleep on one leg. The leg

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<v Speaker 1>controlled by the side of the brain that's awake, stays

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<v Speaker 1>on the ground to maintain balance while the other leg

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<v Speaker 1>and foot get to rest up for a while. The

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<v Speaker 1>most common theories, though, relate to hunting and energy conservation.

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<v Speaker 1>The sense of flamingos legs are so long and make

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<v Speaker 1>up the majority of the bird's height, it takes a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of energy to pump blood through both legs. That's

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<v Speaker 1>a big strain on the heart. It's possible that pulling

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<v Speaker 1>up one leg to rest and tucking it up into

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<v Speaker 1>the body allows the heart to more easily pump blood

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<v Speaker 1>through the body, since only one leg is fully extended.

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<v Speaker 1>At the same time, this could conserve body heat. It's

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<v Speaker 1>like wrapping your arms around your torso to stay warm.

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<v Speaker 1>The more compact you make your body, the easier it

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<v Speaker 1>is to warm up. This is an imperfect theory, though,

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<v Speaker 1>since flamingoes will stand on leg in both cold and

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<v Speaker 1>hot weather. There are many scientists who think flamingos keep

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<v Speaker 1>just one leg in the water in order to better

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<v Speaker 1>camouflage themselves. A lagoon has lots of long, thin objects

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<v Speaker 1>in it, including reeds and small trees. A flamingo on

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<v Speaker 1>one leg could resemble a tree with a thin trunk,

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<v Speaker 1>especially when seen from inside the water, so a flamingoes

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<v Speaker 1>underwater prey might think that it's a safe place to swim.

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<v Speaker 1>This theory would make more sense, though, if the flamingos

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<v Speaker 1>prey were a bit more site driven. So nobody is

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<v Speaker 1>sure exactly why flamingoes do this, but there is an

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<v Speaker 1>interesting anatomical mechanism that may help explain how a flamingoes

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<v Speaker 1>ankle is where you would expect the knee to be

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<v Speaker 1>near the middle of the leg, the knee is so

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<v Speaker 1>far up in the leg that's usually hidden by the body,

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<v Speaker 1>and that ankle has something that a human ankle doesn't.

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<v Speaker 1>The joint actually snaps shut to literally lock it in place,

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<v Speaker 1>and some scientists think that this locking chanism may be

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<v Speaker 1>the key to a flamingo's incredible balancing act. Today's episode

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<v Speaker 1>is based on the article why does Flamingo stand on

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<v Speaker 1>one leg? On how stuff Works dot com written by

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<v Speaker 1>Julia Layton. Green Stuff is production of I Heart Radio

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<v Speaker 1>in partnership with how stuff Works dot Com, and it it

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<v Speaker 1>is produced by Tyler Clain. Four more podcasts. My Heart

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<v Speaker 1>Radio is at the heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or

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<v Speaker 1>wherever you listen to your favorite shows.