#nature

Drone Video Shows Hammerhead Shark Circling Paddleboarders off Florida BeachPalm Beach, Florida — A humongous hammerhead shark, appearing to be about 11 feet long, can be seen swimming below paddleboarders in this drone video. One of the paddleboarders can be seen freezing in fear and trying to paddle in panic upon noticing the predator looming underwater. Evan Parness, the man who filmed the video, described the moment as "something pretty epic." Parness notes that the shark checked out the paddleboarders "multiple times." He notes, however, that the shark meant no harm. Hammerhead sharks are generally considered harmless to humans. However, coming in contact with any shark can still be a terrifying moment for anyone. (Image Credit: Evan Parness/ Facebook) #Scary #Sharks #Drone #Nature

Winners of the 2021 World Nature Photography AwardsWe live in a beautiful world full of wholesome moments. But this world also has its share of terrifying moments and pictures, which remind us that the world can be dark. This image of a leopard seal trying to eat a Gentoo penguin is a great example. Amos Nachoum took this photo on a remote island off the Antarctic Peninsula during the low tide in the area.Nachoum's image, titled "Facing Reality" won the grand prize of The 2021 World Nature Photography Awards. Also handed to him was the World Nature Photographer of the Year title. Nachoum wrote:For hours, I waited for the low tide to arrive along a shallow lagoon on a remote island off the Antarctic Peninsula. Like clockwork, the leopard seal arrived in the lagoon just before low tide. It put its head in the water and looked just like a rock sitting in the receding water. The young Gentoo penguins only dare to enter the water when it is shallow and when they got close enough to the seal, it turned its head at lightning speed, catching one of the penguins by its feet and taking it to deep water. Once the seal reached open water, I followed it and swam parallel to it, observing its actions. To my surprise, it let go of the penguin twice. Each time, the seal chased after the penguin again, as if it was enjoying the game. The terrified penguin tried to escape as the game continued. But soon, the end came.As I said before, we live in a beautiful world, as shown by the other pictures submitted in the competition, like this picture of macaques enjoying each other's warmth.Here are some of the pictures from the 2021 World Nature Photography Awards. You may also submit photos to the website for this year's competition.Image: Amos Nachoum#Nature #Photography #Animals #WorldNaturePhotographyAwards #penguin #GentooPenguin #seal

Small Fish Rained From the Sky in Texarkana, TexasIt’s raining fish, hallelujah! Just kidding. Residents in east Texas reported an instance of ‘fish rain’ in their area during a rainstorm. This unique event happened around late afternoon.According to James Audirsch, one of the witnesses, he and his co-worker heard loud noises and looked outside to see fish falling from the sky! “There was a loud crack of thunder and when we opened up the bay door,” he said. “I looked outside and it was raining real hard and a fish hit the ground, and then I said, ‘It’s raining fish!’ Brad was like, ‘No it’s not,’ and I’m like, ‘No, it really is!’ and fish were droppin’ here and everywhere.”According to experts, this was because of a rare meteorological phenomenon when a water spout over a body of water sucks up small creatures such as fish and frogs. This spout then carries them along and drops them, which causes a unique type of rain. I wonder what kind of animal rain will be next?Image credit: Bradd Pratt via ArkLaTex Homepage#rain #nature #meteorology #fishrain #fish #science

Someone Called 911 When They Found 7 Baby Squirrels with Their Tails Knotted Up and the Police Came and Helped Untangle Them!This has got to be one of the strangest 911 calls that the Grand Blanc Township Police Department in Michigan has ever received. The caller told them that they found a scurry of seven young squirrels at the bottom of a tree in an unusual condition: the squirrels’ tails were entangled while they were still in their nest.Now that their nest couldn’t hold their weight anymore, all of the squirrels clung to the base of the tree but couldn’t go anywhere because they were all tied to each other.While “mama squirrel” was being watchful, the police officers and a kind citizen helped untangle and separate all seven squirrels.Their tails need time to heal and recover, but overall, they are now safe and free! All thanks to the best team effort and initiative of the cops!Image Credit: Grand Blanc Township Police Department