Animals
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Question

Unusual animal behaviour: Dolphins gang up to kill porpoises in Newlyn Harbour, UK

James Dunn
Daily Mail
Tue, 11 Oct 2016 19:24 UTC
These stunning pictures show a porpoise being killed as it is tossed into the air - by dolphins
These stunning pictures show a porpoise being killed as it is tossed into the air - by dolphins
These stunning pictures show a porpoise being killed as it is tossed into the air - by dolphins.

Stunned rowers came across the scene while out on the water for a social Sunday exercise and initially thought they had witnessed a dolphin giving birth.

But after posting their pictures on Facebook, experts said it was bottlenose dolphins attacking a harbour porpoise just off Newlyn Harbour in Cornwall.

And in the images, they later realised that the bottlenose dolphins can be seen pulling the porpoise before throwing it up in the air.

Stunned rowers came across the scene while out on the water for a social Sunday exercise and initially thought they had witnessed a dolphin giving birth
Stunned rowers came across the scene while out on the water for a social Sunday exercise and initially thought they had witnessed a dolphin giving birth
But after posting their pictures on Facebook, experts said it was bottlenose dolphins attacking a harbour porpoise just off Newlyn Harbour in Cornwall
But after posting their pictures on Facebook, experts said it was bottlenose dolphins attacking a harbour porpoise just off Newlyn Harbour in Cornwall
Its carcass was eventually retrieved from the water for a post mortem.

Sue Nevis, chairman of Pendeen Pilot Gig, described how there was a lot of blood in the water when they came across the sight.

Comment: See also: Rise of the killer dolphins: 'Alarming' rise in fatal attacks on porpoises leaves experts puzzled in Wales

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Attention

Revenge attack: Wounded black bear mauls hunter who thought it had been shot dead

Harriet Mallinson
Daily Mail (UK)
Fri, 14 Oct 2016 13:07 UTC
The bear attacks the man after he runs over to inspect it when it falls from a tree after being shot
The bear attacks the man after he runs over to inspect it when it falls from a tree after being shot
It's best not to approach a wounded bear unless it's definitely dead.

One hunter learnt this lesson the hard way after he approached a black bear he and his friends were tracking down - only to be attacked by the beast.

The terrifying footage first shows a bearded man in khaki with a gun standing at the top of a steep slope in a forest in America.

A large bear can be seen lying in the branch of a tall tree a little way off while hunting dogs bark excitedly.

The man filming stands behind the man, while a third hunter stands at the bottom of the slope ready to get the bear when it falls.

Shots are fired and the bear leaps up and can be seen scrabbling around in the tree top before it is shot again.

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Eye 2

Roadway invaded by hundreds of snakes in Sarasota, Florida


Aol
Fri, 14 Oct 2016 12:06 UTC
Snake on a road
Snake on a road
Upon hearing that hundreds of snakes invaded a Florida roadway, many would assume the chatter pertains to a movie plot, but they would be incorrect.

That exact thing happened in Sarasota on Tuesday morning.

According to a Facebook post by the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, droves of banded watersnakes showed up on Palmer Boulevard in the hours before sunrise.

The reptiles covered both the east and west bound lanes, perhaps looking to take advantage of the warmth the black pavement provides.

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Wolf

Baby killed and child seriously injured by dog in Colchester, UK; second such incident for the area in 2 months


BBC
Fri, 14 Oct 2016 08:38 UTC
Dog attack
A baby boy has died and another child is seriously injured after a dog attack in Colchester, Essex.

The dog attacked three people including the two young boys. The surviving child was left with "life-changing injuries", Essex Police said.

Officers were called to the junction of Tara Close and Harwich Road at 15:10 BST on Thursday following reports someone had been bitten by a dog.

Police said the animal involved had been "recovered".

A woman was also taken to hospital with minor injuries after being bitten.

Comment: See also this report of a similar incident in the same county just 2 months ago: Boy aged 3 dies following dog attack in Essex, UK

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Info

Newly discovered fossils suggest 'unicorns' were real


WSPA
Thu, 13 Oct 2016 17:53 UTC
Unicorn
© Sun Sentinel'Siberian unicorns' roamed the Earth 29,000 years ago, study finds.
Columbus - Turns out, unicorns are not mystical fairy tale creatures, and scientists have the fossils to prove it.

We should point out first, however, that real unicorns are not pretty horses with wings and horns.

No, the real unicorn, known as Elasmotherium sibiricum, looked more like a hairy rhinoceros than a beautiful stallion. Unlike modern day rhinos, however, this one had a giant horn.
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Attention

Signs and Portents: Two-headed piglet born in Vietnam

Duc Hung
VN Express International
Sun, 09 Oct 2016 18:54 UTC
The two-headed piglet.
© Nghe AnThe two-headed piglet.
Many have flocked to see the pig with two heads, four eyes and four legs.

Nguyen Ba Hien, 56, a farmer in Nghe An Province, reported that one of his sows had given birth to a piglet with two heads, four eyes and four legs.

Weighing in at healthy half a kilo, Hien says the piglet came into the world in a litter of 10 on October 5.

The animal had a hard time deciding which head to suckle with, Hien said.
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Cloud Lightning

Rare, medium or well done? Lightning bolt kills 21 cows in Nigeria

Yinka Agunbiade
Information Nigeria
Thu, 13 Oct 2016 14:50 UTC
lightning
Not less than twenty-one cows have been killed by lightning in Nasarawa state.

According to Jaafaru Usman, Zonal Secretary of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, Nasarawa South, the 21 cows had been killed by lightning at Ashige in Lafia East Development Area of the state.

The lightning was reported to have struck during a downpour on Tuesday morning all the 21 cows.

Usman told the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday that the cows belonged to a herdsman, Malam Bature Lere.

He appealed for assistance from the state Government, authorities of the Lafia East Development Area and the public on behalf of Lere.

Usman said, "I am appealing to Gov. Umaru Al-Makura to assist this man who lost all his cows to the disaster".
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Attention

Rare deep-water blue shark found on a beach in Tentsmuir, Scotland

Nik O'Flynn
The Sun (UK)
Thu, 13 Oct 2016 12:54 UTC
A dog investigates the body of the rare shark which washed up on a Scottish beach
© Cascade News A dog investigates the body of the rare shark which washed up on a Scottish beach
The body of a rare blue shark has been found washed up on a Scottish beach.

Scientists were shocked after the 5ft carcass was discovered by a dogwalker on Tentsmuir Beach, Fife.
Scottish Blue sharks normally inhabit very deep waters in seas across the world from South America to Norway but are very rarely found near shorelines.

Dr Andrew Brownlow, from the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme, said scientists would be trying to recover the shark's body which was found on Monday to find out more.

"It it is a deep water species which only occasionally comes close to shore," he explained.

"We are going to see if we can get this recovered to see if we can learn a little more about what happened.

"It is possible the animal swam onto the beach alive and died, or it could be ill."
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Attention

Bear attacks hunter near Ronan, Montana


Daily Inter Lake
Tue, 11 Oct 2016 19:36 UTC
Bear attack
A pheasant hunter in the Ninepipe Reservoir area south of Ronan was injured after encountering a bear with two cubs Tuesday afternoon.

According to Germaine White, Information and Education Specialist with Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, the bear made contact with the hunter but the extent of the hunter's injuries are unknown at this time.

"It was a surprise encounter at close range, under dense cover," White told the Inter Lake.

The hunter was with two other people at the time of the incident, White said. The species of bear is unknown.

Tribal Wildlife Bear Biologists, Tribal Conservation Officers and a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks conservation officer responded to the scene at approximately 2:15 p.m. The attack reportedly happened off Olsen Road south of Ninepipe Reservoir on the west side of Highway 93.

Stacy Courville, Tribal Bear Biologist, says the encounter is under investigation. Courville reminds hunters that the entire Mission Valley is bear habitat, home to both black and grizzly bears.
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Attention

Shark attack on surfer off Ballina, Australia; 6th attack for the area in 21 months


The Guardian
Wed, 12 Oct 2016 19:11 UTC
Shark attacks
All beaches in Ballina on the New South Wales north coast are closed after a man was bitten by a shark while surfing, the sixth attack in 21 months in the area.

The attack has caused a backdown from the premier, Mike Baird, who has resisted the idea of shark nets on north coast beaches has now announced he will lobby for them to be installed.

The 25-year-old man was bitten at Sharpes beach at Ballina on Wednesday morning while surfing with two mates, after he felt a bump on his board and fell into the water.

He suffered a small wound to his lower right leg and went to Ballina hospital, police said.

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