u/tyrannustyrannus

And I raised $1625.00 for cancer research

Plastic glue, super glue, elmers glue, nothing will attach these little mother fuckers to their base. Does AMG test this out? I'm so frustrated

Photo 1: Great Honed Owl talons. Opened fully they would span less than 4 inches. This is the biggest owl in North America aside from Snowy Owl. This owl was hit by a car and the talons were preserve to show people. They are way smaller than most people would expect.

Photo 2: replica skull of a Great Horned Owl. If you are looking at an owl basically draw the smallest circle you can that includes the eyes and beak. Thats how small its head would be without feathers.

Photo 3: Skull of a Barred Owl found in the Nature Preserve. The orbital bones are missing. Again, very small compared to what you see.

Photo 4: a Great Gray Owl in Ontario. Check out its hilariously tiny feet.

My point is: Do owls hunt, kill, carry off, and eat animals like dogs and cats? Look at the evidence.

A very large female Great Ho​rned Owl might way 3 lbs. I've watched them hunt and they struggle with things like squirrels. For something like a rabbit, they bite the head off and leave it behind. Thats why people find random rabbit heads in their yard. Their entire hunting strategy is to attack something that can't see them, something that can't hear them, overwhelm them, and kill them with minimal struggle. Something with claws and teeth that can fight back is not a part of this strategy.

But Great Horned Owls eat skunks! Surely there are dogs smaller than skunks! Yes, GHOs eat skunks, but mostly baby skunks. Have you ever watched skunks? They walk around parks at dusk with mom for up to 10 weeks and everything leaves them alone because they know what skunks do. Except that Owls have no sense of smell and don't care if they get sprayed, so they will hunt small baby skunks. Adult skunks range from 4-10 pounds. THAT DOESN'T MEAN OWLS EAT 10LB SKUNKS.

But I know someone who says they know someone who's dog was attacked and carried off by an Owl! Strange I never hear anyone say "MY dog was attacked and carried off by an Owl" but attacked by an owl and killed/carried off by an Owl are two completely different things. When fledgling Owls leave the nest they often end up on the ground. This is completely normal, but sometimes, you and your dog get to close. I've seen Owls defend their nests against Racoons, Hawks, crows, and other animals. In every case that animal lived to tell the tale. It's scary though, and I can see how someone might not realize they are near a nest or fledglings. Especially since many Owls nest in winter.

But they are hungry! They'll do ANYTHING for food! Owls eat 10-20% of their body weight a day. So what would a 3 lb owl do with an 8 pound dog? It would take weeks to eat it. Owls hunt small animals and swallow them whole. Most of us have dissected the owl pellets in school.

But the videos and articles on Google! Do you ever ​read them or watch them? No photos or videos that I can find. I can find a lot of AI videos of owls going after pets. Thats a fun thing to have be a part of this. Every video (usually sensationalized news reports) points to an owl defending territory. Photos show wounds on dogs, but that is very different from hunting them and carrying them off. Google gives an AI summary that days Owls can hunt dogs up to 15 lbs which is absolutely ridiculous. The AI is probably sourcing from reddit.

Owls don't eat dogs. I've spent countless hours watching them and have never seen any evidence to suggest they are equipped to do so. I've seen no evidence provided by anyone on reddit to suggest they eat dogs. I can't understand why people in this sub have to perpetuate this myth.