Nature: it’s that area outside our doors, the area that’s all around us, the area that will legit kill us if we give it half a chance.
While it may have awesome power, it also has the ability to pique human curiosity. Whether we’re talking about animals or the weather, nature is always fascinating.
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Howl lessons.
Parents pass on all sorts of invaluable lessons to their young. These baby coyotes are learning how to howl. Their form might be a little off right here, but they’ll get there someday.
Crikey!
Crocodiles aren’t that scary when they’re sunning themselves out in the open. But when they’re stalking through a swamp undetected, look out. This photo terrifies me.
Trapped forever.
This shows a prehistoric parasite escaping from its host bug. Even though it got out of the bug, it couldn’t get out of the amber that drowned them both.
Not so fast!
A great white heron wanted to chow down on a little green snake. The snake might be small, but it had the perfect ace up its sleeve: knotting itself around the bird’s beak so it couldn’t be eaten.
Shocked, I say.
I feel badly for this marmot that’s just realized it’s about to become a fox’s lunch. That said, I can’t stop chuckling over its shocked, surprised expression.
Flying with mom.
This dramatic shot shows an Indian flying fox, one of the largest bats in the world, with a baby clinging to it. These things can have wingspans in excess of four feet .
Always watching.
Tigers have a pattern that makes it look like they’re always watching, even when their head is down. It begs the question: What animal would even want to take on a tiger?
Life finds a way.
Yes, this is a cute little snail that somehow has a tiny wasp nest attached to its back. I guess the arrangement works, so long as the wasps keep its cool.
Prehistoric megafauna.
The last of the woolly mammoths died out in North America toward the end of the last Ice Age around 5,600 years ago , which, in the grand scheme of things, isn’t really that long ago. As you can see, they had tusks that would put a modern elephant to shame.
Cars are no match for nature.
Bamboo is a durable, attractive plant. It also grows crazy fast — fast enough to rip its way through asphalt and literally lift a parked car into the air.
Looking foxy.
This is a cross fox — one with genes from a regular red fox and a melanistic black fox. Its coloration probably isn’t great for camouflage, but it sure is pretty.
Is it art?
This moth ( Macrocilix maia , dont’cha know) has a pattern on its wings that looks like…two gross flies eating some gross bird poop. Not exactly my aesthetic, but I won’t judge.
Crossover episode.
This confusing pic shows a spider that’s trying its best to look like a flower murdering a fly that’s trying its best to look like a wasp. It’s confusing for sure.
Bug-eyed.
This slim-bodied, big-headed snake doesn’t even look real, but it’s somehow evolved this way. It’s known as a blunthead tree snake, and it lives mostly in the jungles of Central and South America.
One big nest.
This big, hairy-looking thing is actually a community bird nest. It’s built by the aptly-named social weaver, a type of bird found in southern Africa. There are very few species of birds who build massive community nests.
Florida weather.
This dramatic photo shows a waterspout — essentially a tornado over water rather than land. While you wouldn’t want to get caught up in one, they’re generally weaker than land-based tornadoes.
I wasn’t going to sleep tonight anyway.
It’s easy enough to see spiders as helpers, non-intrusive little critters that help keep smaller household pests at bay. Then you zoom in on their face and nothing’s ever the same again.
Part teamwork, part raw strength.
This photo was captured by photographer Thanh Ha Bui, who spotted this line of weaver ants in his parents’ backyard and decided to test their notorious strength!
All that glitters…
This is a strawberry squid, a species that looks like they come naturally bedazzled. I bet they’re the star at parties.
Closer than we think.
This photo of a Japanese Snow Monkey reminds us just how human these guys can be with the expression and emotion on its face. This monkey is judging you and you can’t do anything about it.
Sorry, tree.
As you can see, this tree got absolutely eviscerated by this woodpecker. Whatever it takes to get some breakfast.
Compliments to the chef.
Unlike us humans, this cheetah has no qualms getting a little messy while eating dinner. Looks like they ate well, too.
Get the hell out of dodge.
This user captured this photo of an oncoming storm that framed it in a terrifying way. I bet it was thundering for a while at least.
A different color palette.
This is Qizai, a qinling panda. Qinling pandas are this same soft shade of brown, making them look even more like giant, huggable teddy bears!
The tiniest little sea monster.
This is a striped pajama squid! While this one is a baby, they still don’t get too big, reaching a maximum length of around three inches.
Those feet…
The lynx is a small breed of wildcat, one that’s so small that it can easily be mistaken for a housecat. One thing that gives them away is their giant paws, as seen on this lynx kitten.
Cute but deadly.
This is a weasel. Weasels are adorable, but they’re also carnivorous killing machines . They can easily take down prey 10 times their size, and they kill in a method similar to that of a jaguar.
Great camo.
Leopards have a very distinctive coat, one that seems too flamboyant to serve as effective camouflage. But this pic effectively demonstrates just how well their camo works against certain surfaces.
