20 Times Nature Showed Us What It's Really Capable Of

Don't you just love nature? It's full of the weirdest things. From animals, to plants, to rock formations, nature is full of the most incredible sights that you definitely won't see from the comfort of your own room.

These pictures show us what nature is really about. It's wild, dangerous, and above all, super cool. There's a lot more going on than we'd ever know.

"An Albino Kangaroo Mid-Jump."

I don't know what's cooler, the fact that this kangaroo has albinism (which is as rare in animals as it is in people) or the fact that it's been caught mid-jump. I mean, kangaroos are cool in general, but this really feels like it's gone above and beyond to be even cooler.

"Black-footed cat (Felis nigripes) is the smallest cat in Africa (up to 5 lbs) and can hunt preys bigger than himself."

This cat is so tiny. So cute! But alas, it's a deadly predator. Then again, you can probably say that about most cats, even the one that may be sitting next to you as you read this (unless you don't have cats, then just pretend I didn't say that last part).

"Now THAT's a Big Gulp! Great Blue Heron devouring baby alligator whole."

Did I know that there were any birds out there that preyed on gators? Not until today, no. I definitely wouldn't want to get on this heron's bad size, not if it can just gulp a baby gator in one go. Poor guy won't even get to grow up to terrorize unsuspecting humans.

"Stork's nest on electric pillar."

Birds, man. Such strange creatures. They'll literally put their nests on anything. Including electric posts. They sit on power lines, too, which they can do because they're usually light enough to not cause the lines to break. And they don't touch the ground, so they won't get electrocuted. Lucky them I suppose.

"Tree grew inside another tree."

What's the best place for a tree to grow? Maybe not inside of a different tree, but this one seems to be making that concept work. As far as I can tell, both trees seem to be growing just fine. That's kind of surprising. Instead of fighting for water and light, they're both thriving.

"Baby hummingbird compared to the size of a raspberry."

Hummingbirds are so tiny and cute. So I'm completely unsurprised that baby hummingbirds are even tinier and cuter! That little guy is barely the size of a thumb. In fact, it's barely the size of that raspberry. It's so hard to believe that such a small bird was even smaller at one point.

"This incredible slice of azurite and malachite gets its colors all naturally from weathering copper!"

Semi-precious stones are simply the best. They're all so cool and unique. You can see so many different colors, a lot of which you may not even expect.

I've seen malachite before, but not combined with azurite. It looks like some kind of pretty ocean. To think, it's all because of copper!

"Found this cicada emerging from its shell."

This is so cool (even if it's kind of gross). You've probably noticed the cicadas swarming around all summer, since this is a year where they're all coming out. And if you've never seen one come out of its shell, well, you have now.

This guy looks like it's getting ready to be super annoying.

"Found a green spider today."

This particular spider is called a Peucetia Viridans, or green lynx spider. They're mostly found in Central America and the Caribbean, but they can be found in the southern US too.

They look pretty menacing and deadly, but their venom isn't lethal to humans. I still wouldn't want to be bit by one, though!

"I made this closed terrarium ecosystem. The plants and animals support each other. These can survive for years with life inside."

It's amazing how little nature needs to thrive on its own. These terrariums can live for years without any kind of interference. They won't be able to hold larger animals, but it's still so cool being able to see an entire ecosystem existing completely on its own. It almost makes me want to make one.

"Found this guy yesterday, Giant California Sea Cucumber."

Sea cucumbers are kind of nasty when you really look at them. I'm sure they didn't mean to gross us out, but there's something about those orange pustules that just rub me the wrong way.

They're so weirdly named, too. Sea cucumbers look nothing like actual cucumbers, and I'm sure they'd taste bad, too.

"Today in the woods I found a square root."

First of all, excellent pun. Thanks, nature, for giving us that.

But also, how did this root end up being shaped like a square? Did it just know to do that? Is it a complete coincidence? Is there even such thing as a coincidence? I feel like I don't know anything anymore.

"The ‘Snapdragon’ is a flower that when the petals die they resemble skulls."

What a cool plant. Sure, it looks like several tiny screaming skulls, but that's what makes it cooler. It's like the heavy metal band of the flower world.

As long as those aren't real skulls, they can just keep doing their thing. It's not like scaring people is a crime or anything.

"My driveway tomato doing well."

Nature can really grow in the most random of places. I'm not sure how common it is for tomato plants to grow in cracks in concrete, but I've been seeing quite a few of them lately. This one even has actual tomatoes, one of which is even almost ready to eat!

"This blonde raccoon that was walking down the block."

Is it blonde? Is it some kind of elderly, gray-haired raccoon? Am I foolish for asking so many questions? Look, I'm not going to answer any of those. All I know is that this blonde raccoon is surprisingly cute. It's still a raccoon, and they're disgusting, but also kind of cute.

"Mushrooms growing out of my hoe handle."

If you thought plants growing in concrete was random, just take a look at this group of fungi in this garden hoe. Does it even have anything to grow out of? Does its presence mean it's time to get a new hoe? I don't think we're going to get any answers here.

"There’s a moth bigger than your hand, with a wingspan of 1 foot. A few have been sighted in the UK."

Moths are mostly harmless. But they're also creepy. And I'm only talking about the small ones. No moth should have a wingspan of one foot! That's too big! Why would a moth even need to be that big? Just be small and weird like the rest of them, please.

"Caterpillar with penguins."

I have no idea what kind of caterpillar this is, but the penguin designs on its back are sort of cute. And they actually really look like penguins, even though they're most definitely random shapes that just so happen to look like the flightless birds. Nature really is so neat.

"Carpenter ants digging a hole in a wooden flower pot."

When you see a pile of wood dust, it's time to call an exterminator. That can never mean anything good. In fact, it usually means you have carpenter ants living in your wooden furniture or finishes. At least this is just a flower pot, and not, like a wall or anything.

"Skull mushroom in our yard."

Everyone has been taking to the internet to show off the random mushrooms they've been finding this summer. But this one takes the cake. It probably doesn't look like this on purpose, but wow. It really does look like a skull. There's a weird amount of non-skull things in nature that look like skulls, huh.