# @science on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DWUiUdpk46M
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/61248025-science-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/75debbeaa0.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-03-25T20:30:20.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Science 🧬 (@science) — https://gondola.cc/science

## Caption

It's a mystery that has plagued scientists for ages: When new puddles and pools form, or a dry and isolated pond suddenly gets revived through rainfall or snowmelt, where do the fish that live in these waterbodies come from? Now, a new study might have finally found the answer: duck poop.⁠
Hungarian researchers fed live eggs of Prussian and common carp—both invasive fish species wreaking havoc in North America’s waterways—to Mallards and looked to see whether any came out the other end. They found that 0.2 percent of eggs endured the journey through the bird’s digestive tract and showed up in their fresh feces. Three of those 18 recovered eggs hatched into baby carps, the team reported on June 22 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggesting that Mallards, and possibly other waterfowl, ferry fish eggs between waterbodies near and far.⁠
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Because Mallards are abundant and widespread, even with that low percentage, “they can move a lot of eggs because of their huge numbers,” says Orsolya Vincze, an ecologist at Danube Research Institute’s Centre for Ecological Research in Hungary and co-author of the study.⁠
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Mallards are ubiquitous across North America, Asia, and Europe. These shallow-water ducks feed on aquatic plants, snails, insects, and larvae, and in spring and early summer, they share their ponds, marshes, and lake edges with spawning carp. A single common carp lays up to 1.5 million small, sticky eggs every time it spawns, and it can spawn multiple times per season. These eggs float in the water or sink to the shallows and attach to submerged plants. Then, Mallards feast.⁠
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“Birds just love fish eggs,” says Ádám Lovas-Kiss, an ecologist at Danube Research Institute’s Centre for Ecological Research in Hungary and lead author of the study. “If Mallards find these spawning areas, they will go there and eat the eggs until they can’t move. It’s a great resource for protein for them.”⁠
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#fisheggs #mallard #ducks #animalfacts #science #biology

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## Tags

fisheggs, animalfacts, science, ducks, biology, mallard

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