On Guafo Island in Chile, there are some very odd and aggressive seagulls. Seagulls by nature are highly adaptable and aggressive. You've probably had your food snatched out of your hands by a hungry gull. These birds get so fixated on dinner, they'll do anything. Including feasting on feces fresh out of baby seal butts.
Scientists noticed that some of the baby seal population had strange physical trauma on their bums, but couldn't figure out from what. Then they caught it live: seagulls were using their sharp beaks to dig the poop out of the baby seal butts. But why?
After interrupting the local gulls' lunch and taking samples, scientists realized the gulls were after the hookworms in the poo! Those local fur seals are known to be infested with hookworms. The larvae are in adults, but full grown hookworms hang out in pups, who then excrete them.
Turns out seagulls love to eat hookworms. So much in fact, that instead of waiting for the baby seals to poop, they go straight to the source.
At least it's fresh. Have you ever been that hungry?
Wait, don't answer that.
Artwork by Ivan Ehlers
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