A video shared to X on Oct. 9, 2024, appeared to show a giraffe calf riding on its mother's back.
The X user who shared the 10-second clip, which had amassed more than 1.3 million views as of this writing, simply captioned it: "Amazing."
(X user @S___h___a___h)
Another user shared the same video, this time garnering more than 2.1 million views. The caption, which was translated from Japanese using Google, said the recording captured "a rare sight," suggesting they believed the footage to be real.
A similar X post was uploaded by a third user on Oct. 9, and a fourth user posted it to YouTube on Sept. 25.
However, the footage is fake. At the 8-second mark, the calf's head moves through its mother's neck, as is shown in the screenshot below.
(X/@S___h___a___h)
There are other indications the video is fake. For example, the calf's front leg is abnormally positioned, as shown below.
( X/@S___h___a___h)
The Giraffe Conservation Foundation said in an email they believed the clip was generated using artificial intelligence software.
A similar video said to show a baby giraffe "riding on its mother's back" was shared to YouTube on Oct. 4, 2024, by a channel called Tiny Paws & Hugs.
This account posts "loveable animal moments" that, for the most part, appear to be AI-generated, including the footage in question in this article.
Snopes has looked into similar AI-generated videos of animals, including a baby peacock, a giant Maine coon cat, and an exceptionally large white rabbit.