Majority of us grow up while loving the cute and adorable looking ducks. These ducks with their silly quacking sounds and huge paddle like feet are not only adorable to look at but are quite funny too. However don’t be fooled by these ducks as they are all not that funny and innocent looking as they might seem. There is a dark side to them and some of these ducks have even done deeds that are cruel and violent. For our readers today we bring to you few of the horrifying facts about the ducks that you never knew before.
Duck Penis
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Did you know that duck penises are shaped like corkscrews? They are stored in sacs under their bodies, but when a duck penis is erect, it can become up to 20 centimeters (8 in) long. That’s about a quarter of the length of the animal’s entire body. To put that in perspective, that would be like a human having a forearm-sized member. To make this even more bizarre, it’s helpful to know that 97 percent of bird species don’t even have a penis.
To make things even worse, the penises of ducks are sharp and full of backward-pointing spikes. They are specifically made to stab into the female duck painfully. The spikes dig into the female duck’s vagina like a hundred sharp hooks to prevent escape.
Mating Rituals
Ducks usually copulate by raping their females. This forced copulation had caused the female duck to evolve in a way that scientists label “a sexual arms race.” The more terrifying the male genitalia, the more convoluted and tricky the female genitalia. It just goes to show that female ducks are not complacent in this violent and forced copulation. Ducks also routinely engage in gang rape. Yep, gang rape. It’s not uncommon for three to six male ducks to chase and violently rape one female. On the other side of the spectrum, if a female duck is into the male duck “courting” her, she can relax certain muscles to make sure that the sperm of the favored male will fertilize her eggs.
The Hard Life of a Duckling
Many ducklings, those cute little cheepers that follow their mothers around the pond, won’t make it to adulthood. The survival rate is awful: Only about 60 percent grow into fully independent ducks. Various things impact a duckling’s chance at survival. For example, bad weather. Hail has been known to kill a record number of the little guys. A duckling is also the perfect prey for a whole host of other animals. Even fish can swim up to the surface and gulp them down. A big enough bullfrog will eat a duckling, too. Hawks, foxes, snakes, and turtles will gladly snatch up a duckling snack. These baby birds are almost helpless until they finally reach maturity at 50–70 days of age, when they can finally fly.
Gastroliths
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To grind up the bones of the fish that they swallow whole, ducks usually swallow sharp rocks and pebbles to aid in digestion. That’s right; they make their own set of teeth DIY-style. This is called a gastrolith.
Once the rocks are not sharp anymore, ducks will vomit them back up and look for new rocks. This means that you can potentially pick up a nice, rounded stone that has been in a duck’s gizzard.
Duck Eyelids
Ducks can see in full color, and due to the sideways placement of the eyes on their heads, they have a nearly 360-degree view of the world around them. They also have a freaky third eyelid. However, that’s not necessarily odd. All birds have three eyelids. These “nictitating membranes” are used like underwater goggles to improve the duck’s vision while diving.
Duck’s Cold, Unfeeling Foot
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We all know that ducks have webbed feet, but did you know that a duck can restrict blood flow to his feet? As the temperature drops, less blood will flow to a duck’s extremities. This is how a duck can swim in frigid water and stand comfortably on ice.
Duck feet will also change color during the mating season. Much like a red baboon butt, a duck’s foot will swell and turn a bright red when they are beginning to pair off.
Grand Passage
A grand passage occurs when an entire population of ducks goes crazy. It usually happens after weird weather patterns occur—sometimes, a massive cold front will cause millions of ducks to migrate at once. This phenomenon happens from time to time, but it is always jarring and frightening to the people on the ground underneath these gigantic clouds of ducks. At times, they number so many that airports are choked with ducks and airplanes have to wait until the mass of birds moves on before they can resume service.
Duck Vigilance
You can never surprise a duck. They are always watching, always waiting. It’s terrifying. It’s hard for predators to sneak up on an adult duck. Ducks are proven to sleep with one eye open. When sleeping in a group, ducks will almost always sleep in a line. The duck at the end of the line will keep one eye open to watch for predators.
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