Huge bird of prey catches shark-like fish and flies off in viral video
More than 16 million people have seen clip showing flying ‘shark’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Visitors to a beach last week would have seen a shark-like fish soaring above their heads thanks to one bird’s actions.
A video shared online showed one huge predatory bird seen with what appeared to be a shark suspended in its claws above crowds at South Carolina’s Myrtle Beach.
The woman who witnessed the stunt, Kelly Burbage, shared the video online on Friday where she appealed for wildlife experts to name the fish and the bird.
"Eagle? Condor? Caught a shark in Myrtle Beach!", wrote Ms Burbage on a public Facebook page.
“Looks like an Osprey”, wrote one user. “This is crazy!”, wrote another.
Eagle-eyed experts soon determined that the so-called shark was a ladyfish, a coastal species that can measure more than three feet in length with sharp teeth and a dorsal fin.
That came when a Twitter account shared the same video online on Tuesday, where more than 16 million people have seen the 25-second clip.
Thousands commented and shared the Tracking Shark account post, which asked: “Anyone know what type of bird this is and is it holding a shark?”
Twitter users agreed that the bird was an Osprey, with one writing: “Definitely an Osprey”.
Another person wrote “This is a ladyfish indeed!”, whilst others debated whether or not the fish could have been a “small shark”, mackerel or bluefish.
But one person commented that it was an “Uber Eats” delivery driver.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments