Twitter users were left baffled by a video of a crow bearing an uncanny resemblance to a mini gorilla.
The bird was filmed resting on its wings in a stance similar to a gorilla leaning forward on its muscular arms.
Keitaro Simpson's clip of the primate lookalike has already racked up more than nine million views and been liked over 248,000 times on Twitter .
Crow expert Kaeli Swift shed some light on the strange behaviour of the bird, which was spotted in Nagoya, Japan.
She said: "What it’s actually doing is sunning itself. When birds sun they drop their wings and cock their tails. At the right angle that could obscure the legs and tail making it look like they’re missing.
"Usually the mouth is open and the body is closer to the ground, making the behavior more obvious, but perhaps the videographer caught it in a moment of transition.
"In any case sunning like this is a common behavior among birds. Sometimes it’s about warming up but a lot of times you’ll see them do it when it's hot out. In these cases it’s about feather care. Sun exposure can reduce feather degrading bacteria and mites."
Ms Swift added that the bird's legs would have been hidden behind its wings while it was catching the rays.
However, bird scientist Dave Slager suggested another reason for the crow's posture could be emaciation.
He tweeted: "The keel (extended breastbone) looks highly pronounced here, which could indicate loss of breast muscle. Tired or hungry birds also often droop their wings down like this."
In his original tweet, Keitaro said the crow had shocked him, joking that the experience was bad for his heart.
