The Greatest Duck Graphic Ever
“Napoleon’s March on Moscow”, published by Charles Minard in 1863, is widely considered one of the greatest infographics ever created. And it’s not hard to see why.
In a single image, Minard shows the geographic route of Napoleon’s massive army on its trek to Moscow, succumbing quickly and consistently to the treacherous conditions of the Russian winter. Only a fraction of the troops who left for Moscow managed to return alive.
A graphic like Minard’s reveals the power of data visualization. It takes the data and displays it in an ingenious way, combining the best of analytical prowess and artistic creativity to show more about Napoleon’s march than might have been understood from looking at data tables and reading history. Adding to its beauty is the fact that the graphic can be easily understood given only a little context and a few moments to view it.
Infographics like this one hold an important role in discovering more about our fields of study and in advancing our understanding of the world. It’s easy to see why Minard’s piece is honored as one of the greatest ever created. I’m not here to deny that it is.
But my interest lies in acknowledging the greatest duck graphic ever created.
A Note on Steamer Ducks
Before I reveal this incredible duck image, I will provide you with some brief background on steamer ducks.
The four species of steamer ducks are found in South America and are known for their aggressive disposition and brutal violence. Unlike many ducks who will swim or fly away at the first sign of a potential threat, steamers attack.
In Matt Simon’s article on steamer ducks, biologist Kevin McCracken describes his experience with these violent birds: “And I went up to photograph and they were really upset with me, like, amazingly upset with me. And they just came right at me, and started squawking at me.”
Steamers are known to brawl with members of their own species (and others) for up to twenty minutes—much to the delight of their female onlookers—often leaving at least one of the combatants severely injured or worse.
The vicious nature of these creatures is not an insignificant part of the intrigue that makes the graphic below my favorite in the duck genre.
The Greatest Duck Graphic
In 1985, Gary Nuechterlein and Robert Storer published their scholarly article, “Aggressive Behavior and Interspecific Killing by Flying Steamer-Ducks in Argentina”. This title alone could be listed among the all-time greats. But it’s Figure 2 of this article on steamer ducks that captivates my attention.
It’s simple. It’s effective. It’s absurd, yet perfect in its unintended comedic timing. It’s thrilling, given the knowledge of what it would mean for you if you were to experience the “Three stages of the Submerged Sneak” in the wild.
It is, to overstate it, a sublime work of observational and data-driven art. It transforms what would be an informative but somewhat standard description of steamer ducks into a realization of how these creatures interact with their environment—and potentially interact with you if they decide they don’t like the way you’re looking at them.
As far as I’m concerned, I’ve never seen a better descriptive image of duck behavior. If you believe you have a superior duck graphic, please feel free to let me know. But for now, Nuechterlein & Storer’s “Three Stages of the Submerged Sneak” holds the title as the greatest duck graphic ever.
References:
Hare, R. (2019, March 9). The Greatest Infographic Ever. Cambridge Infographic. https://cambridge-infographic.com/2019/03/29/the-greatest-infographic-ever/
Nuechterlein, G. and Storer, R. (1985). Aggressive Behavior and Interspecific Killing by Flying Steamer-Ducks in Argentina. The Condor. Vol. 87, No. 1, pp. 87-91
Simon, M. (2014, October 3). Absurd Creature of the Week: The Vicious Duck That Beats the Crap Out of Anything That Moves. Wired. https://www.wired.com/2014/10/absurd-creature-week-vicious-duck-beats-crap-anything-moves/