It’s easy to say something like “it’s a jungle out there” without really thinking about it, but it’s hard to overstate exactly how rough a jungle can really be.
While our imaginations tend to drift to the thought of being eaten by ferocious animals , there’s also the intense heat, the crushing humidity, the poisonous plants, and the risk of contracting all sorts of bizarre diseases.
Of course, those things aren’t so easy to convey visually, so it’s for that reason that we tend to illustrate how rough various types of wilderness are with how intimidating its fauna is.
And the easiest way to get that point across is to show you how they interact when their bellies aren’t full and their minds aren’t at peace.
It’s hard to even get close enough to tell what this is without pricking yourself, and that’s likely how this creature had survived so long.
Based on how its behavior is described in Volume 14 of The Agricultural Journal of the Cape of Good Hope , this is likely a wattle bag-worm that uses thorns from a wattle tree to make a protective cocoon that nobody really wants to touch.
And considering that wattle trees are found in both Australia and South Africa, this little worm likely has a lot to protect itself from.
This duck may not have enjoyed this experience, but it got off lucky.
If this shoebill wanted to, it could probably have ruined the little guy’s whole day. However, it’s just engaging in what’s called “duck flinging,” which is how some birds move each other out of the way.
There’s no “excuse me” in nature.
When a serious injury happens in nature, the only options are to either adapt or die.
There’s a chance that this magpie’s foot is gnarled as a result of a birth defect, but it’s also possible that it was broken and healed in an unhealthy way.
Either way, the fact that it found a way to stand on it goes a long way to show how it survived long enough to star in this photo.
It often seems like it would be hard for a giant animal to sneak up on us, but sharks are very good at doing just that.
Everything about how it’s scooping up this harbor seal for a meal indicates very clearly that it never saw the shark coming.
As chaotic and unpredictable as nature can be, it seems safe to say that this hawk has a squirrel all to itself.
While it’s a little amusing for birds of prey to always seem like they’re saying “what?” when someone photographs them with their prey, that’s probably because they’re worried about keeping it that way.
It’s striking how lions often seem just as ferocious when they’re eating as they are when they’re on the hunt.
While we might be able to think of a friend who eats with similar intensity, they didn’t have the adrenaline rush of taking down a massive hippo.
This may not be the most high-quality pic of this encounter, but that’s because we rarely have a chance to see it.
So what exactly are we seeing? Well, you know how intimidating and powerful giant squids can seem to us?
This is a sperm whale using one as a chew toy.
This crocodile has met with a terrible fate.
Somehow, it was deprived of the top part of its jaw, which means it won’t be able to hunt or otherwise feed itself.
And since, as National Geographic reported , crocodiles have powerful antibodies in their blood, it was able to stave off the infection that would normally occur when something like this happens.
Unfortunately, that means it’ll probably just die of starvation in this case.
While it may seem like this cormorant will have a tough time eating this sunfish, looks can be deceiving.
The fish may be decked out with spiny fins, but the problem is that they can all easily fold back, which means the fish will have no trouble fitting down the bird’s throat.
It’s hard to tell what this ant is carrying around, but it’s easy to be relieved that the creature is no more once we find out.
Apparently, this limp husk used to be a mosquito, which either means that the ant is particularly small or the bug is quite large.
The simmering disappointment in these killer whales is almost palpable.
They were obviously gunning for this seal, but it was lucky enough to make it on land before they could do anything.
Nonetheless, they hovered by this beach for a time before finally cutting their losses and leaving.
It’s unclear what exactly is pissing this panther off so much, but I can only hope it’s not the photographer.
Because in most cases that a large, wild cat is giving us this kind of look, the only thing that anyone can say for us is “rest in peace.”
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Not only has this blue bee seen better days, but we’re likely looking at one of its last days.
As we can see, it is covered by mites, who are likely to eventually devour it. At this point, its only hope is that they don’t take the rest of its hive with it.
No matter how much we may adore certain animals, I’m sorry to say that nature doesn’t follow our affections.
And as the uploader confirmed on another picture, this young elephant was confirmed to be killed and eaten by the lions we see here.
As for why the mother wasn’t around to defend the little one, this was apparently taken in the middle of a massive drought that ravaged Zimbabwe last year. Simply put, she may have already fallen by then.
This rat isn’t exactly what we’d normally expect to see in a bird’s nest and the fact that it’s already dead only deepens the mystery.
Did it get sick or injured and crawl in here just to die with some privacy? Did it eat the eggs only to be killed by the mama bird?
Who can say?
Much like with ants, the body weight of a hawk can be a pretty misleading indicator of its strength.
Even if a hawk’s prey weighs as much as the bird itself, it has long demonstrated that it’s strong enough to carry it away.
Cicadas usually don’t fare well in encounters with other insects, and it’s very easy to see why that is in this case.
Not only is the European hornet about as large as the noisy bug, but it also looks like something that even we wouldn’t want to get too close to.
As cute as we can find seals sometimes, they take on a whole different character when they’re actually hunting.
Part of it probably has to do with the fact that it’s about to eat another adorable animal, but the way it can open its jaw is pretty unnerving regardless.
As if it wasn’t already obvious that this gazelle is in a hopeless situation, the look in its eyes makes that chillingly clear.
The circle of life isn’t as round and smooth as The Lion King might lead us to believe.
This may seem like a strange new creature, but we’re actually witnessing another hunt taking place.
This time, a sparkle squid is taking out a shrimp that’s about as big as it is. Now, that’s an appetite.