Man goes on a walk in the Australian wilderness. Then he comes across an incredibly rare creature
A man went out into a forested area in the Australian wilderness. Then he saw a creature that many people thought looked “prehistoric.”
Panther Diaries (@_ghostpanther on TikTok), a content creator who looks for big cats, had an “extremely rare wildlife encounter.” The encounter was with a bird species, which the creator said he watched for around 30 minutes. He said that he found the bird in the Blue Mountains in Australia.
Commenters questioned how the strange looking bird even came to exist.
“No wonder theres so many folklores and stories. So many odd animals,” one viewer said.
As of this writing, the post received more than 8.5 million views.
What is the creature?
The bird species that Panther Diaries recorded appears to be a Lyrebird. There are two types of Lyrebirds in Australia, the Superb Lyrebird and the Albert’s Lyrebird. Both are found in eastern Australia, although the Albert’s Lyrebird is seen more often near Brisbane, and the Superb Lyrebird is found near New South Wales.
Lyrebirds look somewhat like pheasants. They have ornate feathers that curve toward their bodies in the shape of a lyre, hence their name.
Panther Diaries happened to capture the bird’s call on video, which he highlighted in his TikTok. Notably, Lyrebirds are capable of producing “both natural and mechanical sounds,” according to Birdlife Australia.
They can mimic urban sounds like car engines, as well as other bird species.
“Lyre Birds are probably one of the best mimics in the animal world and can basically perfectly mimic sounds including; A camera shutter, a chainsaw, a baby crying, lasers, guns, car horns, car engines, trees falling, water rushing, etc,” one commenter explained. “They use these sounds and their feathers to attract females and those with better and more sounds are usually the winners.”
Are Lyrebirds prehistoric?
Another viewer confirmed the identification while discussing an interesting tidbit about the species. “its a male superb lyrebird! they are considered living fossils… they’re one of the closest things we can get to dinos,” they said.
It’s estimated that Lyrebirds descend from a historic line that’s more than 30 million years old, according to Bird Life. Researchers have found bone fragments from one of the bird’s ancestors that date back to 17 to 18 million years ago.
How did commenters respond?
Many viewers didn’t recognize the bird at first. Others simply reflected on how unusual the creature looked.
“I bet thats exactly what it is like to find a Pokémon in the wild,” one person said.
Another commenter said, “Wow are you ever fortunate to enjoy this beautiful bird. Right place right time. Never have seen one in my back yard.”
More about Panther Diaries
In a response to Buzz News, the owner and creator of Panther Diaries discussed his research and filming in Australia.
“Most people know me through Panther Diaries — although the lyrebird clip gained traction on TikTok, different handle name of @Ghostpanther Instagram (@pantherdiaries_) is really where the broader story and investigation is documented and where I’d ideally direct people if the story is covered, as that’s where the actual project lives day-to-day,” the content creator said. “The footage [of the Lyrebird] was filmed while I was up in the Blue Mountains during one of my field expeditions connected to my broader work investigating Australia’s alleged big cats.”
The content creator explained that because he was already in one of Australia’s “better-known big cat sighting regions,” he decided to add an additional small expedition. At the moment, Panther Diaries is working on an upcoming feature film project called “Bloody Legend,” which documents Australia’s black panthers.
As for the lyrebird sighting, the content creator said that at one point, the filming crew was 10 meters away. “What made it unforgettable was that we heard it long before we saw it,” he said. “This bizarre, extraordinary sound was echoing through the bush and we stopped because we genuinely couldn’t work out what was making it. For a while we thought something unusual was happening further down the track. Then suddenly this male lyrebird appeared. I couldn’t see a female anywhere nearby, which made the experience feel even stranger — almost like we’d accidentally become the audience.”
He said that he has around 10 minutes of unseen footage. The filming crew watched the Lyrebird dance for some time. “It remains one of the most incredible wildlife moments I’ve experienced. You head out expecting long hours of searching and silence — and instead end up standing metres away watching what felt like a private performance in the middle of the Australian bush,” he said.
@_ghostpanther Blue Mountains magic – watched this guy for about 30mins. Part 2 coming soon – follow so you don’t miss it.