Brent, a photographer, witnessed an amazing sight: 76 ducklings behind one duck! Merganser mother ducks have the ability to deposit up to 15 eggs.
Brent estimated there were about 50 ducklings at first. However, the young man had already numbered them in the image. There were 76 ducklings in all, all of which were almost the same age. Brent returned to the lake on several occasions to examine the fate of a remarkable family.
Even as the babies got older, they stayed close to their mother. Scientists from all around the world began debating a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. Some say the duck ‘adopted’ a number of other broods, with whose parents things went wrong.
Others believe it’s a sort of duck known as a ‘kindergarten,’ and that it’s their grandma. Her children not only gave birth to the first generation, but they also started the molting process, which forces the bird to wait on the beach since its feathers aren’t strong enough to defend it.
As a consequence, the children were given to the oldest duck. Other adult ducks were occasionally seen close, according to the photographer. They were ignored by the ducklings, who only listened to the bird they regarded as their mother.