“यह है बिज्जू नाम का जीव अधिकांश कब्रिस्तान में पाया जाता है और इसकी आवाज ऐसी लगती है जैसे कोई मुर्दा चिल्ला रहा हो इस अंधविश्वास के कारण अधिकांश लोग यह समझते हैं कि दफनाया गया मुर्दा चिल्ला रहा है यह उम्र भर उस कब्र में रहकर उस मुर्दे का मांस खाता है और अपनीआवाज चिलाने वाली निकालता है सुन लीजिए”

Translation: “This is a creature named ‘Bijju’ which is mostly found in graveyards and its voice is such that it seems as if a dead person is screaming. Because of this blind faith, most people think that the buried are screaming. This creature stays all its life in the grave and eats the meat of the dead and makes such a noise, listen.”

The above message has gone viral on social media platforms along with a 15 second video clip. The creature seen in the video resembles a turtle, and can be heard shrieking like a human being.

Nikki animal voice

यह है बिज्जू नाम का जीव अधिकांश कब्रिस्तान में पाया जाता है और इसकी आवाज ऐसी लगती है जैसे कोई मुर्दा चिल्ला रहा हो इस अंधविश्वास के कारण अधिकांश लोग यह समझते हैं कि दफनाया गया मुर्दा चिल्ला रहा है यह उम्र भर उस कब्र में रहकर उस मुर्दे का मांस खाता है और अपनीआवाज चिलाने वाली निकालता है सुन लीजिए

Posted by OneWorld on Sunday, June 30, 2019

Several individual users have posted the video on Facebook with identical text.

The same video was earlier shared with a narrative in English which read,

“A rare animal that cries like a man. This animal is found in Arabian Peninsula and until they found it crying, they used to believe that the cry was of the dead souls from the graves.”

The above tweet has been retweeted a whopping 41,000 times and ‘liked’ over 110,000 times so far. The video clip has also been posted with text in Kannada. Several Facebook users posted it with the same message which reads, “ಮಾಹಿತಿ) ನೀವು #ಕಬರ್ಬಿಜ್ಜು ಹೆಸರನ್ನು ಕೇಳಿದ್ದಿರಬೇಕು, ಹೌದು ಇದು ಸ್ಮಶಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಂಡುಬರುತ್ತದೆ.ಇದನ್ನು ನೋಡಲು ಸಹ ಸಾಧ್ಯವಿಲ್ಲ ಏಕೆಂದರೆ ಇದು ನೆಲದೊಳಗೆ ವಾಸಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಇದು ಸತ್ತ ಜನರನ್ನು ತಿನ್ನುತ್ತದೆ.. ಆಗಾಗ್ಗೆ ಜನರು ಸ್ಮಶಾನ ಹಾದುಹೋಗುವಾಗ ಒಬ್ಬ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಯು ಕೂಗುತ್ತಾನೆ ಎಂದು ತೋರುತ್ತದೆ…ಆದರೆ ಅದು ಕಬರ್ಬಿಜ್ಜುವಿನ ಈ ಧ್ವನಿ ಆಗಿರುತ್ತದೆ… ಜನರು ಭಯಭೀತರಾಗುತ್ತಾರೆ ಮತ್ತು ದೆವ್ವ ಶಬ್ಧ ಮಾಡುತ್ತದೆ ಎಂದು ಅರ್ಥೈಸಿ ಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಈ ವೀಡಿಯೊದಲ್ಲಿ ಆ ಪ್ರಾಣಿಯ ಧ್ವನಿಯನ್ನು ಕೇಳಿ, ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಅರ್ಥವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ….”

The video clip has been shared massively on Facebook with the same message.

Edited video clip

The creature in question is the Alligator Snapping Turtle. This can be heard in the video clip itself, from the person holding the creature. The Alligator Snapping Turtle is the largest freshwater turtle in Northern America, and among the largest in the world. These turtles are carnivorous, weigh up to 220 pounds and have a lifespan of 50 to 100 years.

Video created on Tik Tok

Alt News found that this viral video was first uploaded on Tik Tok, an app which allows users to create short videos by mixing various sounds. The video was uploaded by a user @danford1105, who added the human sound to the video clip. It was subsequently picked up from there before it was circulated widely.

Moreover, the creature is known to make a variety of sounds including hissing and clucking, but not crying sounds. Moreover, according to National Geographic, turtles do not have vocal chords. The viral video clip has been edited.

Alt News found another video on YouTube, which too has been edited. This video shows the alligator snapping turtle and the common snapping turtle together, making shrieking sounds.

In the original video uploaded on a YouTube channel Brave Wilderness, the turtles do not make a sound. This original video has been posted below.

It may be reiterated that the video viral on social media is edited. The creature seen in the video is a variety of carnivorous turtle called the Alligator Snapping Turtle. Moreover, this creature does not make vocal sounds like humans.

[This article was updated on November 11 to include information about the video clip circulating in Kannada.]

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About the Author

Arjun Sidharth is a writer with Alt News. He has previously worked in the television news industry, where he managed news bulletins and breaking news scenarios, apart from scripting numerous prime time television stories. He has also been actively involved with various freelance projects. Sidharth has studied economics, political science, international relations and journalism. He has a keen interest in books, movies, music, sports, politics, foreign policy, history and economics. His hobbies include reading, watching movies and indoor gaming.