Long Boi: York university duck becomes social media star

A tall duck who lives on the University of York campus has gone viral on social media.

Long Boi has amassed more than 23,000 followers on Instagram.

The Mallard/Indian Runner Cross became famous after a post on Reddit incorrectly described him as "the tallest mallard duck to have ever lived... over 1m tall".

But Zoe Duffin, who runs Long Boi's Instagram account, said he actually stood at about 70cm.

"We believed that he had been dumped as an unwanted pet," she said.

"We started feeding and taking photos of him, coining the name Long Boi due to his tall stature.

"We did feel a bit sorry for him, as he didn't fit in with all the other ducks and was being shunned by them, he seemed quite lonely.

"Over time he's grown quite a following with York students, he's quite a campus celebrity, and has since flourished and integrated with the other waterfowl."