Ever seen a bird's ear? Well, a bird's earhole? Well, your evening is about to get wild because here is one we found earlier:
TikTok user @kiki.tiel posted the clip tor those of us who aren't in the know when it comes to the orifices of wildlife. Well, OK... the cockatiel didn't post, but its owner certainly did.
Advert
The video shows the little fella enjoying a cheeky scratch of the brightly coloured feathers on its noggin.
Next, the owner moves towards the side of the bird's head, where there's a little orange patch, and begins to gently move the feathers aside.
This reveals a very bizarre hole in the side of the bird's head. Yes, admittedly it's exactly where you'd imagine an ear would be. But regardless, it's freaking people out.
Since being posted, the video has been watched over 2.8 million times with more than 439,000 likes and 10,000 comments - mostly from people left baffled by what they've just seen.
Advert
One person wrote: "Why do I want to get a bobby pin and poke it?" while another added: "Bruh I had a bird for how long now but I never knew where the ear was."
A third wrote: "I don't know what I was expecting but I did not expect that," and another viewer commented: "This is something that feels illegal but isn't."
Summing up the mood, another TikTokker wrote: "I could have lived my entire life without seeing that." Well, you've seen it now, mate.
Some people admitted that they'd imagined a bird's ear would look like a tiny human ear, while others were quick to say that their trypophobia had been triggered.
Advert
One wrote: "The people with TRYPOPHOBIA," while another said: "I saw my bird's ear when I had one let's just say my trypophobia got so triggered." What, you killed it? Gave it away? It flew off? WHAT HAPPENED?
If you're puzzled at this stage, it might help you to learn that trypophobia is a fear of closely-packed holes. Reactions vary from just feeling a bit 'off' to causing a full-on panic attack or even throwing up.
One study by psychologists Arnold Wilkins and Geoff Cole of the University of Essex found that there could be a pretty sensible reason as to why these images give some people the creeps.
According to the researchers, many of the world's most deadly and poisonous animals have clusters of holes and bumps on their skin - animals such as the blue ringed octopus, which, as the name suggests, has a ringed pattern on its skin.
Advert
The more you know, eh?
Featured Image Credit: TikTok/kiki.tiel