“You bloody fool!”
When someone forgets to use the blinker or slams on the brakes?
You bloody fool is a common refrain.
Others have probably screamed it at me, too.
The one place I wouldn’t expect to hear it, though, is at a duck pond.
How wrong I was.
It has nothing to do with Elon Musk, if you’re wondering.
Researchers recorded Ripper’s rousing vocal mimicry back in July 1987, when he was just 4 years old.
We feel you, Jen.
It’s not just Ripper, either.
Ducks making horse sounds on your 2021 bingo card?
Me neigh-ther.Mimicking vocalisations is not unheard of in the animal kingdom and Australians are quite familiar with the phenomenon.
So why can the musk duck swear at you?
It’s an interesting question and one the researchers say requires more extensive and systematic study.
The hand-reared nature of Ripper likely plays a big role in it.
With ducks swearing at us.
