Dead Duck Day 2017, in pictures

The 22nd edition of Dead Duck Day, honoring the mallard duck that became known to science as the first (documented) ‘victim’ of homosexual necrophilia in that species, on June 5th, 2017 attracted 85 spectators, a record number since 1996. Right outside the Natural History Museum in Rotterdam, the ceremony included (1) the first posthumous public […]

Eye-poking, fish swallowing, burnt hair and dead ducks: Ig Nobel Spring Tour ends in Rotterdam

The final stop of the ‘Ig Nobel Spring Euro Tour’ is the Natural History Museum Rotterdam, the Netherlands, home of the famous ‘Dead Animal Tales’ exhibition. Saturday April 8, 2017 at 20:00h Marc Abrahams speaks about recent Ig Nobel prize winners and he introduces some Dutch improbable researchers, including: Lara & Richard Zegers – Eye […]

A look back at the 20th Dead Duck Day

It took some time to write-up the things that happened at the 20th edition of Dead Duck Day — commemorating the first scientifically documented case of homosexual necrophilia in the mallard duck. Here it is, laced with photographs: On June 5th, 2015, the 20th Dead Duck Day attracted a crowd of about 50 people. They gathered at […]

Celebrate the 19th Dead Duck Day, on June 5th 2014

Thursday June 5th, 2014 is Dead Duck Day, arriving exactly one year after last year’s Dead Duck Day. At exactly 17:55 h we will honor the mallard duck that became known to science as the first (documented) ‘victim’ of homosexual necrophilia in that species, and earned its discoverer, Kees Moeliker, the 2003 Ig Nobel Biology Prize. […]

The breakfast-cereal bat comes to roost at the museum

The pipistrelle bat (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) that made headlines (and this blog) in Germany last November, after the Chemisches und Veterinäruntersuchungsambt (CVUA-Stuttgart) reported its find in a box of breakfast cereals, is in the news again. The mummified insectivore is now a registered specimen (NMR 9990- 03109) in the Natural History Museum of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. […]