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Surfer bitten by great white shark at Iluka beach, New South Wales, Australia

Alina Rylko and Ashleigh Gleeson
The Daily Telegraph (Australia)
Sun, 10 Sep 2017 11:58 UTC
A surfer was bitten by a shark at Iluka on the NSW North Coast.
© Amber Hopkins
A surfer was bitten by a shark at Iluka on the NSW North Coast.
A surfer has been described as "the luckiest man on earth" after a shark snapped his board in half before biting his hip on the NSW north coast this morning

Byron Bay local Abe McGrath, 35, was lying on his board off Main Beach, about 300m north of the Illuka Wall, just after 6am when a shark "latched" its jaws onto his surfboard.

Fellow surfer Bryce Cameron, 34, said the shark, believed to be a 3.5m juvenile white pointer — also known as a great white shark — came up from underneath Mr McGrath, snapping his board in half then piercing his hip.

"He was laying on his board and he got attacked from below really aggressively, the force of the attack snapped his board," Mr Cameron, who was on the beach and about to head into the water when the attack occurred, said.
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Attention

Flesh-eating fungus threatens to wipe out fire salamanders across Germany


Deutsche Welle
Sat, 09 Sep 2017 10:55 UTC
fire salamander

Fire salamander
A deadly flesh-eating fungus responsible for decimating fire salamander populations in Europe is spreading in Germany, according to researchers.

The Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans fungus first arrived in Europe from Southeast Asia in 2010, wiping out fire salamander populations in Belgium and resulting in severe declines in the Netherlands.

It was first detected in western Germany's Eifel region in 2015, but has recently been found in Essen, nearly 100 kilometers away (60 miles).

"This is a rapid spread and it can occur throughout the country," Sebastian Steinfartz, a researcher at TU Braunschweig's Zoological Institute, told news agency DPA.

The black-and-yellow spotted fire salamander is one of the best-known species in Europe.
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Eye 2

Signs and Portents: Electric worker finds two-headed snake in Forrest City, Arkansas

Kally Patz
Arkansas Online
Fri, 08 Sep 2017 08:44 UTC
two headed snake
While inspecting a home Wednesday, an electric worker in Arkansas found an oddity he had never seen beyond magazines and TV: a two-headed snake.

Rodney Kelso, who works as the operations director at Woodruff Electric in Forrest City, said the snake was sunning itself when he found it outside a home on Arkansas 248.

"Fifty years on the ridge and never have seen such," Kelso said by phone Friday morning.

He put on a pair of gloves and eased the snake into a box.

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Bizarro Earth

Rare phenomenon caused by Hurricane Irma sucks the water from Bahamas beaches

Kaileen Gaul
Daily Mail (UK)
Sun, 10 Sep 2017 01:42 UTC
Bahamas beach disappears
© Twitter@deejayeasya
Before: Hurricane Irma temporarily changed the shape of the ocean after hitting the Bahamas on Friday
Extraordinary footage from the Bahamas show the shoreline receded much farther than normal, exposing what is usually the ocean floor.

Twitter user @Kaydi_K from Long Island, Bahamas wrote on Friday: 'I am in disbelief right now... This is Long Island, Bahamas and the ocean water is missing!!! That's as far as they see #HurricaneIrma.'

The strange video shows her walking on the exposed ocean floor which is dry and covered in large shells. Another Twitter user tweeted a photo of the exposed beach at a different beach in the Bahamas and showed it was back to normal within less than a day.

Hurricane Irma, which hit the Bahamas on Friday, is so powerful that it has altered the shape of the ocean in Long Island, but it will likely be back to normal by Sunday afternoon.

Pressure in a hurricane's center is low and Irma is so strong that it is pulling water into its core, sucking it away from the ocean, according to the Washington Post.


Comment: Last month the Atlantic Ocean dramatically receded off the coasts of Uruguay and Brazil. See also:

Meteotsunami? Ocean dramatically recedes on South American Atlantic coast as huge waves batter the Pacific side

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Seismograph

5.7 magnitude earthquake hits Mexican coast


Sputnik
Sun, 10 Sep 2017 08:02 UTC
Seismograph
© AFP 2017/ PEDRO PARDO
A 5.7 magnitude earthquake occurred in waters off Mexico's Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported Sunday.

Quakes have been registered at 22:07 on Saturday local time (03:07 GMT on Sunday). The epicenter is located 80 kilometers (49) to southwest of the town of Paredon at the depth of 33 kilometers (about 32 miles).
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Tornado1

Paradise islands devastated by Hurricane Irma (VIDEOS, PHOTOS)


RT
Sat, 09 Sep 2017 18:30 UTC
St Martin
© Lionel Chamoiseau / AFP
Orient Bay on the French Carribean island of Saint-Martin, after the passage of Hurricane Irma.
Images of the devastating impact of Hurricane Irma have filled social media, showing how the deadly storm system has reduced tranquil Caribbean island paradises to ruins.

More than 20 people died as extreme weather barrelled across the Caribbean bringing winds of up to 150mph. Whole neighborhoods have been turned-upside down on islands such as Barbuda, St Barts and the Virgin Islands.

Irma continues to travel west towards Florida, and the US Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has warned that it will bring "life-threatening wind, storm surge and rainfall hazards".

As islanders struggle to come to terms with the natural disaster, and as MSM coverage continues to focus on Florida, here is the latest on the worst-hit Caribbean regions.

Comment: See also: Hurricane Irma: Florida declares State of Emergency as storm upgraded to Category 5 - UPDATES

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Blue Planet

Winds, fire, floods and quakes: Mother Nature's recent nutty run

Seth Borenstein
AP
Sat, 09 Sep 2017 18:52 UTC
hurricane damage
With four big hurricanes, a powerful earthquake and wildfires, it seems that nature recently has just gone nuts.

Some of these disasters, like Friday's earthquake in Mexico, are natural. Others may end up having a mix of natural and man-made ingredients after scientists examine them. We also always tend to look for patterns and order in chaos, even when they aren't there, psychologists say.

"Nature's gone crazy," mused Jeff Masters, meteorology director at the private service Weather Underground. "Welcome to the future. Extreme weather like this is going to be occurring simultaneously more often because of global warming."


Comment: Global warming? - Still no warming for 17 years 9 months


A look at a rough few weeks in North America:
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Tornado1

Deserted Florida: Miami transforms into ghost town ahead of Hurricane Irma as seven million citizens are ordered to evacuate


RT
Sat, 09 Sep 2017 17:15 UTC
Florida coast
© Saul Loeb / AFP
A nearly-deserted beach after residents and visitors evacuated from Miami Beach, Florida, September 7, 2017, ahead of Hurricane Irma.
Eerie footage and images of southwest Florida reveal deserted beaches and cities in areas usually thronging with crowds as residents flee the region ahead of Hurricane Irma making US landfall.

Seven million citizens have now been ordered to evacuate and at least 51,000 people are staying in shelters in southeastern Florida, according to Florida emergency management officials.

The National Weather Service has warned residents that nowhere in the Florida Keys will be safe when Irma hits, while Florida Governor Rick Scott urged any hold-out citizens Friday night to leave immediately.

Looking at footage from the scene, it appears many have heeded the warnings, as bustling tourist hotspots like Miami seem all but abandoned.

Comment: See also:
Hurricane Irma: Florida declares State of Emergency as storm upgraded to Category 5 - UPDATES

Hurricane Irma crackles with lightning in satellite video

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Attention

Dead whale shark found in Tanza Bay, Philippines

Inoue Jaena
Rappler
Sat, 09 Sep 2017 18:07 UTC
dead whale shark
© Inoue Jaena/Rappler
Dead whale shark
A dead whale shark was found in the vicinity of Tanza Bay in Cavite province on Saturday, September 9.

Fishermen noticed the whale shark floating lifelessly. It was approximately 17 feet in length and 8 feet in diameter.

They decided to bring it to the Pandawan Fish Port in Rosario, Cavite to turn it over to the Coast Guard Station.

The Provincial Fisheries Office of Cavite is currently assessing the cause of death of the 3-year-old whale shark.

Known as 'gentle giants' of the ocean, whale sharks are the largest living fish species.

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Attention

Hunter attacked by bear in Sweden


The Local (Sweden)
Sat, 09 Sep 2017 17:49 UTC
The hunter was fine. The bear, not so much.

The hunter was fine. The bear, not so much.
A Swede's Saturday morning hunting expedition turned out a bit more exciting than expected.

The hunter was attacked by a bear just outside of Klövsjö in the western Sweden province of Jämtland, Expressen reported.

The hunter was able to shoot and kill the bear while under attack and escape unharmed.

The incident was reported to local officials at 7.37am.

"The bear was reportedly shot when it attacked a hunter. The hunter was unscathed. Police are on hand to investigate," the local police district wrote on its website.

Comment: Another incident occurred recently involving a hunter being charged by a brown bear, on that occasion in Alaska.

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