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Since this could be done with a dead flamingo, researchers concluded that standing on one leg couldn't require any muscle activity at all in live flamingos. When studying a flamingo corpse, researchers were able to balance it on one leg because its joints naturally aligned so that one leg was positioned beneath the center of the body. A flamingo's ankle joint snaps shut, locking the foot-to-leg connection in place. The ankle is where you'd expect the knee to be, and it does something unusual. A flamingo's knee is hidden beneath its feathers where you'd imagine its hip would be. When you see a long flamingo leg, you're actually just seeing the calf, ankle, and foot. In the process, they discovered it takes less effort for a flamingo to stand on one leg than it does on two. Professor Young-Hui Chang of the Georgia Institute of Technology and Lena Ting of Emory University studied the bodies of dead flamingos to learn more about their anatomy. Recently, however, scientists studying flamingos may have made a breakthrough in understanding this peculiar behavior. From the point of view of fish swimming below the water, a flamingo standing on one leg could resemble a reed or small tree.įor years, all scientists have had are these potential theories. Standing on one leg reduces the amount of heat lost to the water, thereby helping to control body temperature.Īnother popular theory holds that standing on one leg could be a form of camouflage. Standing in cold water all day can make it difficult to keep body temperature up where it belongs. Others think it helps flamingos to regulate body temperature. For example, some scientists believe standing on one leg conserves energy and reduces strain on the heart, since the heart only has to pump blood all the way down one leg. More popular theories concentrate on potential benefits of standing on one leg. Others think they stand on one leg because they only turn off one side of their brains when they sleep. Some think that flamingos stand on one leg to dry it off from time to time, since they spend so much time in the water. Over the years, they even developed several theories about how and why flamingos stand on one leg when they sleep. Scientists who have studied flamingos have observed this behavior for a long time. Yet, flamingos seem to do it with ease for long periods of time with little or no effort. Standing on one leg is not natural - or easy - for human beings to do for any length of time.

We firmly believe that Frank was just pulling Babs' leg, but their conversation did make us WONDER about exactly why - and how - flamingos stand on one leg while they sleep. Now all the flamingos do it just to mystify the humans! He posted a video on FlamingoBook and it went viral. A flamingo did it once and it made the humans freak out. I've always WONDERed why you stand on one leg when you sleep.įlamingo: Ha! That's a funny story. Sea Gull: No, I know you're pink because of what you eat. If you don't mind me asking, there's something I've always wanted to know about flamingos.įlamingo: Oh year? What's that? Why we're pink? I don't think I've ever seen you here before. What's yours?įlamingo: Nice to meet you, Babs. We were getting ready to watch the sun set over the Wonderopolis waterfront the other day when we overheard an interesting conversation between a sea gull and a flamingo: