The British trained seagulls to find enemy submarines in WWI.

World History

A nyone who's ever brought food to the beach knows that seagulls are exceptional hunters when they want to be, a skill the British put to the test when they trained the scavenging seabirds to detect German submarines during World War I. This began in 1917, with Britain's Board of Invention and Research living up to its name by setting up a fake periscope that would feed wild gulls. If all went well, their thinking went, the birds would associate the sight of a periscope peeking above the water with a tasty meal — and any British sailors who spotted a flock of seagulls hovering above what appeared to be empty water would know there was a U-boat in their midst.

It didn't work, alas, as the birds knew no masters but themselves. A few soldiers had trouble abandoning the plan, however. One admiral tried a different approach by teaching the seagulls to defecate on the submarine's periscopes and blind the crew within, while the U.S. military considered its own version of the idea involving hand-raised birds from Lake Michigan, though neither effort moved forward. Seagulls are resourceful creatures, but it seems they're more motivated to dive-bomb loose fries than enemy watercraft.

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By the Numbers

Species of seagull

50+

Year the first submarine was built

1620

Did you know?

Seagulls can drink fresh water and salt water.

Not unlike certain other seabirds — including pelicans, penguins, and albatrosses — seagulls can drink both fresh water and salt water. They're able to do so thanks to a desalination filter that begins in their bills and ends in a salt gland above their eyes, which allows the crafty birds to excrete the salt through their nostrils — often by shaking their head. Though highly efficient, this filtration system can atrophy if it goes unused. Seabirds at wildlife rehab centers and zoos are often kept in salt water with this in mind, as it ensures their glands will stay in good condition and prevent saltwater poisoning if and when they're returned to the wild.

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