Those "chicken soup" stories about animal effects are more outrageous than you think!

Recently, the topic of "Henan Huixian goats collectively jumped off a cliff" became a hot search topic, and the term "herd effect" was mentioned again. Is there any scientific basis behind the seemingly vivid "animal effect"?

Compiled by New Media Editor Duan Dawei

Recently, the topic of "Nearly 100 goats collectively jumped off a cliff and died in Huixian, Henan" has become a hot topic, and the term "herd effect" has been mentioned again. You should have heard these stories about the "animal effect": Don't be a lazy sardine in the team, be a daring "catfish"; when bitten by a "crocodile", you must learn to give up in order to stop the loss; and at work, you should keep a reasonable distance like a hedgehog keeping warm, you must know how to "manage" and even more so, how to "let go"... These stories are all related to animals, and they all reveal an important philosophy of life. But if we look at these stories from a different perspective, are they true?

Catfish effect:

The "Catfish" Can't See the "Sardines"

The Catfish Effect mentioned that in Norway, since fresh sardines are several times more expensive than frozen ones, fishermen try their best to keep the sardines fresh after they arrive at the shore. However, for a long time, there was only one fishing boat that could bring fresh sardines ashore, and the secret was only known to the captain, who never revealed it. After he passed away, the fishermen found a catfish swimming around in the tank where he kept the sardines. In order to avoid it, the sardines changed their usual inertia and swam non-stop to save their lives, and finally they were able to stay fresh when they arrived at the shore.

Is it possible that the two fish mentioned in the story, sardines and catfish, are both produced in Norway? Norway is located in the western part of the Scandinavian Peninsula, bordering the Norwegian Sea (part of the North Atlantic Ocean) to the west. Due to the intersection of the North Atlantic warm current and the Icelandic current, the Norwegian Sea is rich in fish, including cod, herring, sardines and anchovies. Sardines are a general term for a variety of small, oily fish in the order Herringiformes. There are two main types of sardines produced in the Norwegian Sea: North Sea herring (Claupea harengus) and Norwegian spring-spawning herring (Claupea harengus L.).

Catfish generally refers to all fishes under the order Siluriformes. Catfishes have a wide range of habitats, including inland waters and coastal areas of all continents except Antarctica. Most Siluriformes fishes live in fresh water, and a few live in salt water (seawater and saltwater lakes). These catfishes living in salt water include the family Siluridae and the family Anguillae, as well as a few species of the family Catfish and the family Cyprinidae. Unfortunately, these saltwater catfishes are only distributed in tropical and temperate salt waters, and are not distributed in the North Atlantic.

Therefore, it is unlikely that "catfish" and sardines will meet in Norway. The story of the "catfish effect" is more like a metaphor or fable, which aims to teach managers how to activate their employee teams. Its authenticity is questionable.

Alligator Effect:

Still struggling? "Death Tumble" teaches you how to be a good person

The crocodile effect generally refers to the crocodile rule. The general content of the crocodile rule is that if a crocodile bites your foot, if you use your hand to try to break free, the crocodile will bite your foot and hand at the same time. The more you struggle, the more you will be bitten. Therefore, if a crocodile bites your foot, your only way is to sacrifice one foot.

This principle tells us that when danger comes, we must learn to stop loss immediately without any delay and without any fluke mentality. This is what "a brave man cuts off his arm" means.

In reality, the bite force of crocodiles is very strong, generally more than 907 kg. The bite force of crocodiles is generally several times their body weight. However, the bite force of different species of crocodiles is also different. Generally speaking, the larger the crocodile, the stronger its bite force. For example, the saltwater crocodile is the largest crocodile, with a bite force of about 1905 kg; the bite force of the Nile crocodile is about 1133 kg, and the bite force of the alligator is about 997 kg.

Moreover, the crocodile's special hunting skill is the "death roll" - after the crocodile bites its prey, it will drag it into the water and then start to roll violently, trying to drown or strangle the prey. This method is likely to tear off a person's hands and feet. It may be useless to struggle against a crocodile with your hands. With the "death roll" trick, the crocodile has no need to let go and continue to bite other parts of the prey's limbs.

On the other hand, sacrificing one's hand or leg to escape from the crocodile's mouth is also unrealistic. Who can guarantee that after being bitten by a crocodile, one can break off one's hand or leg and give it up? Perhaps the meaning of the law is more worthy of in-depth thinking.

Hedgehog Effect:

Hard thorns also have different targets

The Hedgehog Law is about two sleepy hedgehogs huddling together because of the cold, but because they each have thorns on their bodies, they will keep a suitable distance from each other so that they can get each other's warmth without being pricked.

This principle tells us that we should maintain a proper "psychological distance" in interpersonal communication. We should also maintain this reasonable distance at work, and we should know how to "manage" and "let go". Streamlining administration and delegating power is a concrete manifestation of this principle.

This statement is also known as the "Porcupine Principle". It was first mentioned in the work "Appendix and Supplement" by German philosopher Schopenhauer. In 1921, it was also quoted by psychologist Freud in his work "Group Psychology and Ego Analysis". The purpose of both statements is to explain the fragile relationships and cautious behaviors of individuals in society.

However, philosophers think that hedgehogs cannot hug each other, which is somewhat taken for granted. Because if the hedgehog law is true, then the most direct paradox is - how can hedgehogs mate and reproduce?

In fact, the hard spines on the hedgehog can be retracted and extended freely. When encountering danger from natural enemies, the spines will become hard and stand up. At this time, any creature that touches them may be stabbed and bloody. But before mating, the opposite is true. Hedgehogs will first court. When the female hedgehog accepts the courtship of the male hedgehog, she will be ready to reproduce. They will retract the spines on their backs to the surface of their bodies to reduce the harm to the male hedgehog. On the other hand, the reproductive organs of male hedgehogs are located in the center of the abdomen, which reduces the contact area between them and the back of the female hedgehog, reducing the probability of being stabbed.

However, male hedgehogs still need to be careful, because if they are not careful, they may accidentally injure their companions with their spines. When hedgehogs are not alert, their hard spines will not cause as much harm to their cubs or mates as imagined.

Except for the mating season every year, it is rare to see hedgehogs together. Most of them are solitary "lone rangers", so there is naturally no question of them huddling together and getting stung by each other.