what’s so great about
a parrot who understands
the concept of zero?
i know an ant who understands
the concept of
three hundred million and ten.
she is something of a savant—
her abdominal gyrus is
particularly large
and we suspect that is where
she keeps her numbers.
i also once knew an African Grey
parrot named George
he was terrible at counting,
but well-practiced at
snatching ants up and eating them
when no one was looking.
when we asked him why he
practiced such a cruel art
he said, “because there’s
lots of you around,”
thereby illustrating the
limited utility of
a precise numerical
concept in nature
If our reporting has informed or inspired you, please consider making a donation. Every contribution, no matter the size, empowers us to continue delivering accurate, engaging, and trustworthy science and medical news. Independent journalism requires time, effort, and resources—your support ensures we can keep uncovering the stories that matter most to you.
Join us in making knowledge accessible and impactful. Thank you for standing with us!
Birds are meant to live free on bicycles on roof tops on tree tops
By law in Mexico cage must be 10×10
Even jailbirds get an hour free
has Alex felt the breeze the surf the wind?
Leigh Roth Ph.d