Big cats like tigers lions and leopards are one of the few predators with enough strength and guile to be able to take down a full grown crocodilian. Whilst it is true all those cats occasionally do hunt toothy reptiles, it is the jaguar that kills crocodiles most frequently. A recent clip released by National Geographic for its show Hostile Planet demonstrates the jaguar’s prowess at killing caiman’s.
When most people think of Madagascar the first thing that usually comes to mind is the island’s famous lemurs which are not found anywhere else and are the world’s most endangered mammals. However, few people will be aware that the fate of this iconic species is directly tied to the fate of Madagascar’s largest predator, the fossa which is facing many of the same pressures. Fossa’s are about the same size as terriers and are closely related to the mongoose with tails the same length as their bodies.
Hippos may look like relaxed cows hanging out in the water, but do not let that impression fool you. These are very dangerous herbivores. So dangerous in fact, that every year, hundreds of people in Africa die as a result of hippo attacks. They routinely appear at the top of just about every list of the continent’s scariest animals. Despite knowing all that, a group of tourists visiting iSimangaliso Wetland Park were not deterred from sliding up to one of the beasts in an attempt to snap a selfie.
An adult Cape buffalo can weigh up to 900 kilos which is the equivalent of a small car. This means it is going to be tough to take down even for the most ambitious of predators. A group of tourists on safari in South Africa’s Kruger National Park recently had the opportunity to witness the steely resolve of this animal first hand when they saw an old bull do battle and survive an attack from a lion pride and crocodile.
Nicola Moore woke up one morning in her home in New South Wales Australia and stepped out on to her rear veranda to enjoy a peaceful cup of coffee to start the day. Instead of peace she found herself confronted by a two-metre-long python that was right in the middle of consuming a large bird. Ms Moore captured the scene on camera and the coastal carpet python can bee seen with its jaws fully stretched clasped over a tawny frogmouth.
A family on safari at Hluhluwe-iMolozi Park in South Africa recently became aware about why it is so important to avoid getting too close to a herd of buffaloes. Tourist Vicky Schmidt from Luxembourg captured footage of an angry bull ramming the wheel arch of the family SUV. The attack was so strong, the vehicle was momentarily lifted partially of the ground. Fortunately, the driver of the SUV was able to make an escape before anything to serious happened.
For most fisherman the probability of a crocodile leaping from the depths of the water to snatch what you have caught are almost nothing, but Australia has a reputation to uphold. Two fishermen were doing their thing in a billabong in the Northern Territory when one of them managed to snag a doozie of a barramundi. Fisherman Dac Craig captured on film his partner Daniel wrestling with the big fish. It seems the fish had gotten caught up in a tiny bit of weed and was exerting pressure.
Most of you will have probably heard one or two stories about a hippo coming to the assistance of other species in danger. Whilst there is some casual evidence that hippos can behave altruistically, the real truth is that these massive herbivores are in fact giant jerks. If you don’t believe that, then check this chap out. Carolyn Wridgway was on Safari in South Africa’s Kruger National Park recently and came across the following scene.
We aren’t quite sure which of these babies made the bigger mistake, the juvenile mongoose that ran straight in to the welcoming claws of a leopard or the apex predator who wasn’t able to take advantage of an easy meal. The footage was filmed by a group of tourists on safari in Djuma Private Game Reserve in South Africa and the stars of the clip is Tlalamba a young leopard and a pretty brave mongoose that was lucky to escape meeting an untimely death.
Field guide Timothy Jansen Van Vuuren who was guiding a tourist group on safari in South Africa’s MalaMala captured footage of a tiny pink elephant calf. The calf which is champagne-pink in colour is thought to be between two or three weeks old at the time the footage was shot. If you watch the video you will see the calf is the smallest in the her and is being carefully protected by the adults. It is not possible to tell from the footage whether the calf is an albino or its skin pigmentation is caused by another genetic condition known as leucism.
Recently a rescue team from South Africa’s Tow Oceans Aquarium were able to rescue a trapped ocean sunfish that found itself marooned in a dry dock at the V&A waterfront in Cape Town. Workers who were draining the dry dock noticed the massive fish flapping around in the shallows and alerted authorities who then called in the experts. The rescue team have had a fair amount of experience performing this kind of thing and were well prepared for the task before them.
Flood’s earlier in the year in the far North of Australia resulted in widespread devastation of local agriculture. As the waters rose, half a million cattle were wiped out and there was a humanitarian crisis. Humans weren’t the only species affected, wildlife was affected with crocodiles washed downstream whilst those animals who were hiding were flushed out. There is no better example than this video of a scrub python gobbling up a wallaby in Queensland.
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