A large dead whale has washed up on a beach just south of New Plymouth.

The 20-25 metre long whale washed up on Tapuae Beach, near Okurukuru, and it is believed to be the largest species on earth, a blue whale.

Department of Conservation acting senior biodiversity ranger Callum Lilley said it's uncommon but not unusual for large whales to wash up along the coastline.

''There have been five dead blue whales washed up on the North Island's west coast between Wellington and Northland in the past five years, and a dead whale washed up on Waiinu Beach near Whanganui in 2011.''

* Villagers attacked the 25ft snake with sticks before cutting off its head

* Residents in Benito Juarez, Mexico, feared creature could swallow a child

* Conservationists hit out at the killing saying those who did it face charges

* Some villagers blamed the snake for disappearance of young animals

A giant 25ft snake was beaten to death by Mexican villagers - who feared the creature was so big it could have swallowed a child.

Frightened residents also cut the head off the huge animal after it was spotted lying alongside a railway track.

Rail passengers raised the alarm after they saw the snake from their train as it pulled into the village of Benito Juarez, in a remote part of the southeast Mexican state of Tabasco.

On Tuesday morning, the first tropical storm of Atlantic hurricane season was born. A 140-mile stretch of Florida's Atlantic coast is currently under a watch thanks to Tropical Storm Arthur.

However, the storm is expected to strengthen slightly and could bring some real fireworks to the Mid-Atlantic just in time for the Fourth of July. And by fireworks, we mean drenching rains and the potential for tropical storm-force winds from North Carolina's Outer Banks to the Chesapeake Bay area. There's even a chance Arthur could blossom into a full-fledged hurricane, albeit a weak Category 1 storm, though the strongest winds are likely going to stay out to sea.

The potential of Arthur is still enough to bring Fourth of July festivities to a halt for parts of the Eastern Seaboard. Check out the GIFs below to see if you should keep your beach chairs folded, barbecues covered and fireworks unignited.

Sky watchers in Europe are reporting an outburst of bright noctilucent clouds (NLCs). The display began at sunset on July 3rd, filling northern horizons with electric-blue ripples, swirls, and tendrils of light. Morten Ross sends this picture from Sandbukta, Norway:

"An incredibly bright and widespread display - from northern horizon to zenith!" says Ross. "This is only the third night of July and its already much better than last year." Similar reports have come from France, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Scotland, Ireland, England, Estonia and Belgium.

Although most of the reports so far have come from Europe, the nights ahead could bring NLCs to North America as well. Monitor the realtime gallery for updates.

Event Time
2014-07-04 15:00:26 UTC
2014-07-05 01:00:26 UTC+10:00 at epicenter

Location
6.205°S 152.821°E depth=10.0km (6.2mi)

Nearby Cities
193km (120mi) S of Taron, Papua New Guinea
214km (133mi) SSE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
300km (186mi) W of Arawa, Papua New Guinea
305km (190mi) ESE of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea
717km (446mi) ENE of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Scientific Data

Scotland's first full post-mortem of a humpback whale - found dead at Fishnish on Mull this week - was carried out yesterday by veterinary pathologists with the assistance of conservation charity Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust.

The seven-metre, eight-ton animal - believed to be the first humpback whale ever to strand on Mull - was discovered floating close to shore on Wednesday 25 June, and was craned out of the sea the following evening. The male calf had not recently been feeding and was probably still dependent on its mother.

Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust's Science and Strandings Officer Dr Conor Ryan, who is an expert on humpback whales, assisted with a post-mortem examination with veterinary pathologist Andrew Brownlow of Scottish Rural University College to establish the cause of death. Preliminary results from the examination were consistent with drowning, although the cause is unclear.

"This highly unusual and sad discovery is a reminder that Scotland's west coast waters are extremely special and host a great variety of marine species, including magnificent and iconic humpback whales - and that conservation action and research are vital for the protection of such remarkable animals," said Dr Ryan.

Damages 70% of the houses in Almazan


2 July 2014 The hail storm that dumped Wednesday in Almazan, Soria, has damaged 70% of the houses in this town of about 6,000 inhabitants, according to the Mayor José Antonio de Miguel.

The sixth installment in our new monthly series, the following video compiles footage of 'signs of the times' from around the world during June 2014 - 'earth changes', extreme weather and planetary upheaval.

While billions have been glued to TV screens for the soccer World Cup this past month, Nature put on a show that saw major flooding on every continent, not least in Brazil where 250 people were killed by flash-flooding and landslides, and a huge sinkhole swallowed streets just miles from one of the host nation's venues. Mid-18th century flood-level records were broken in the U.S. and E.U. There were also a LOT of tornadoes and waterspouts in places that don't normally see them.

The month began and ended with dramatic fireball appearances in the UK. The first one was really weird: a fireball turning circles in the sky! While many are attributing 'intelligence' to this burning object, accounts from previous eras of environmental and social upheaval describe such 'fire in the sky', whose gravity-defying behavior can be explained via plasma physics.

Then there were the hailstorms. 'Baseball-sized hail' used to mean something rare and freakish. Now it's positively common! Last month they were sweeping away piles of hail with diggers in Sao Paulo; this month they did likewise in eastern Spain, Tokyo and Turkey. The damage caused runs into billions of dollars. Iowa's corn crop was savaged, farmers in Turkey are devastated, and this year's fruit crop in Valencia, Spain, was all but wiped out.

Spectacular electrical storms in summertime aren't unusual, but snowfall in regions adjacent to territory scorched by wildfires are: despite earlier heatwaves, snow returned to much of Scandinavia, the Rockies and Western Canada. Speaking of wildfires, so far this year Russia has seen twice the number of wildfires reported last year, while in the U.S. they have already surpassed the 2013 total.

Get ready for the Greatest Show on Earth!

Event Time
2014-07-03 19:50:05 UTC
2014-07-03 07:50:05 UTC-12:00 at epicenter

Location
30.309°S 175.765°W depth=33.0km (20.5mi)

Nearby Cities
236km (147mi) ESE of Raoul Island, New Zealand
1018km (633mi) S of Nuku'alofa, Tonga
1079km (670mi) NE of Whakatane, New Zealand
1087km (675mi) NNE of Gisborne, New Zealand
1103km (685mi) ENE of Whangarei, New Zealand

Scientific Data

An Instagram user captured impressive footage of a lighting bolt striking the ground in New York last night

Adverse weather is affecting New York City at the moment, with severe thunderstorms washing over the area on Wednesday evening. The full force of the storm was documented on social media, with Instagram user Dinesh Penugonda capturing spectacular footage of a lighting bolt striking land, with the darkened but unmistakable silhouette of Manhattan in the background. You can see the video below.


Americans living along the country's east coast are revising their July 4 holiday plans as the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, Tropical Storm Arthur, grows in stature. It is close to reaching hurricane strength and residents in some southern states are currently evacuating threatened areas.