Latest / Be Amazed / Things That Hypnotize Every Animal

Transcript

Things That Hypnotize Every Animal · Be Amazed

0:00
[SPEAKER_00]: Animals are known for acting a little crazy sometimes.
0:03
[SPEAKER_00]: It's why we love them, right?
0:04
[SPEAKER_00]: But what if I told you that you could instantly calm your cat down with a simple pinch in the right place?
0:10
[SPEAKER_00]: Or even that scary sharks can be made docile and harmless in mere seconds?
0:15
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, get ready to be amazed because we're about to check out some surprising things that hypnotize all kinds of animals.
0:35
[SPEAKER_00]: Everyone's always asking why the chicken cross the road, but how do you stop it from crossing the road in the first place?
0:42
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, you draw a line in front of its beak, obviously.
0:46
[SPEAKER_00]: By holding a chicken down by the head and drawing a straight line in front of it, you can get any chicken to completely freeze for up to half an hour.
0:55
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not magic, researchers call the phenomenon, tonic immobility, and it's apparently a fear response to being restrained.
1:04
[SPEAKER_00]: Essentially, when you grab a chicken like that, it innately senses that it's in danger.
1:09
[SPEAKER_00]: So it ceases up and fakes its own death.
1:12
[SPEAKER_00]: This sounds like a pretty terrible defense mechanism, but it actually makes sense.
1:18
[SPEAKER_00]: If a predator thinks its prey is dead, it's more likely to relax its concentration, giving the hen an opportunity to break free of its paralysis and escape.
1:29
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, but what's the line got to do with it?
1:31
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, it turns out, not a lot.
1:34
[SPEAKER_00]: The technique actually dates way back to the sixteen hundreds when Italian monk Athanasius Kircher first started the strange practice as an experiment.
1:44
[SPEAKER_00]: Culture would tie hands feet together and lay them on the ground.
1:48
[SPEAKER_00]: After a short struggle, they'd stop moving.
1:51
[SPEAKER_00]: Then, culture would untie the hands and draw the chalk line.
1:55
[SPEAKER_00]: Still, the hands wouldn't move, or even attempt to do so.
1:59
[SPEAKER_00]: Therefore, culture believed that the hands thought the line was the string, still bound to their feet, and accepted their fate.
2:07
[SPEAKER_00]: Since then, scientists have proven this to be untrue, and thus also proven that the line does absolutely nothing.
2:16
[SPEAKER_00]: Though you've got to admit, it does give the whole trick a certain dramatic flare, which is no doubt why people still do it today.
2:24
[SPEAKER_00]: What a bunch of drama queens.
2:27
[SPEAKER_00]: Some animals are cute as hell.
2:29
[SPEAKER_00]: Others are less so.
2:30
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'd put Emu's firmly in that latter category, in fact they're absolutely terrifying.
2:37
[SPEAKER_00]: But if you ever come across a mob of the winged beasties, don't worry.
2:41
[SPEAKER_00]: One simple trick and you'll have rendered them docile and curious rather than aggressive.
2:47
[SPEAKER_00]: And no, using a pocket watch like you see in the movies doesn't work.
2:51
[SPEAKER_00]: Instead, simply lie back on your shoulders and pedal your legs like you're riding an imaginary bicycle.
2:58
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not joking, you can find footage of that online, but this very specific set of actions will trigger in use to become overwhelmingly fascinated with you.
3:08
[SPEAKER_00]: So much so, they won't be able to resist coming over to check out what's going on.
3:13
[SPEAKER_00]: Naturally, they're very curious animals, so if they see anything out of the ordinary, they're compelled to investigate.
3:20
[SPEAKER_00]: And what's more out of the ordinary than a person lying on the ground acting like they're writing an upside-down bicycle?
3:27
[SPEAKER_00]: We're not sure why this exact technique was settled on, but, supposedly, it's an old aboriginal trick used to lure in emues and catch them.
3:37
[SPEAKER_00]: The lanky birds can run up to a startling thirty miles per hour, so aboriginals had to get creative about in snaring them.
3:45
[SPEAKER_00]: I guess curiosity killed the aim you.
3:48
[SPEAKER_00]: But curiosity is significantly healthier for us humans.
3:52
[SPEAKER_00]: So go ahead and follow my podcast if you haven't already.
3:56
[SPEAKER_00]: That way I'll be able to satiate your thirst for knowledge no matter what you're curious about.
4:02
[SPEAKER_00]: All done?
4:02
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, where were we?
4:05
[SPEAKER_00]: You might be familiar with Futurama's hypnotode, but I bet you never thought it had any basis in reality.
4:13
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, it does sort of anyway.
4:17
[SPEAKER_00]: Unlike hypnotode, realtoads can't hypnotize people, but they can be hypnotized.
4:24
[SPEAKER_00]: And you can do it with the very device you're holding in your hands.
4:27
[SPEAKER_00]: Just bring up a video of a spiral, whack it in front of them, and there you have it.
4:33
[SPEAKER_00]: One hypnotized toady, or if you've got more than one phone to hand, you can really trip them out, as shown in many TikTok Virals.
4:41
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, the joys of TikTok.
4:43
[SPEAKER_00]: Spinning spirals are a common trope of hypnotism, but there's no real evidence to suggest they should work on anything.
4:51
[SPEAKER_00]: So, we're not sure why they work so well on toads.
4:54
[SPEAKER_00]: Perhaps they're stunned into submission by the sensory overload.
4:58
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, if I was suddenly surrounded by huge bright spinning spirals, I'd probably be a little off-wack too.
5:05
[SPEAKER_00]: Or, maybe they just find it too riveting to look away.
5:09
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know about you, but I'm petrified of snakes, which is why you'd never catch me trying my hand at Snake Charming.
5:16
[SPEAKER_00]: Snake Charmers play a special read instrument called a poongi, which they use to enhance their serpents.
5:23
[SPEAKER_00]: Or at least it looks like they're entrancing them.
5:26
[SPEAKER_00]: When the snake sees the poongi, it perceives it as a threat, and responds to it as if it's a predator.
5:34
[SPEAKER_00]: By rising up in a defensive pose.
5:37
[SPEAKER_00]: As the snake charmer moves the punjai from side to side, the snake matches this movement in case the punjai attacks.
5:45
[SPEAKER_00]: But the snake won't attack first because snake charmers always use cobras which are naturally very non-aggressive.
5:52
[SPEAKER_00]: As for the music, get this.
5:55
[SPEAKER_00]: The cobras can't even hear it.
5:56
[SPEAKER_00]: They don't have external ears, so the most they can pick up are low frequency rumbles.
6:01
[SPEAKER_00]: The tune is just for dramatic effect.
6:04
[SPEAKER_00]: They're not exactly getting hypnotized then, but I still think it counts.
6:08
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, the snakes can't help but respond to the Pungi.
6:12
[SPEAKER_00]: Even if it's not quite hypnotism though, it's definitely his notism.
6:17
[SPEAKER_00]: If the idea of getting up close and personal with a cobra freaks you out, it's about to get a whole lot freaky year.
6:25
[SPEAKER_00]: Remember how the chicken from earlier was put into a state of tonic immobility?
6:30
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, sharks can be put into this state too.
6:34
[SPEAKER_00]: However, not with the same technique, you've actually got to turn them upside down.
6:40
[SPEAKER_00]: With a hell of a lot of skill, it's possible to flip a shark over and in doing so, paralyze it.
6:46
[SPEAKER_00]: Turning one upside down is thought to trigger the same fear response chickens have when you hold them down, forcing it to enter the trans-like state known as tonic immobility.
6:56
[SPEAKER_00]: The muscles of the shark relax and its breathing become slow, deep, and rhythmic.
7:02
[SPEAKER_00]: then it'll zone out for several minutes as if sleeping.
7:06
[SPEAKER_00]: And there you have it.
7:09
[SPEAKER_00]: One of the biggest predators of the sea reduce to a floating seafood stick in seconds.
7:17
[SPEAKER_00]: Why such a formidable creature would have an innate fear response that renders it completely vulnerable is an entirely known though.
7:26
[SPEAKER_00]: For this reason some scientists disagree with the theory entirely, and instead reckon it's something to do with their mating rituals.
7:34
[SPEAKER_00]: Whatever the reason researchers practice the technique frequently when studying the big fish, it only works with specific species of shark though, like reef sharks.
7:44
[SPEAKER_00]: So don't get any ideas if you ever cross paths with a great wide.
7:49
[SPEAKER_00]: That happens well, at least the shark will be getting a good dinner.
7:53
[SPEAKER_00]: So far, we've only explored animals being subjected to hypnotism, but one creature can actually perform it too.
8:01
[SPEAKER_00]: Cuttlefish are freaky looking mollisks, and their skin is made from millions of specialized cells called chromatophores, which allow them to change color it will.
8:11
[SPEAKER_00]: This extraordinary power is brilliant for camouflage, but they use it for a lot more than just that.
8:18
[SPEAKER_00]: When Cuttlefish hunt, they transform their whole bodies into bright pulsating light shows.
8:24
[SPEAKER_00]: This hypnotic display grabs the attention of any shrimp crab or small fish that's around and lures them closer to the Cuttlefish.
8:33
[SPEAKER_00]: Then, it's time to strike.
8:35
[SPEAKER_00]: In a split second, the cuttlefish shoots its tentacles forward, grabs hold of its hypnotized prey, and pulls them in for the kill.
8:44
[SPEAKER_00]: Jeez.
8:45
[SPEAKER_00]: Once that light shows got you, you can't scuttle from the cuttle.
8:49
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, I'll admit it, cat videos are my guilty pleasure.
8:53
[SPEAKER_00]: And if they're yours too, you'll know the freaky felines can't resist playing with a fidget spinner.
8:59
[SPEAKER_00]: The little spinning toys are so hypnotic, they can keep cats transfixed for hours.
9:04
[SPEAKER_00]: But, have you ever wondered why your feline friends get so obsessed with them?
9:09
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, it's all about their strong hunting instincts.
9:12
[SPEAKER_00]: Cats think that toys could be nicer, other small creatures, so they give them a good poke to investigate.
9:18
[SPEAKER_00]: When a fidget spinner doesn't squeal in a scammer away though, you'd imagine the cat would quickly lose interest in it.
9:25
[SPEAKER_00]: But nope, they remain mysteriously mesmerized even despite knowing it's not food.
9:31
[SPEAKER_00]: Perhaps that innate drive to hunt is so strong that it overrides any sense of logic.
9:38
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean sure, they're kind of satisfying, but hours of playing with one.
9:43
[SPEAKER_00]: If I knew a human that obsessed with them, I'd be pretty spun out by it.
9:48
[SPEAKER_00]: Did you know you can hypnotize a lobster into doing a headstand?
9:51
[SPEAKER_00]: No, I'm not joking.
9:53
[SPEAKER_00]: And at this point, you shouldn't really be surprised.
9:56
[SPEAKER_00]: All you need to do is flip it over, using its claws for support, and stroke its back a few times.
10:03
[SPEAKER_00]: As if by magic, the lobster will be rendered completely motionless.
10:09
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, but why would anyone want to do this?
10:12
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, chefs use the technique to keep the clawed crustacean still before.
10:16
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, cooking them alive.
10:19
[SPEAKER_00]: That's tragic!
10:20
[SPEAKER_00]: Despite how common the practice is though, very little research has been done into how it actually works.
10:28
[SPEAKER_00]: Stroking it might relax the lobster in a similar way to a dog, so it drops its guard and allows you to turn it upside down.
10:35
[SPEAKER_00]: Once upside down, some people reckon the blood rushing to its head causes it to pass out.
10:40
[SPEAKER_00]: The same as humans if we're upside down for too long.
10:44
[SPEAKER_00]: Others believe the immobilization is a last-ditch defense mechanism to trick predators into thinking it's dead.
10:51
[SPEAKER_00]: little do the poor critters know they're just making their own demise even easier.
10:57
[SPEAKER_00]: Man, what a clawful way to go?
10:59
[SPEAKER_00]: If you've got a cat, you'll know that as lovable as they can be, they can also be pretty darn feisty, especially if you need to pick them up.
11:09
[SPEAKER_00]: but just wait until you hear this.
11:11
[SPEAKER_00]: There's actually a super effective method you can use to instantly calm any cat down, no matter how riled up they are.
11:20
[SPEAKER_00]: Just grab a bulldog clip or clothing peg, clip it onto the scruff of your cat's neck, and you will be surprised by what happens.
11:28
[SPEAKER_00]: Instant calm.
11:29
[SPEAKER_00]: And all you have to do to lift the spell is, unclip the peg again.
11:34
[SPEAKER_00]: pretty crazy.
11:35
[SPEAKER_00]: But why does it work?
11:37
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, it's all down to instinct.
11:39
[SPEAKER_00]: You see, when you clip a cat's scruff, the cat gets the exact same feeling of calm and protection that it did when carried by its mother.
11:47
[SPEAKER_00]: This innate soothing effect is so strong that even without the mother actually present cats will succumb to it, almost immediately.
11:55
[SPEAKER_00]: Not that it only works on kittens, it has the same effect on many adult cats as well.
12:00
[SPEAKER_00]: So next time you need to clip your kitty's nails, give it a go.
12:04
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a pretty awesome hack.
12:06
[SPEAKER_00]: Now it's pretty rare to meet a human that doesn't like music.
12:10
[SPEAKER_00]: We don't really think of animals enjoying it though, but some really do, to the point it has such a dramatic effect on them, it's like hypnosis.
12:20
[SPEAKER_00]: And cows are one of the animals most affected by a banging tune.
12:24
[SPEAKER_00]: It turns out just like us cows find music calming and relaxing.
12:28
[SPEAKER_00]: So much so that it has a sedating hypnotic effect on them, and they have musical taste too.
12:36
[SPEAKER_00]: Classical and jazz music has been proven to relax them, whereas more upbeat music can stress them out.
12:42
[SPEAKER_00]: So Beethoven is great for cows, but, skrillicks, not so much.
12:47
[SPEAKER_00]: What's more relaxed cows with low-stress levels produce more milk?
12:51
[SPEAKER_00]: So farmers have good reason to put on gigs for them.
12:54
[SPEAKER_00]: Who's ready for milk fast?
12:56
[SPEAKER_00]: Next up, I fainted once when I took my socks off after a long summer's day.
13:01
[SPEAKER_00]: Man, the stench.
13:02
[SPEAKER_00]: For a certain breed of goat though, fainting is a much worse problem because it can be triggered by anyone without fail.
13:11
[SPEAKER_00]: All you have to do is give the goat a good scare and it'll seize up and fall over every time.
13:18
[SPEAKER_00]: Goats with the fainting trait are called myotonic goats, and the dramatic reaction is a result of a rare genetic disorder called myotonia congenita.
13:28
[SPEAKER_00]: They're not actually fainting their skeletal muscles are tightening in response to a shock, which causes them to fall over.
13:36
[SPEAKER_00]: Usually they're awake throughout, so it's just like they're being hypnotized.
13:40
[SPEAKER_00]: They can't help but fall over, even though they're fully conscious.
13:44
[SPEAKER_00]: Luckily, it doesn't hurt them, and they'll bounce right back up again once the stiffness goes away.
13:50
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, let's return to cats.
13:52
[SPEAKER_00]: If you want to try a bit of feline mind control, but don't have any clips to hand, never fear.
13:58
[SPEAKER_00]: Just grab some tape, mark out a shape on the floor, and wait.
14:02
[SPEAKER_00]: Your curious kitty is pretty much guaranteed to walk over to it and sit in the middle.
14:07
[SPEAKER_00]: And this technique kicked up quite a fuss on social media.
14:12
[SPEAKER_00]: If you're wondering why on Earth this works apparently, it's all to do with making the cat feel safe and secure.
14:19
[SPEAKER_00]: You might have noticed they love tucking themselves into tight spaces, that's because it gives them a strong sense of security.
14:27
[SPEAKER_00]: Oddly enough though, they don't differentiate a two-dimensional shape on the floor from something like a cardboard box, so they'll feel just as compelled to go and sit in it, even though they're really no safer than they would be out in the open.
14:42
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like hacking into their brains or something.
14:45
[SPEAKER_00]: Therefore, if you want your cat to hang out in a specific room rather than jump all over your furniture, you know what to do.
14:52
[SPEAKER_00]: Everyone's seen a magician pull a rabbit out of a hat, but that's just a cheap trick.
14:57
[SPEAKER_00]: Something far more impressive is putting a rabbit into a legitimate trance, and it's surprisingly easy.
15:05
[SPEAKER_00]: Just place one on its back in the crook of your arm, raise its rump above its head, and give it a stroke.
15:11
[SPEAKER_00]: It'll close its eyes and become immobilized and no time at all.
15:15
[SPEAKER_00]: This is another case of tonic immobility.
15:18
[SPEAKER_00]: Rabbits are innately hardwired to think they're being targeted by a predator if they're flipped over.
15:25
[SPEAKER_00]: So, like other animals, we've explored as a last resort they go into this state and the hope the predator will let their guard down and drop them.
15:34
[SPEAKER_00]: In days gone by, magicians would perform this trick as part of their act.
15:38
[SPEAKER_00]: Nowadays though, we know it's actually very cruel.
15:42
[SPEAKER_00]: Despite their relaxed outer appearance, rabbits are put under a lot of stress when immobilized like that.
15:48
[SPEAKER_00]: Their heart rate can rise to a dangerous level, and even be fatal.
15:52
[SPEAKER_00]: So if you've got a bouncy fluffer of your own, please don't do this to them, or it'll be anything but a happy bunny.
16:00
[SPEAKER_00]: Fortunately, not every animal prone to tonic immobility hates it so much.
16:05
[SPEAKER_00]: Like rabbits, if a lizard is placed on its back, it'll assume it's under threat and fake its own death.
16:12
[SPEAKER_00]: Unlike rabbits though, lizards don't freak out when this happens, so you can pull off a bit of reptilian hypnosis without any accompanying guilt.
16:21
[SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes the song is so good it can feel hypnotic.
16:25
[SPEAKER_00]: In fact, it's well known that music has powerful effects on the human brain.
16:30
[SPEAKER_00]: And recent studies show that some birds can be heavily influenced by a funky beat too.
16:35
[SPEAKER_00]: All you need to do is stick on a groovy tune and watch they can't help but Bob alone.
16:40
[SPEAKER_00]: The Bopping Birds just can't resist the music.
16:43
[SPEAKER_00]: One particularly musical cockatoo called Snowball became famous back in two thousand seven when he was found to both head bang and stop his feet to the rhythm.
16:54
[SPEAKER_00]: He's got better moves than me.
16:57
[SPEAKER_00]: Scientists studying the cockatoo discovered that the bird's love of big beats was related to its ability to mimic sounds.
17:04
[SPEAKER_00]: Animals that can do this like parrots are more inclined to get down.
17:08
[SPEAKER_00]: Other animals like cats and dogs have no ability to mimic sounds they hear, so lack the right brain circuitry to bop to the beat.
17:16
[SPEAKER_00]: That makes sense, if you think about it, music and rhythm are heavily intertwined, so if you can't mimic the music itself, you're gonna have a hard time mimicking the rhythm.
17:26
[SPEAKER_00]: The weird thing is just how much a tune seems to entrance the birds.
17:31
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like they have no choice but to shake those feathers.
17:34
[SPEAKER_00]: Next up, despite looking a lot cuter than the Terminator, weasels are just as efficient at being ruthless killing machines.
17:42
[SPEAKER_00]: So, it's no surprise that they've got it down to a rather hypnotic art.
17:46
[SPEAKER_00]: Before the fierce furball strike their prey, they begin darting about twisting and jumping in an erratic performance dubbed the Weasel Wardance.
17:55
[SPEAKER_00]: The theory is, this wildly wacky show is an attempt to confuse and hypnotize their prey.
18:02
[SPEAKER_00]: Instead of running away, the victim is stunned by the dance and watches it, transfixed.
18:08
[SPEAKER_00]: And by this point, it's already game over.
18:11
[SPEAKER_00]: The Weasel corners and grabs its prey, wraps its muscular body around the animal to restrain it, and then delivers a deadly bite to the back of its neck.
18:22
[SPEAKER_00]: Ouch!
18:23
[SPEAKER_00]: There's no way you'd be weaseling your way out of that one.
18:27
[SPEAKER_00]: When you're lying all comfy and bed at night, there's nothing worse than realizing one of the lights is on and having to get up to turn it off.
18:36
[SPEAKER_00]: But if you have a laser pointer and a pet cat, then that problem is the thing of the past.
18:42
[SPEAKER_00]: You can just direct the laser towards the light switch and the cat will do the job for you.
18:47
[SPEAKER_00]: Genius.
18:48
[SPEAKER_00]: And it works so well because cats get absolutely obsessed with those red dots.
18:53
[SPEAKER_00]: Like there, you guessed it, completely hypnotized.
18:57
[SPEAKER_00]: So if you get your hands on a laser pointer, you can make them go pretty much wherever you like.
19:03
[SPEAKER_00]: Essentially, cats hunting instincts mean their brains are wired to follow anything that's fast moving, because their prey tends to scurry about.
19:11
[SPEAKER_00]: Therefore, when they see the zipping red light, they're compelled to give chase.
19:16
[SPEAKER_00]: But if you try this, just be careful where you point that laser, or you could end up with a catastrophe on your hands.
19:25
[SPEAKER_00]: Now lastly, let's talk about trout tickling.
19:28
[SPEAKER_00]: Fish are notoriously slippery suckers, which is why it's hard enough to catch them with a rod, never mind with your bare hands.
19:36
[SPEAKER_00]: But there's a hypnotic secret that makes plucking trout out of the water surprisingly easy.
19:43
[SPEAKER_00]: If you can get close enough to the fish without scaring it off, quickly bend down and rub its underbelly with your fingers as though giving it a tickle.
19:53
[SPEAKER_00]: Despite sounding practically impossible, it can be done.
19:57
[SPEAKER_00]: And if it's done properly, the tickled trout will slip into a day's transfer a couple of seconds, making it just about possible for you to snatch it out of the water.
20:06
[SPEAKER_00]: Trout tickling isn't some newfangled YouTube trend either.
20:10
[SPEAKER_00]: It's been practiced for centuries, and even comes up in a Shakespeare play.
20:15
[SPEAKER_00]: Apparently they love this sensation, which is why they stop moving long enough for you to be able to pick them up.
20:22
[SPEAKER_00]: It all sounds a bit fishy to me, but I can't deny it works.
20:26
[SPEAKER_00]: Anyway, that's just about all we have time for today, folks.
20:30
[SPEAKER_00]: Which one of those hypnotic acts did you find the most mesmerizing?
20:35
[SPEAKER_00]: I wouldn't recommend trying the shark trick though, I need you in the next episode.
20:39
[SPEAKER_00]: Thanks for listening!