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| Photo Credit: Bibhash Banerjee on Pexels |
Welcome back! It's day 15 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. Halfway there!
Today's official prompt is AMA: Ask me antyhing.
Done, this is my post, enjoy your weekend!
Also, yesterday we were asked to create connections beyond this blog. I was at work all day and published.a pre written post, so let's catch up on that, today as well. I will put the links to the various platforms you can find me on, at the bottom of this post.
Plus, you may still ask me stuff, and I will try and answer it in an upcoming post, but today, I wanna share with you something interesting I came across:
Flamingo parents may lose their pink color!
Let's rewind, though. Everybody has probably heard the saying
You are what you eat.
It is a nicer way of saying "shit in --> shit out".
Meaning...
Flamingoes are not born pink.
Chicks are gray and remain that way for a few years.
So why are adult flamingos pink? The color depends on the food, specifically the consumption of small crustaceans.
Let's have a look at how adult flamingoes eat.
They place their head upside down in the water with their crooked bill pointed at their feet and use their tongue to pump water in and out of their bill. The comb-like plates along the edge of the bill create a filter for water to rush out and to trap food inside,
Their food is highly pigmented with red and orange colours called carotenoids. After feasting on these pigmented foods like algae, seeds, brine shrimp and fly larvae, the enzymes in their digestive tracts break down the carotenoids into pigments that are absorbed by fats in the liver. They are then deposited into the skin and feathers of the birds to give them the bright color you see.
The chicks, however, are born with straight bills that can't yet filter water to feed.
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| Photo Credit: Alexas Fotos on Pexels |
That's where the milk comes in.
Wait a minute.
Milk? They're birds, not mammals?
Correct.
Still, flamingo parents, both Mom and Dad, produce the hormone prolactin that stimulates milk production. This milk-like substance is called crop milk, and it is pink in color, again, due to the food they eat.
This secretion is produced from specialized glands in their digestive system and is rich in fat, protein and other nutrients. Over time young flamingos will take on a similar feather tone to their parents.
One more thing about the flamingoes' glands: The glands in their nose allows them to filter out the salt from the salt water they drink. How amazing is that? Imagine scientist were able to recreate these glands on a large scale, the problem of freshwater scarcity would be solved.
Why do they drink salt water in the first place? Depending on where they live, their only other choice may be freshwater from boiling geysers, which is scalding hot! But they can even deal with this. Talk about badass birds!
But back to flamingoes feeding their crop milk to their offspring. Wait for it...
The feeding drains the parents of their own color, and their plumage starts to look a bit washed out.
A feeling most human parents are familiar with, right?
So if you feel like your human feathers are ruffled, and your colors have faded, it's time for some me-time.
What will you do to regain your pink?
Let me know below, and don't forget to add / follow me if you like, I'll be happy to reciprocate:
PS: Here's a picture of my 3yo chick and flamingoes in the background. He's definitely sucked out the carotenoids out of me ;-)
this is very interesting. I read about a man who was obsessed with eating carrots and turned visibly orange from the carotenoids in the vegetable!
ReplyDeleteWhat a perfect comparison! I didn't know that information about flamingos, but it is similar to life with kids. I have to take some time to decompress like with long walks or long baths. I am going to follow you on the social media that I don't already follow you!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to ask a question. What are your beliefs about healing? I remember that you were doubtful that that experiment I described actually involved healing into the past, so I have been wondering what you do believe is possible. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteWow, so interesting! And yeah you are what you eat! SO very true, as a health coach this was continuously said during training. And everyday life! Milk is available to all species and I never thought about the milk and crustaceans and all. So interesting....
ReplyDeleteWOW That was so interesting, I didn't know any of that about flamingos! But it seems like I already know so much about you! Hmmm, let me think of an ask me questions, I'll come up with something, hang on, I'm thinking.........GOT IT! What is your favorite Starbucks beverage? Hugs to you.
ReplyDeleteHey, Tamara! A very interesting post. I had a bunch of plastic pink flamingos in my garden at one time. How wonderful it would be to have real ones. I’m sure my crazy neighbour would have a bird if I did.
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