WEIRD FACTS ABOUT
ARGENTINA
Argentina has become a popular venue for unusual international congresses.
In 1995, the first International Housewives Congress was held in Buenos Aires, and in 1966 the Free Tramps Federation staged the first World Tramps Congress in the coastal resort of Mar del Plata.
Among the proposals suggested at that event was the official introduction of an International Day of Idleness on 2 May as a response to Labour Day on 1 May.
The Argentine lake duck, Oxyura vittata, has the largest penis of any bird.
In 2001, researchers from the University of Alaska discovered that its penis, when fully extended, measures about 17 inches (0.5 meters), which is about the same as the entire length of the duck.
When not in use, the corkscrew-shaped penis retracts into the duck's abdomen.
In a paper in Nature, Kevin McCracken explained that previously the duck's penis length had been thought to be only about eight inches, but measurements had only been taken from dissected birds, "but in April we were in Argentina collecting birds for another genetic study, and we found this bird running around in its natural form, with its penis hanging out, which was something we'd never seen before." He said that the trait deserved further study.
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