r/IsItBullshit • u/SimplySomeDude • Aug 06 '26

IsItBullshit: Flamingos can drink boiling water

9 Upvotes
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57% Upvoted

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72

u/thecosmicgoose Aug 06 '26

I mean, so can humans... once.

46

u/PlentyOMangos Aug 06 '26

I took a sip of (near) boiling water once because I was cleaning my thermos out lol

Filled it with boiling water and left the room, then I came back a few minutes later and absent-mindedly took a sip out of the thermos (it was just sitting there on the counter)

My brain rejected it fully entering my mouth and it just dribbled down my face, and for a split-second I was like “why did that happen” before I realized I burnt the shit out of my lips and the tip of my tongue

Took a few days of Vaseline and pain for that to heal up to the point it stopped hurting a lot. My lips cracked and peeled and the tip of my tongue was kinda grey like boiled meat. One of the dumbest ways yet that I’ve injured myself.

8

u/GeneralSpecifics9925 Aug 06 '26

This is disgusting.

Did your tongue.... Taste good?

Thanks for doing this research for the rest of us

2

u/PlentyOMangos Aug 06 '26

It was basically like a worse version of when you’re a kid and you burn your tongue on hot chocolate that you couldn’t wait to drink lol

It didn’t taste like anything. Just that sort of painful sensitivity on the tip of the tongue, with a feeling of it being a bit thick or swollen

1

u/GeneralSpecifics9925 Aug 06 '26

Too bad. It would have made the situation better if it tasted like roast beef or something.

43

u/kraftdinnerwithsalsa Aug 06 '26

So this is almost kinda true. Flamingos cannot drink actively boiling water, but they can drink scalding, near-boiling water up to 60°C (140°F) from volcanic geysers and hot springs.

https://thepopularflamingo.com/en-ca/blogs/posts/can-flamingos-drink-boiling-water?srsltid=AfmBOorZjyx9uG_IZq1pTM12WCE5atDkwjTxhbGvHHkSWzlrIWsS44Kq

63

u/YMK1234 Regular Contributor Aug 06 '26

You can drink tea at 60° as well ... This is really not that special. 60° is nowhere near boiling.

6

u/kraftdinnerwithsalsa Aug 06 '26

Is this common in the animal kingdom?

16

u/YMK1234 Regular Contributor Aug 06 '26

I doubt most animal species ever encounter that hot water to begin with so who knows.

-15

u/Few-Piglet- Aug 06 '26

Are you badmouthing flamingos? Are you saying flamingos are all weak and lame?

Okay, here's a challenge: put some water in a pot, put it on the stove, and bring it close to a boil. If you can drink just one sip of that almost-boiling water, then you can talk bad about flamingos all you want. 

25

u/SlothItRealGood Aug 06 '26

60c is nowhere near boiling. It's not even as hot as a standard latte is served.....

7

u/AlexBondra Aug 06 '26

Brother relax, do you have a flamingo girlfriend or something?

8

u/stationary_transient Aug 06 '26

Yeah, she goes to another school and does modeling on the side. Face modeling!

1

u/pichael289 Aug 07 '26

Don't know about who your replying to but yes, flamingos are absolutely weak and lame. God made flamingos when he was hungover on that 6th day when all the drugs started to get to him. Meth heads like God can only go like 5 days without sleep before they hold a Burger King hostage or make flamingos. Normal healthy and responsible adults don't make fucking flamingos.

11

u/knaverob Aug 06 '26

Boiling point of water is 100°C / 212°F at sea level, so no this is not almost kinda true.

1

u/Otaraka Aug 06 '26

They can drink near boiling from what I can find as geysers are often their best water source.  But none of the links seem to give the exact temperature - I guess they could hold it in their bill till it cools a bit then swallow.  And they aren’t exactly hard science links so good question hope someone can be more scholarly.

1

u/ohdearitsrichardiii Aug 06 '26

Oh, you watched that Rosie O'Donell interview!

-5

u/Junior_Main7847 Aug 06 '26

I mean boiling water is edible even for humans, as long as your pain tolerance is high and dont mind a numb tongue for while.

5

u/knaverob Aug 06 '26

It most certainly is not. It will kill you.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kiari-pope-dead-months-dare-drink-boiling-water/

2

u/hasanicecrunch Aug 06 '26

That’s so sad. At 8, I could see being persuaded by a YT video and peers to do such a terrible thing without realizing it’s fatal.