Tees for Animal Lover
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Nature has a lovely way of shocking us with its extreme wonder. In this video, two kayakers find themselves smack dab in the middle of one of the most awe-evoking phenomena nature has hiding up its sleeve. Setting out for a trip down the River Shannon in Ireland, the pair are overcome with a murmuration.
What is a murmuration, you might ask? You’ll have to watch and see to understand its full effect, but simply put, a murmuration is a grouping of starlings. Starlings are tiny birds, and when they fly solo or with a small group, they look just like every other bird you might pass by on a regular day.
However, when they group together with hundreds and thousands of other starlings, the result is sublime. Whether the kayakers knew this was coming or if they were caught entirely off guard is unknown, but surely no amount of mental preparedness could have readied them for the sight that ensues. After watching, we were speechless. Check it out and see what we mean.
I have seen small versions of this with Starlings, but never as huge as this. Amazing how they move in unison, a lot like a school of fish.
They act like a meta-organism with its own "meta-mind". Their collective behavior must have natural selection implications. Just thinking aloud.