Birth of Ducks

[Rob Klein]

And so, we have our answer: As Barks had Scrooge mentioning that he would turn 
back into an egg halfway across the "Fountain of Youth Pond", we can assume 
that the Ducks came out of eggs (not live births (as mammals). I seem to 
remember the Donald Duck book by Marcia Blitz also shows Donald coming out of 
an egg, as does Marco Rota's story of Donald's life. I have seen many other 
official Disney media productions showing that Donald hatched from an egg. I 
have never seen EVEN ONE reference to the Ducks being born live, or being 
mammals.  They have been referred to as "persons" and "people", but I don't 
believe they have been referred to as "humans". Therefore, I think it is more 
reasonable to assume that they share characteristics with humans (such as high 
intelligence, ability to reason, abstract thinking, understanding of abstract 
concepts, awareness of passage of time/history, etc.), but not the physical 
traits. if the 2-dimensional portrayals of them in films and on paper drawings 
is reasonably accurate, they are neither animals nor humans from our planet. 
They must exist in a "parallel world", and be lifeforms that have developed 
from filling similar niches in the ecosystems of their world, to some of those 
filled in our world by animals and humans.  The varying conditions that formed 
their bodies were later no longer factors in their evolution, but it is clear 
that for all of the species of our intelligent characters, natural selection 
later stopped being a factor (just as it has for most humans on our Earth), as 
thvarious civilisations rose on the parallel Disney planet. The difference 
between that world and our Earth is that on the parallel world, many, many 
different species have evolved into bi-pedal walking, and into intelligent 
beings; developing civilisations, science and thus removing their species from 
the chain of natural selection.  Even the weak can now live to breeding age. On 
Earth, it is only humans who have done that. Mickey, Minnie, Mortimer and the 
other mice are of one species, the "Ducks" are another, dog-like "people" are 
another, and so on. The large ears of the mice could have come about as a means 
to regulate heat in a terribly hot desert enviornment. By the time civilisation 
developed, all the genomes for small ears had been weeded out of the 
population.  But now, as most of the "mice" now lived in cooler areas, or 
hadthe benefits of air conditioning  (or other benefits of civilisation), the 
heat is no longer a factor in their development. By the same token, as natural 
selection no longer operates on that population, they will not lose any of the 
traits they've had since that time. If a new mutation pops up in the breeding 
population, it cannot take hold, because the changing environment cannot be 
better adapted to by one trait or another, as the population now uses only uses 
scientific knowledge of society to adapt, rather than physical traits of 
individuals.  The German Donaldist theory of the Ducks and Mice being future 
post "nuclear holocaust" mutant forms of current Earth lifeforms (Ernst Horst?)
is another reasonable posibility.  That assumes that "humans" died out, and 
fowl and mammals mutated into more intelligent species, who developed 
civilisations. It is interesting that so very many differentiated species could 
develop from lifeforms of lower and middle levels of intelligence; to species 
with high level intelligence (that of our humans), at a similar rate-and then 
all join together to form a single planet civilisation or society.  Any 
Zoologist or biologist would find this to be highly unlikely. 

It is also extremely unlikely that the Mice, Ducks, Dogs, Pigs, etc. are just 
different "races" in the same species. They are far too different in physical 
characteristics to have developed that way. They came from VERY, VERY different 
conditions, and are likely MILLIONS of years apart from the time when they 
could have interbreeded. So, Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow can date if 
they want to, either in "innocent, friendly companionship, or in a physical 
relationship which is a "sick, prurient form of bestiality", but their physical 
union CANNOT result in offspring. Daisy being aroused by Deltoid Biceppa, is 
the equivalent of the farm boy misusing the sheep.  Donald should not be 
jealous, he should be worried about the condition of his girlfriend's psyche. 
The same should be true of Daisy, when Donald loses his heart to all those "dog 
people".  Because of the need for procreation to continue the species, there is 
a natural instinctive attractiveness to members of the same species. It is 
conceivable that, if several (effectively)unrelated species mutate enough to 
become intelligent, and by some biological miracle (VERY, VERY unlikely), reach 
a similar level of intelligence at nearly the same geological age; that they 
could potentially participate in the same society.  The odds of such an 
ocurrence are actually billions to one.  But, for the sake of argument (and 
interesting fictional stories), let us accept that it is, at least "possible". 
If such were to occur, the members of this society could be colleagues, friends 
and companions,- but biologically, they could not mate, -and should not 
physically be attracted to eachother!

Don't take me wrongly.  I have not brought up this topic for prurient reasons, 
or to start an X-rated discussion. I merely want to point out that there is 
aminimum "threshold of believeability" that is necessary to provide enjoyment 
of the stories in the "Duck universe". It is much easier to go below that level 
for the scientist than for the layman "fantasy fans" whose taste can be 
described as "anything goes".  Relating back to the original point; I can 
believe that in this "Parallel Universe", that the Ducks can be intelligent 
beings, who developed physically as "ducklike beings" due to wet conditions, 
and an original diet of seeds and insects. I can believe that, even though they 
have developed into intelligent beings, that they still hatch from eggs. The 
fact that Barks tells me that Scrooge says he, himself did come from an egg, 
proves that for me. There is no indication that Scrooge was joking, in that 
statement. As we have NO EVIDENCE of live biths (like humans), I cannot believe 
that the Ducks did not hatch from eggs.  Barks' comments that "he always 
thought of the Ducks as humans" was referring to their characters (not their 
physical characteristics). They are intelligent beings, who have developed to a 
similar level of intelligence to that of humans on our Earth, and have 
developed a similar level of civilisation and planet-wide society.  Therefore, 
they perform similar actions.  but, they have come from highly different 
environments, and thus, have developed in a quite different manner.  Thus, 
physical comparisons to those of Earth lifeforms cannot be extrapolated.

The amounts of knowledge of the laws of nature we are willing to suspend, 
separate the "pure fantasy fan" and "fairy tale fan" from the "fantasy fiction 
fan", "science fiction fan", and finally, from the "stodgy, stuffed shirt, 
scientist". 

Rob Klein  


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