A Golden Eagle swoops down in a park in Montréal Canada and tries to fly off with a toddler. Hats off to the cameraman who actually rushes to the child's aid instead of worrying whether or not he made Tosh.0 (which I am pretty sure this will, along with Good Morning America and the rest of the morning show and talk shows. LMAO.
The talons of this
species exert an estimated 440 pounds per
square inch (3 MPa) of pressure,
though the largest individuals
may reach a pressure of 750 psi (5.2 MPa),
around 15 times
more pressure than is exerted by the human hand.
The Golden Eagle
(Aquila chrysaetos) is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern
Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once
widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more
heavily populated areas. Despite being extirpated from or uncommon in some its
former range, the species is still fairly ubiquitous, being present in Eurasia,
North America, and parts of Africa. The highest density of nesting Golden
Eagles in the world lies in southern Alameda County, California. These birds
are dark brown, with lighter golden-brown plumage on their heads and necks.
Golden Eagles use
their agility and speed combined with extremely powerful talons to snatch up a
variety of prey, including rabbits, marmots, ground squirrels, and large
mammals such as foxes and young ungulates.[2] They will also eat carrion if
live prey is scarce, as well as reptiles. Birds, including large species up to
the size of swans and cranes have also been recorded as prey. For centuries,
this species has been one of the most highly regarded birds used in falconry,
with the Eurasian subspecies having been used to hunt and kill unnatural,
dangerous prey such as Gray Wolves (Canis lupus) in some native communities.
Due to their hunting prowess, the Golden Eagle is regarded with great mystic
reverence in some ancient, tribal cultures.
Golden Eagles
maintain territories that may be as large as 155 km2 (60 sq mi). They are
monogamous and may remain together for several years or possibly for life.
Golden Eagles nest in high places including cliffs, trees, or human structures
such as telephone poles. They build huge nests to which they may return for
several breeding years. Females lay from one to four eggs, and both parents
incubate them for 40 to 45 days. Typically, one or two young survive to fledge
in about three months.
Feeding
The Golden Eagle is
one of the most powerful predators in the avian world. They usually hunt by
flying slowly while scanning the environment in a low quartering flight, often
around mountainous slopes.[4] When prey is spotted, the eagle makes a short dash
hoping to surprise its prey or engages in a longer rapid chase. They also hunt
by flying in a fast glide or soar followed by a sudden stoop. Rarely, they may
also still-hunt, watching for prey from an elevated perch and then pouncing
down when it is spotted.[4] Given that their favorite prey are often mammals or
birds that hesitate to fly, unsurprisingly most of their prey is killed on the
ground and some prey may even pursued on foot for a short distance by the
eagle.[4] When hunting birds, they may engage in an agile tail-chase (much in
the style of the Accipiter hawks) and can occasionally snatch birds in
mid-flight.[4] The powerful talons of the Golden Eagle ensure that few prey can
escape them once contact is made. The talons of this species exert an estimated
440 pounds per square inch (3 MPa) of pressure, though the largest individuals
may reach a pressure of 750 psi (5.2 MPa), around 15 times more pressure than
is exerted by the human hand.[22]
While they do show
strong local preferences for certain prey, Golden Eagles are first and foremost
opportunists and virtually any small to mid-sized animal may be predated if
encountered. Nearly 200 species of mammal and bird have been recorded as golden
eagle prey.[2] Prey selection is largely determined by the local availability
and abundance of the prey species.[2] Most prey taken are around half the
weight of the predating eagle, with a typical prey weight range of 0.5–4 kg
(1.1–8.8 lb),[2] though this eagle will sometimes fly with prey equal to or
slightly heavier than its own weight (4–7 kg (8.8–15 lb)).[2]
In North America and
most of Europe, the predominant prey are leporids (hares and rabbits) and
sciurids (ground squirrels, prairie dogs, and marmots). In one North American
study, mammals comprised 83.9% of the eagles' diet.[23] In Washington, the
Yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris) was eaten significantly more than
other species, while in Great Britain and central and alpine Eurasia, the
Mountain Hare (Lepus timidus) was taken far more than any other species.[2][24]
On the Swedish island Gotland, the preferred prey of the Golden Eagle are
hedgehogs, which are peeled of their prickly backs before being eaten.[4]
Additional mammals regularly taken include smaller rodents, such as mice and
voles, mid-sized mammals such as foxes and the offspring of ungulates such as
deer, antelope, ibex, goats and sheep.[2] At the breeding ground of the Caribou
(Rangifer tarandus), this eagle is one of the most frequent predators of
newborn or young calves.[2][4] Domesticated types of ungulate young are taken as
well.[2] For juvenile eagles, wintering eagles or eagles that have failed to
breed, being able to carry off prey is less important than it is for those who
are nesting and such birds are more likely to take large prey that can be left
and returned to repeatedly feed on. Wild eagles have exceptionally taken
ungulate prey in such circumstances weighing 30 kg (66 lb) or even more, such
as adult Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus).[2] Recent cases in which Golden Eagle
were caught on film attacking unusual, large prey have included an unsuccessful
attack on a large adult White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and a
successful attack on an adult male Coyote (Canis latrans).[25][26] YouTube
videos show trained Golden Eagles in Mongolia working alone, or in tandem, to
take down wolves and foxes there, though the prey animals in this display may
be already disabled.[27] There are no known instances of wild eagles predating
adult wolves and, in falconry, almost all reported of trained killing of wolves
are anecdotal.[2] Other videos show goats being dragged off cliffs to their
deaths before being fed upon, and in one case being carried fully away by the
leg, though the animals appear to be juveniles.[28][29] There are also numerous
eye-witness accounts in Europe of sheep being carried off; again, these may be
younger, lighter-weight animals. There is one confirmed report of a Golden
Eagle snatching the cub of a Brown Bear (Ursus arctos).[30] In December 2012, a
video was posted to the Internet that appears to show a Golden Eagle attempting
to carry off a small human child. The failed attack occurred in Montreal.[31]
After mammals, the
secondary important prey group for Golden Eagles are other birds. Various
gallinaceous birds (largely phasianids and grouse) are the most significant
avian prey.[2] However, virtually any bird, from the size of a lark or a pipit
to a crane or a swan, about double the weight of an eagle, is potential
prey.[4][32] In Sweden, birds were found to be the primary prey, with the most
common prey species being the Western Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus); while in
sub-Arctic regions a strong preference for Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) has
been noted.[2][33] Golden Eagles are avian apex predators, meaning a healthy
adult is not preyed upon. There are records of Golden Eagles killing and eating
other large raptors such as Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus), Northern Goshawks
(Accipiter gentilis), and Buteo hawks, whether adults, nestlings or eggs.[32]
Falcons, skuas, and Buteos like Rough-legged Hawks (B. lagopus), which are
normally fierce competitors with each other, have worked together to group-mob
Golden Eagles that have passed their adjacent nesting areas.[32] In one
instance, a Golden Eagle flying in towards a Peregrine Falcon (Falco
peregrinus) nest was struck and killed by a swooping parent falcon, a reversal
of fortune for the falcon given that the much larger eagle is usually dominant
over (and a potential predator of) them.[34] Large owls, such as those in the
Bubo genus, may be killed by these eagles but usually avoid direct conflicts by
being nocturnal in activity rather than diurnal.[35][36] More commonly, Golden
Eagles kleptoparasitize, or steal prey, from other raptors. While not as large
as some vultures, Golden Eagles are usually considerably more aggressive and
are capable of driving vultures (including much larger-bodied species) and
other raptors from carrion or kills.[2] Interspecies competition occurs
regularly with large Haliaeetus eagles, principally White-tailed (H. albicilla)
and Bald Eagles (H. leucocephalus). Although these other eagles (which are
actually not closely related to the Golden) are generally less active
predators, they are of comparable size, strength and tenacity to the Golden
Eagle and victory in such conflicts depends on the size and disposition of
individual eagle rather than on species.[32]
Numerous other types
of prey may supplement the diet. Reptiles are rarely taken over most of the
range but prey such as large snakes and lizards appears to be fairly common in
the southern reaches of its Asian range, as well as in Japan and in desert-like
regions of central Eurasia.[2][4] In southeastern Europe, Turkmenistan and
other arid regions, tortoises are a favored prey item. Tortoises are dispatched
using the same method employed by the Lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus), which
consists of flying with the bulky reptile and dropping it from some height onto
rocks or other hard surfaces so the shell will crack open and its flesh can be
eaten.[4] Other secondary prey items may include amphibians, fish (which are
eaten regularly in Southeast Asia but are usually scavenged) and even insects
such as large beetles.[4] During winter months, when live-caught prey can be
scarce, Golden Eagles often scavenge on carrion. -Wikipedia
