# @science on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DSQM4s6k3Te
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/37884416-science-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/8725347d4d.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-12-14T18:00:27.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Science 🧬 (@science) — https://gondola.cc/science

## Caption

Evidently, being raised entirely by humans (as is the standard operating procedure on ostrich farms) has a significant impact on the disposition of the big, flightless birds. What kind of impact? The sort of impact that leads ostriches to believe that a human would make for a fine mate. Neurotic Physiology's Scicurious explained this phenomenon back in 2012:⁠
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"Courtship behavior in ostriches takes two forms. The male will do a little courtship dance, flapping his wings out, squatting down, and waving his neck back and forth. At this signal, if the female likes what she sees, she'll flap her wings backward, while bending her neck forward, and making a clapping noise with her beak. And it turned out that the farmers [at Hangland Farms, in the UK] were noticing more of this behavior when they were present."⁠
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Scientists set up observation stations near several ostrich enclosures (the ostriches were grouped as one male to two females). They carefully kept themselves well out of sight and sound of the ostriches. Then they had humans walk by the enclosures, either relatively distant or right up near the fence. As the humans walked by, the scientists watched the birds to see what they did.⁠
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And those ostriches were happy to see the humans. Very happy. In fact, both female and male ostriches solicited sex more than twice as often when humans were nearby. 70% of the ostriches reliably hit humans when they are around. Turns out that being raised by humans can change what an ostrich is attracted to.⁠
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For more info: link in our bio. 🔗⁠
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#ostrich #ostriches #farms #attractive #weirdfacts #wowfacts #funfact #biology #science

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## Tags

weirdfacts, ostriches, ostrich, science, wowfacts, attractive, funfact, farms, biology

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