Just reading harmless “news” items, I came across the following two images - the first is fairly obvious as to what it is,
Ok not the exact species (it’s called a Walleye - that I’d never heard of before).
The second image at first sight looked remarkably similar in it being the eye of a different type of fish from a different angle, but….
It turns out to be an ultramassive black hole estimated to be about 33 billion times the size of our sun!!
A cow has attracted sympathy from across the globe for "pretending" to be asleep to get out of being milked.
Doris - part of a 200-strong herd on an Isle of Wight dairy farm - has featured on a US news programme and attracted more than 1.5 million views on TikTok.
The video prompting all the fuss shows farmhand John Brodie trying to coax an unimpressed-looking Doris outside on a cold morning two weeks ago.
Mr Brodie said the footage demonstrated how Doris was "more person than cow".
A group of whale watchers have been treated to the rare sight of a pod of orcas chasing a blue whale.
Recorded interactions of this nature between the two species are few and far between — only a handful of successful orca attacks on blue whales have been documented.
For this particular blue whale however, it was a lucky day.
Whale Watch Western Australia owner Gemma Sharp was on board with the tour group at the time and said the event, which happened early this week, was "absolutely incredible".
"[We were watching] a few sperm whales and pilot whales, and then the orcas," she said.
"[It was] all very calm and relaxed, until all of a sudden the ocean just exploded to life.
"The blue whale knew it was in trouble, so it just took off.
"He was absolutely flying.
"Keep in mind he weighs around 90 tonnes and is about 20 metres long … it's a massive creature."
Ms Sharp said a small group of orcas kicked off the hunt last week, but reinforcements soon arrived.
"The rest of the family joined in, so a total of 16 orcas," she said.
"The family did what they could, but the blue whale just managed to outswim them."
Ms Sharp said the chase played out for more an hour and that the blue whale and the orcas reached speeds in excess of 30 kilometres per hour before the prey outpaced the hunters.
"It's the first time we've witnessed a blue whale escaping these attacks, which is encouraging, because we know that the population is endangered … every blue whale counts," she said.
"It was one of those things which [will] stick in our minds for the rest of our lives."
'Incredibly intelligent'
Project ORCA marine scientist Rebecca Wellard says the south coast of WA is the perfect place to observe the "unique feeding behaviours" of orcas because it is home to Australia's largest population of the species.
"The killer whales work together really well to take down such a large animal … the blue whales are the largest animals on earth," she said.
She said numbers were crucial for an orca hunt to be successful and that she had observed pods of as many as 60 killer whales come together to take down large prey.
"[Orcas] range between six to nine meters, so there's a huge size difference," Dr Wellard said.
"But the killer whales make up for it in their numbers, and in their coordinated attacks … they're incredibly intelligent animals.
"Their social structure of the killer whales really means that they're very family orientated."
She said the hunt was a rare spectacle to witness.
"I'd love to do more research so we can find out what else they're doing out there that we can't see because it's so far offshore," she said.
For more details and photos of the event, check out Whale Watch WA's first-hand account here.
May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil know`s you`re dead!
Incredible animals which are already helping us idiots with regards to stemming flooding in the UK - we need to re-introduce and care for them far more. Bollocks to some of the money grabbing farmers and homeowners who think they know better!!
This little chap though is incredible and it goes to show the "Hardwired Instinct" he has through nature... Truly is "Amazing Nature"
"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things" - Yma o Hyd.
buksida wrote: ↑Sat Apr 08, 2023 11:43 am
Beavers are actually highly destructive if they get out of control. They're being culled in other parts of the world such as Patagonia.
Yes, they can be destructive - but should be controlled rather than culled. They are quite incredible animals which can certainly help us if understood and treated correctly.
They, amongst other animals may be seen as destructive to us, but we humans tend to destroy anything we perceive as a threat (or a way of financial benefit).... There is a fine balance in nature, which we seem to be completely ignorant of.
Patagonia? Can't trust those Welsh speakers!
"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things" - Yma o Hyd.
"From ancient myths to sci-fi literature, our fascination with eternal youth is well-documented.
But there are creatures out there which seem to have cracked the code to stop, or even revert, ageing - and they're very much real. They are, or we think they may be, biologically immortal. This means that, unless killed by a predator, disease or drastic changes to their environments, they can live indefinitely.
Scientists have been trying to figure out the secrets of these mysterious organisms to see if they can help us get to grips with our own ageing process."
Here are three of these amazing creatures. Three 'immortal' creatures that have fascinated scientists for decades: -
This wandering albatross was recently spotted off WA's south coast with a tag visible on its leg.(Supplied: Nic Duncan/Naturaliste Charters)
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The oldest wandering albatross in recorded Australian history has been recently spotted off Western Australia's south coast.
In January, photographer Nic Duncan snapped the bird while out in the Bremer Canyon, about two hours east of Albany.
She did not notice the band on the bird's leg until she got home from the photo shoot.
But the incredible endurance of the bird can now be revealed, after the band's information was verified by the Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme (ABBBS).
The federal government group manages over 2 million records on bird and bat species, with its database stretching back to 1953.
Records show the bird — or BP9 — is approximately 46 years old, surpassing the previous longevity record of 44.
"It was very cool to discover that this bird was 46 years old," Ms Duncan said.
A life well lived
BP9 is a male wandering albatross that was banded as a chick in September 1976 at the Crozet archipelago in the southern Indian Ocean between Madagascar and Antarctica.
ABBBS records show the bird has covered enormous distances in its lifetime — travelling about 5,600 kilometres each year from its breeding ground to areas such as the Bremer Canyon.
As well as wandering albatross, the canyon is home to whales, dolphins and birds.
"I love being out in the canyon with the Orcas and the birds … it's so raw out there from the minute you leave," Ms Duncan said.
Through its travels, BP9 is known to have raised 11 chicks with three different partners over approximately 30 years.
However, his breeding days could be behind him, as successful breeding is difficult in older males and his last breeding partner has not being been seen since 2014.
Taking a break
Ornithologist Dan Mantle was with Ms Duncan when BP9 was photographed.
"It's pretty exciting to get that news back from researchers," Mr Mantle said.
He said wandering albatross could live to over 60 years of age, but BP9's age certainly classified it as a "mature adult".
The town of Bremer Bay itself is a popular holiday spot with pristine beaches and a laid back lifestyle.
Similarly, Mr Mantle said if BP9 was still breeding, he was likely taking a break.
"Wandering albatross generally breed one year then take a sabbatical the next year," he said.
"The fact that this bird has come all the way to Bremer — that suggests it's actually in its sabbatical year.
"It's taking a bit of a break, recuperating before it'll try and breed again the following year."
A vulnerable species
The wandering albatross is currently listed as vulnerable — four stages below extinct in the conservation status listing and ranking system.
May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil know`s you`re dead!
The heart of a blue whale, which can weigh in excess of 1,300 lbs and is the size of a small car.
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. “The gigantic heart beats 8 to 10 times per minute and each heartbeat can be heard from over 2 miles away. Their arteries are so large that a full adult size human can swim through them.
At birth, a baby blue whale is already 25 ft long (the size of an adult killer whale) and can drink up to 150 gallons of milk a day and gain as much as 200 lbs per day in its first year.
They feed almost exclusively on krill, which are small, shrimp like invertebrates that are on average 1 or 2 centimeters long. They eat 4 to 6 tons of krill a day.
The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is a marine mammal and a baleen whale. Reaching a maximum confirmed length of 29.9 meters (98 ft) and weighing up to 199 tonnes (196 long tons; 219 short tons), it is the largest animal known ever to have existed."
"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things" - Yma o Hyd.
