How in the world is this even possible?
There have been a lot of “big birds carrying things” videos in recent years, but this may be the wildest yet. We have seen Bald eagles carry fish And Extracting foxes And Baby lambsall of which fail in comparison to these final shots of a golden eagle in action.
Golden eagles are some of the largest and most powerful birds of prey on the planet. They are found in various environments throughout North America, Eurasia and parts of Africa, and are known to be as majestic and deadly as any other winged creature in the sky.
Speaking of wings, their wingspan covers an impressive six to eight feet, and their bodies usually measure less than three feet. Although their size is intimidating in themselves, they eke out their survival thanks to their sharp beak and powerful claws (combined with their remarkable long-range eyesight).
These massive birds are capable of diving at speeds in excess of 150 miles per hour, and when you combine this skill with the fact that they have the strongest grip of any bird of prey, capturing animals of any size is a fairly easy task for them.
Golden eagles usually stick to small to medium-sized mammals, such as rabbits and badgers, but sometimes they can handle a much heavier load, which brings us to the amazing video below. If you've never seen a bird carry what is essentially a full-grown deer across the sky, prepare yourself.
In the clip, which is currently going viral, a golden eagle scans a mountainside in search of its next meal. When he sees a chamois (basically a cross between a goat and a deer), the eagle decides he's ready to test his strength in hopes of getting a feast.
The golden eagle swoops down and grabs the little chamois by the head with its talons, lifting it effortlessly off the ground. Then it starts flapping its wings and lifts itself and its prey into the air and carries it to find a good place to land for dinner.
Once he lands with the chamois, he emits a shrieking call into the surrounding mountain valleys, claiming the prey as his own. Could one call it nature's version of a dinner bell?
It doesn't make sense that a bird could lift such a large animal up into the air, but I guess I can't really spend a lot of time puzzling over it considering I can press play on this TikTok and see all the evidence I need:
@chicanodoc #eagle ♬ Original Sound – Chicano Duke
“Beer aficionado. Gamer. Alcohol fanatic. Evil food trailblazer. Avid bacon maven.”