Sunday was our first outing in the boat this season. A mild winter meant an early ice melt so we retrieved the boat from winter storage early. We were cruising the lake with friends when we passed 10-12 plastic flamingos in a yard. Some were bright pink, some were a bit faded, and a couple were almost white. I asked the kids if they knew why flamingos were pink. They all chimed in, in unison, “Shrimp!”
Quite right. That got me thinking of my outing to the San Diego Zoo a while ago. There were quite a few newly hatched chicks in with their parents – and grandparents I suppose. While making clicks, I overheard one of the zoo guides tell his group that the flamingos get their pink color from eating shrimp. The shrimp, and other foods they eat, are rich in alpha and beta carotenoid pigments. The zoo, however, found it too expensive to feed their flamingos real shrimp so they add a supplement to the feed that mimics the alpha and beta carotenoid pigments. Viola, pink flamingos.
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