-
01
"But wait, you may be thinking. Don't birds usually just have two legs? Why does this one look like someone tried to genetically splice a fancy man's seagull with a rooted potato?"
-
02
"The 'extra' legs are actually the feet of the Jacana's chicks."
"The Jacana carries its babies in this manner to protect them when predators appear, or to help expedite travel across terrain that may be challenging for the less sure-footed chicks. Most other animals would view any terrain the Jacana moves across as challenging because Jacanas like to walk over the surface of wetland vegetation, such as lily pads, and lily pads aren't normally where your mind first goes when you think 'accessible travel'. When the adult Jacana has gotten where it wants to go, it gently sets its chicks down again."
-
03
"See that? That's good childcare."
-
04
"Jacanas have extremely elongated and dainty feet and toes. This allows the birds to travel safely across vegetation on the surface of lakes and marshlands. I bet they grow into those feet though, right?""
"The wide splay of their toes evenly distributes the bird's weight over a wider surface, meaning delicate vegetation won't buckle when the Jacana walks on top of it. Wow, you may be thinking, that baby bird looks like how being 13 feels."
-
05
"Nope. Still weird. But as the saying goes, if it looks stupid but it works, it ain't stupid. You go, Jacana bird. Don't listen to the haters. They're just trying to get you to sink to their level. --
But you won't, because you can't, because of your awesome weight-distributing feet."
-
06
-
07
-
08
-
09
For a weekly dose of animal-themed community challenges - Subscribe to our Newsletter!
Can't get enough of ICanHasCheezburger? Find us on Instagram!