This is indeed strange. It shouldn't do that. But, you never know. It could be that the Mac is downloading a large patch/update from apple OR the NIC is faulty on the Mac and is causing a broadcast storm. See what the Mac is seeing on the network and take it from there. First close all programs (browsers, apps, etc) to make sure that nothing is using the network. Start a Terminal session and switch user to root. If you've never done this before then do this from the terminal window:
Code:
$sudo - sh (you'll be asked for your current user password)
# tcpdump -n -i en0
This will dump any/all traffic that your mac is seeing (sending/receiving). If you're not expecting it to be sending or receiving anything then you should only see the occasional arp. If you can't see the screen because it is scrolling too quick then you may have found your answer.
Lets start there.
Casey