(WZZM) - Is it real or a fake? That was the question many people were asking Wednesday as a viral video made its rounds on the internet -- and was even shown by traditional news organizations.
The video shows what is supposed to be a golden eagle in snatching a baby from the ground in Montreal, Quebec.
An eagle grabbing a baby is some pretty scary stuff. Don't fear just yet because, upon closer inspection, the video depicting the incident is a hoax. So far, though, the video has received five million views on YouTube.
The video was created by a three-dimentional animation school in Montreal called Centre Nab as part of its yearly "hoax the internet" exam. The school released a statement that it made the video and that it is fake.
Only by a frame-by-frame analysis could you spot that the eagle was computer generated. You would also notice other flaws, like the dissappearance of the bird's shadow.
How do you tell a real video from a fake? It certainly is becoming more difficult to tell, as technology is making it easy to create impressive videos. For example, there is a video of man going off a giant waterslide is fake. (Click here ) Also, video of a girl jumping to grab a ball is fake. (Click here)
We're also linking to a video of a boy flipping and making a basket -- and it is real. (Click here)
You need to watch any viral video with a healthy dose of skepticism. If something seems to good to be true, or something feels off, it probably is.
You should also do a quick internet search about the video because, just as fast as a video goes viral, so do efforts to debunk them. Snopes.com is a great site that regularly debunks hoaxes.