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This great horned owl is a more graceful swimmer than we are

If Michael Phelps had wings, he'd be this swimming owl.

 

Mike Fenn

Internet Culture

Posted on Dec 5, 2014   Updated on May 30, 2021, 1:31 am CDT

Owls are among the most fascinating (and terrifying) birds out there. And just when you think that their entire skillset is limited to hooting and staring into your soul at night, they surprise us with another ability: swimming.

YouTube user peasant1 caught a great horned owl in Lake Michigan that had been forced into the water by two peregrine falcons. Instead of panicking, however, the owl simply used its powerful wings to swim through the water.

Despite this latest exhibition, the owl still refused to tell us how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop.

Screengrab via peasant1/YouTube

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*First Published: Dec 5, 2014, 11:38 am CST