For the first year, with the onset of autumn, network users have been divided by an interesting fact: supposedly in the fall, the brain of chipmunks grows in size, the wiser animals from the awareness of their intelligence fall into depression and begin to consume overwhelming fruits, alcohols from which, in turn, return the brain to the previous state. We decided to check if such a story is real.

Typically, history is published in this wording: “By the fall, the brain of the Tamias tristis chipmunk is increasing in volume to remember the location of the pantries. The chipmunk becomes smarter, which causes a fierce grief in it, which can only fight only eating the transferred fruits, until the brain again decreases to a comfortable size. ” This Entertaining fact about Burundunes actively divided Users social networks and Blogs. Popular This story is like in communities O animals, and in public O fault. It can also be found in the media, for example, in "Zen»MAXIM magazine or resource"Media salt".

Burunduki is a group rodents From the Belishka family, which includes three kinds: Eutamias, Tamias and Neotamias. The first kind consists of Just from one species - an Asian or Siberian chipmunk (Eutamias sibiricus). The second is also represented by only one species - the eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus). The genus Neotamias is the most numerous, according to the American Society of Mammaglers, he Includes There are as many as 26 species.

An animal called Tamias Tristis is not known scientists. The Tamias genus, as already mentioned, is really chipmunk. But tristis is a view LongcapsRelating to the screeching detachment (so in the scientific calls are called bats and wings), namely the Novogvinesky long wing (miniopterus tristis). That is, in the history popular in social networks, a non-existent animal is described in reality, something between a chipmunk and a bat. It is noteworthy that the species name Tristis is similar to the Latin word “sad”-probably such a definition is designed to emphasize the depressive-alcoholic behavior of a non-existent rodent.

The phrase Tamias tristis is not found on the Internet until September 18, 2020. It is then in the community “other nature” (Facebook*, Telegram) And there was a story about the unusual behavior of these rodents. The description of the channel in Telegram at the same time indicates: “Reporting, reports and travel notes on the flora and fauna of this and adjacent worlds.” That is, it is a channel of fictional news about animals - its authors, in particular, said that "azure Cooped In fact, the same color as other Krylans simply lives on the Cote d'Azur and raids on vineyards and cheese cellars, ”and“ homeless ant AneURetus Bomzhis does not build anthills, but instead settles in small noma or squat along warm lyiano pipelines and in abandoned speech by other insects. ” The Burunduk Tamias Tristis with its outstanding behavior was simply invented by the authors of the “other nature” for entertainment purposes.

However, history has some bases - the brain of animals that equip pantries really increases in the fall. For example, in the gophers of Richardson, the hippocampus brain department, which is responsible for the memory function, grows by 15% during the entire period of collecting reserves for the winter. Similar changes to scientists discovered In the Caroline squirrel, shrews and pine chill (Neotamias amoenus). During hibernation, the previously grown parts of the brain gradually decrease to the initial state. However, in scientific works devoted to these processes, nothing is said about the psychological state of animals, growing additional neurons in the hippocampus, and even more so about the ways of normalizing this state by abuse of alcohol.

Moreover, no additional neurons in the hippocampus will make anyone smarter or more conscious. This area of the brain answers For the transition of information from short -term memory to long -term, as well as for spatial memory, that is, the ability to navigate. The most vivid role of the hippocampus Shows The case of American Henry Prayison. In the mid-1950s, to stop attacks of epilepsy at the 27th year of his life, a surgical operation to destroy the hippocampus was proposed. More since then he could not remember anything, but he effectively used the knowledge and skills acquired before the operation. At the same time, his IQ grew from 104 to 112 points, also Prayison began to brilliantly solve crosswords. That is, the overgrown hippocampus will not make the rodent smarter in any way - rather, to increase IQ (very insignificant, moreover, associated with deprivation of long -term memory) could lead to its damage.

Thus, the story of the unusual behavior of Tamias tristis chipmunk is nothing more than satirical news about animals. At the same time, it also contains the proportion of truth - the hippocampus of rodents that arrange pantries, during the period of accumulation of stocks, it really increases in size. However, animals do not suffer from this at all and do not need to use alcohol in order to return the brain to the usual size. Instead, it is enough for them to just sleep - during hibernation the hippocampus returns to a normal volume.

*Russian authorities They think Meta Platforms Inc., which owns social networks Facebook and Instagram, an extremist organization, its activities in Russia are prohibited.

Image on the cover: Jill Wellington from Pixabay