You don't want to meet these guys in a dark alley that's for sure

March 30, 2009 8:48 PM

Baby owl trying to swallow rat. [youtube] [gif]
posted by 31d1 (61 comments total)

meh
posted by ryanrs at 8:54 PM on March 30

This would be a great FPP if not for the editorializing in the title.
posted by mullacc at 8:54 PM on March 30 [26 favorites]

The owlette to the right of the rat eater seems rather upset. Also, that gif made the greasemonkey script that displays pics on the site well worth the installation.
posted by Bernt Pancreas at 8:55 PM on March 30

er, you know what I mean.
posted by mullacc at 8:55 PM on March 30

O RLY?
posted by tellurian at 8:56 PM on March 30 [9 favorites]

I imagine the rightmost two owls are looking around, "Where is my juicy rat? I would like a delicious rodent to gulp down. Do you have a rat for me? Even a mouse? Gerbil?"
posted by adipocere at 8:57 PM on March 30 [1 favorite]

I'm sensing a theme.
posted by Joe Beese at 8:58 PM on March 30

Try playing it backwards - it'll blow your mind!
posted by turgid dahlia at 9:02 PM on March 30

I don't know if I love Owls because of, or in spite of, their resemblance to sinister space aliens.
posted by The Whelk at 9:05 PM on March 30

Whoever excessively talks about the grandiose beauty of nature needs to watch this video on a loop for a few hours.

CAN'T SLEEP. OWLS WILL EAT ME.
posted by loquacious at 9:06 PM on March 30 [3 favorites]

The owls are not what they seem.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:06 PM on March 30 [8 favorites]

Am I the only one watching this owl and thinking to myself "Come on little owl! You can do it!"?
posted by Chan at 9:07 PM on March 30

Am I the only one watching this owl and thinking to myself "Come on little owl! You can do it!"?

I'm rooting for the rat.
posted by Flunkie at 9:12 PM on March 30

OMG OMG RACCOON HAND IS COMING FOR ME
posted by Ian A.T. at 9:16 PM on March 30 [9 favorites]

Whoever excessively talks about the grandiose beauty of nature needs to watch this video on a loop for a few hours.

What, you have a problem with the ravenous predator staring at you with their huge black eyes framed in a white death-mask, bobbing back and forth on spindly, impossible legs? Their eyes forever watching and judging with cool and remote intelligence? Waiting for a moment of weakness to pounce and tear with bony wings and powerful claws?
posted by The Whelk at 9:17 PM on March 30 [18 favorites]

I think the two owls on the right are flirting with me.
posted by m0nm0n at 9:18 PM on March 30 [2 favorites]

But how does it end? Stupid youtube cliff-hangers.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 9:19 PM on March 30

Owls? Pshaw. Otters will fuck you up!
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 9:19 PM on March 30 [7 favorites]

That is how I dance.
posted by PostIronyIsNotaMyth at 9:20 PM on March 30

Photographer captures rare shot of an owl leaping into the air
posted by homunculus at 9:30 PM on March 30 [4 favorites]

homunculus: "Photographer captures rare shot of an owl leaping into the air"

That made me laugh a lot.
posted by 31d1 at 9:33 PM on March 30

Sigh.
posted by Beardman at 9:34 PM on March 30

I saw the .gif on reddit this afternoon, and I watched it over and over and wondered what happened in the next few seconds - does the owl swallow it? Do the dancing owls break into song? No, he just kind of stops. I WAS SO SURE HE COULD MAKE IT
posted by Rinku at 9:45 PM on March 30

Before this post, I used to think this was the best video example of why barn owls are fucking creepy.

Thanks for fixing that.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 9:47 PM on March 30 [1 favorite]

Thoughts from a former member about this thread:

"Maybe this belongs on Fark."

Okay, I'm back now.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:52 PM on March 30 [13 favorites]

Otters will fuck you up!

Otters ate the dinosaurs.
posted by Tenuki at 10:07 PM on March 30

But how does it end? Stupid youtube cliff-hangers.

As for the rat, it must have been a leftover from the night before. They didn't always eat everything that the parents brought them at night, but that rat proved to be a bit to large for the baby, he ended up pulling it out because he couldn't swallow it. So maybe that's why it was uneaten. I just happened to be checking on them when it was happening.

I'm still none the wiser. Is it still going on? - gets leftover, tries to swallow it but can't, it stays uneaten, gets leftover, tries to swallow it but can't, it stays uneaten, ad infinitum.
posted by tellurian at 10:33 PM on March 30

This is pretty dumb but it is also, I have to say, pretty goddam awesome.
posted by cortex at 10:33 PM on March 30 [1 favorite]

I want to Arcanalogue this so hard, but I don't even know where to begin...
posted by hermitosis at 10:45 PM on March 30

The otters and alligator clip is informative. The alligator could easily kill one of the otters, but the alligator doesn't differentiate between killing and eating, and it's not hungry. So it backs down instead. If only...
posted by abc123xyzinfinity at 10:55 PM on March 30 [1 favorite]

barn owls, right?
posted by sexyrobot at 11:17 PM on March 30

Previously on MeFi: Pelican swallowing pigeon.
posted by Slithy_Tove at 11:34 PM on March 30

I got this off reddit earlier too and sent it around all over.

I learned that from a friend that they have obviously been kept in an enclosed space too long.
That that shows in their behavior.

Hence the creepy.
posted by Senor Cardgage at 12:12 AM on March 31

Does this qualify under the "don't eat anything bigger than your head" rule?
posted by Iosephus at 12:13 AM on March 31 [1 favorite]

Who eat owl? What eat owl? Do wolf eat owl? Can a owl eat cow? What will a owl eat? Will a rat eat a owl? Can a owl eat a hawk? Can a wolf eat a owl? Willl a hawk eat a owl? Can a human eat an owl? Can a eagle eat an owl? Does a tiger eat a owl? Does a bear eat an owl? Will a bear eat an owl? Does an owl eat a shrew? Will an owl eat a rabbit? What animals eat the owl? What is does asn owl eat? What can eat a desert owl? Does a owl eat a earthworm?
posted by twoleftfeet at 1:27 AM on March 31 [2 favorites]

The suckiest suck that ever sucked.
posted by chillmost at 3:30 AM on March 31

This is pretty dumb but it is also, I have to say, pretty goddam awesome.

I ask that others who agree consider favoriting this comment.
posted by DU at 4:29 AM on March 31 [1 favorite]

I considered it.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 4:34 AM on March 31 [5 favorites]

Like how the siblling at the rat-gobbler's shoulder appears to be talking her through it like your corner in a boxing match.
posted by Abiezer at 5:19 AM on March 31

There's a thin line between dumb and awesome.
posted by tommasz at 5:29 AM on March 31

CitrusFreak12: "Before this post, I used to think this was the best video example of why barn owls are fucking creepy.

Thanks for fixing that."

Owls? Creepy? Never...
posted by PontifexPrimus at 5:41 AM on March 31 [1 favorite]

No, seriously. A wrung-out link to a goddamn .gif is still here? Really?
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:49 AM on March 31 [1 favorite]

The Owls are not what they seem.
posted by adamvasco at 5:52 AM on March 31

(Sorry, never mind. That was dumb. I've just reminded myself that the point at which any part of the internet -- even my beloved mildly poxy Metafilter -- becomes Serious Business™ is the point at which I need to go take a few big ol' lungdeep smells of the cherry blossoms for a while.)
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:55 AM on March 31 [3 favorites]

There's a pair of great horned owls in my neighborhood, and often they are right in the back yard or on the roof. They hoot so loud that if you're close you can feel it in your chest cavity. Nothing like sitting upstairs and suddenly having a very loud hooting just outside your window after midnight.
posted by Burhanistan at 7:26 AM on March 31

Oh! Thank you for the gif option; I'm at a box that has no flash.
posted by Anything at 7:46 AM on March 31

Is this the place where we post old owl clips? Because this one is magic!
posted by jokeefe at 8:11 AM on March 31

This freaks me out. A lot.
posted by Ugh at 8:15 AM on March 31

This is exactly why, sometimes, context is overrated.
posted by Xoebe at 8:39 AM on March 31

Owls? Creepy? Never...

I, for one, found that little owl far more awesome that creepy.
posted by dammitjim at 8:58 AM on March 31

Well I think it's cute.

Though I'm now thinking that maybe I shouldn't post my video of me trying to swallow a barn owl whole, as it will seem too much like a double.
posted by quin at 9:07 AM on March 31

Hmm, there's a newly released owl gif (with animated jpg technology).
posted by [@I][:+:][@I] at 9:21 AM on March 31

Everyone is fond of owls
posted by The Whelk at 9:34 AM on March 31

I just got back from a bicycle ride where I saw a greyhound catch a squirrel. It was so happy while killing the squirrel that it really didn't bother me. It sure bothered the dogs owner though. The dog was all pleased with itself and really wanted to share its kill with his owner. It's only fair - she feeds him all the time and now he finally gets to reciprocate. However, she was practically running away while speaking to someone on her mobile.
posted by srboisvert at 9:43 AM on March 31

I did some volunteer fencing work for an animal sanctuary down in Somerset once, building a run for their rescued ex-track greyhounds. Recall when we were taking some of them down to try the paddock out for the first time after we'd finished, one pulled off the lead and just about swallowed whole one of the the dozens of stray cats that would be lounging about the farmyard. We decided it was best to proceed as if nothing had happened; Nature's way and all that.
posted by Abiezer at 9:54 AM on March 31

In some Native Alaskan cultures, owls are considered pretty dumb. You're supposed to avoid eating owls during pregnancy because they make your offspring stoooopid.
posted by Foam Pants at 10:10 AM on March 31

It would seem a good idea to refrain from eating owls, or any other bird of prey or scavenger, at any time. But I would hazard a guess that owls are as intelligent as any other bird, especially as they have such large eyes and that usually means more neurological circuitry. They've also adapted such features as ultra quiet flight, which not "intelligence" in the strict way we usually define it, does indeed make them smarter in sum.
posted by Burhanistan at 10:29 AM on March 31

which = while. I'm not as smart as an owl, at any rate.
posted by Burhanistan at 10:33 AM on March 31

Here's a baby owl
posted by homunculus at 9:15 AM on April 16

In one two minute video, that baby owl managed to impersonate a rabbit (being grey, fuzzy, big eyed, and sitting under a tree), a squirrel (being grey, fuzzy, and climbing a tree), a bat (being fuzzy, and hanging upside down under a tree branch), and stupidly cute.

I want like twenty of them scattered around my house. Just so I can grab one wherever I am.
posted by quin at 9:38 AM on April 16

When they peck at your ears, it's not because of affection, it's because they are trying to eat any dangling bits of exposed flesh. Shower at your own peril in Owl House.
posted by Burhanistan at 10:09 AM on April 16