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What did Darwin do with dead owls? Detailed answer

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What did Darwin do with dead owls?

Ate - though only once.

Charles Darwin was driven not so much by scientific as by gastronomic curiosity. Back in Cambridge, where the future scientist studied theology without much enthusiasm, Darwin became a member of the "Glutton Club" (or, if you like, "gourmets"), which met once a week and actively strives to eat animals that are not included in ordinary restaurant menus.

His son Francis, commenting on his father's letters, noted that "gourmets", among other things, especially complained about the bittern and the hawk, but all their "ardor and zeal were broken against the old brown owl" (aka the common owl), which eaters described as "indescribable".

Over the years, Darwin has significantly increased his weight in the academic arena and lost faith in the Lord, but at the same time he did not lose his passion for the original menu.

For example, while traveling on the Beagle, he ate armadillos, which, in his own words, "tasted and looked almost like a duck," and a chocolate-colored rodent - "the best of all kinds of meat that I have ever tried." Apparently, it was a golden agouti hare, a representative of the Dasyproctiade family (translated from Greek - "hairy ass"). In Patagonia, Darwin ate a bowl of puma (cougar, Felis concolor) stew and decided that the dish tasted a lot like veal. In fact, at first he really thought he was eating veal.

Later, in 1833, after scouring Patagonia for a rare species of nandu, Darwin suddenly realized that he had already eaten one for Christmas dinner, when the ship was moored near Port Desire Bay. The bird was shot by Konrad Marten, a ship's artist.

Darwin thought it was one of the common nandu - or "ostriches" as he simply called them - and realized his mistake only when there was almost nothing left on the plates. "Everything was cooked and eaten before I knew it. Fortunately, the head, neck, legs, wings, most of the large feathers and most of the skin were saved." Darwin urgently sent the remains to the Zoological Society of London - and Rhea Darwini (Darwin rhea) received the name of the great scientist.

On the Galapagos Islands, Darwin ate iguanas (Conolophus subcristatus), and on James Island, he enthusiastically tossed several portions of an elephant tortoise into himself. Not yet realizing the importance of turtles for his future theory of evolution, the scientist ordered forty-eight individuals to be loaded onto the Beagle. All the way home, Darwin and his comrades crushed their prey with pleasure, throwing empty shells overboard.

In honor of Darwin's birthday, every year on February 12, biologists arrange the so-called "Philum Feast" - a joint meal, during which as many as possible of the most diverse species of representatives of the animal world are eaten.

Author: John Lloyd, John Mitchinson

 Random interesting fact from the Great Encyclopedia:

Why does a scorpion sting?

Scorpions are very ancient animals. They are quite large, usually 5-10 centimeters long, and some even up to 20. They have a long jointed body and powerful claws. The abdomen of scorpions ends with a swollen last segment, in which a poisonous gland is placed, the duct of which opens at the end of a curved sharp sting.

Scorpions are ferocious predators. A hunting scorpion walks slowly with its "tail" raised, with its claws ajar forward. Due to the nocturnal lifestyle, the vision of scorpions is poorly developed, so the hunter moves by feeling. In this he is helped by special sensitive hairs.

The scorpion is very sensitive to touching any moving object: if it is a suitable prey, it grabs it, if the object is too large, the scorpion retreats, assuming a threatening pose. At the same time, he steeply bends the "tail" and swings it from side to side. If the victim resists, the scorpion stings repeatedly, immobilizing or killing with poison.

Scorpions feed on spiders, centipedes, various insects. Large scorpions can even eat a lizard or a small mouse.

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