A crow captured on video in Japan is shocking and amusing internet users because of its uncanny gorilla-like stance.
Dubbed the “gorilla crow,” the video has been shared over 115,000 times on Twitter, prompting a deluge of reactions and remarks—even fan art.
The footage, captured at the Parco shopping center in Nagoya, Japan, shows the big-beaked bird appearing to prop itself up on its folded wings, resembling an ape.
The video was posted by Keitaro (@keita_simpson), who told Newsweek that he was shocked by the sight of the crow, which he said initially reminded him of a “zombie.”
In response, one Twitter user posted a collage of photographs showing animals in various poses, implying perhaps that ordinary animals can look extraordinary based on the timing and angle of the snapped photo or captured video.
Another user posted a photo of a bird of prey sitting on the ground with its wings folded in, looking like it’s waving around stumpy arms.
Keitaro’s video of the crow was later shared by @LlamaInaTux:
The video sparked thousands of comments and some bizarre fan art.
“This makes my brain hurt,” commented one Twitter user.
Another posted a gif showing a bird flapping muscular wings, with the caption “This guy did not skip wing day!”
Likely Explanation
Kaeli Swift, a University of Washington bird researcher, reposted the video with commentary to the effect that there was nothing particularly unusual about the crow’s behavior. She suggested the bird may simply have been sunbathing.Swift also explained that “this bird is not missing its legs and propping itself up with its wings, that would be physically impossible.” She added, “also, not that it’s relevant to the answer, but a crow without legs couldn’t fly, because it couldn’t generate any lift. So legless crow is a dead crow.”
“What it’s actually doing is sunning itself,” Swift continued. “When birds sun they drop their wings and cock their tails. At the right angle that could obscure the legs and tail making it look like they’re missing.”
“Usually the mouth is open and the body is closer to the ground, making the behavior more obvious, but perhaps the videographer caught it in a moment of transition.”
Bird researcher Dave Slager commented on Swift’s posts, suggesting an alternate theory: “The bird might be emaciated. The keel looks highly pronounced here, which could indicate loss of breast muscle. Tired or hungry birds also often droop their wings down like this.”
Swift also told Newsweek in an email that upon further scrutiny of the bird’s posture, it could reasonably be argued that the crow may have been starving: “If you look at the bird’s chest you can see it’s more V-shaped than round, that indicates that it is emaciated.”
The Infamous Raccoon Dogs of Britain
The story of “gorilla crow” recalls the case of raccoon dogs that were on the loose in England, terrorizing a village.Villagers recounted their experience with the animals.
“He came back and he said to me, ‘You are going to have to come and see this, there is something in the field attacking the pony and I have absolutely no idea what it is,’” Fox quoted Marsh as saying.
“This raccoon was absolutely crazy. It was hissing and screaming and snarling,” Marsh said. “It was going absolutely mad.”
They can weigh between 8 and 13 pounds and reach between 19 and 26 inches in length. They eat rodents, lizards, birds, frogs, fruit, and sea creatures.
The animals are known carriers of rabies and tapeworm. Meanwhile, they threaten certain species of birds.
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