Arthur Greene
Researchers have unearthed an audio recording of a talking duck from 1987.
Ripper, an Australian musk duck, appears to say “You bloody fool!” over and over again.
Researchers believe that Ripper was mimicking a phrase he had heard his carers use at the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve in Australia.
In a separate recording, Ripper, who was born in 1983, is heard imitating the creaking sound of a door closing.
These recordings had been lost for years, but were recently rediscovered by researchers at Leiden University in the Netherlands.
Ten Cate, who unearthed the recordings, told the Guardian that when he found them, he thought that they were fake.
“When I read it at first I thought, ‘it’s a hoax, it can’t be true.’ But it turned out to be true.”
Cate believes it’s possible that the sweary duck is in fact saying “bloody food” – as he may have been used to his carer saying, “Alright, there’s your bloody food,” when he fed him.
The 34-year-old clips are thought to be the first evidence of the Australian musk duck being able to mimic sounds.
Mimicking sounds is a rare characteristic belonging to only some animals, including whales, dolphins and most famously parrots.
Now this swearing species of duck can join their ranks.
Image source: YouTube
