In a strange and perplexing sighting, Twitter user @TheReal_JDavis from Massachusetts captured a video of a dozen turkeys marching in a perfect circle around a dead cat. The eerie scene quickly gained attention on social media, accumulating 38,000 retweets in less than 24 hours, leaving people both confused and amused.
Accompanied by the witty caption, “These turkeys trying to give this cat its 10th life,” the video has sparked speculation about the peculiar behavior of the head-bobbing turkeys. Besides the potential for social media stardom or, in jest, summoning the devil, experts weigh in on what might be driving this unusual avian activity.
Conservationist Jamie Wyver from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) suggests that the behavior may have started as a typical response to a potential threat. “This will have started as fairly typical behavior where the birds are keeping a close eye on a potential predator,” Wyver explains. Similar behaviors have been observed in wildfowl monitoring dogs, maintaining a watchful eye on potential threats to eliminate the element of surprise.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology concurs, emphasizing the natural curiosity of turkeys and their tendency to investigate potential predators. The circling, though somewhat ritualistic, is considered unusual but not indicative of human-like intentions.
David Scarpitti, a wildlife biologist and turkey enthusiast, adds another layer to the explanation, stating, “There’s always a ring leader with one in charge, and she likely encountered it to evaluate the threat. And as she is doing that, the rest are following suit. It’s just really creepy and weird.”
Despite the efforts of experts to shed light on this peculiar behavior, the mystery surrounding the turkeys’ circling ritual remains unsolved. As the internet predictably responded with homages, bad jokes, and remixes, one thing is clear: nature has an uncanny ability to surprise and perplex us, leaving us to marvel at the mysteries of the animal kingdom.
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