Category: Animals

Categories
Animals Nature

A ripped Beluga whale shows its six pack

Beluga whales can get ripped.

Photographer David Merron caught this muscular male off the coast of Canada flashing his six-pack.

Recounted Merron: ‘It looks like this whale has put in a lot of days at the gym!’

A ripped Beluga whale shows its six pack

The beach body must have paid off. The spiffed up whale soon cozied up to a female companion for a kiss.

Known for their blubber, it must be extremely rare to find a whale that flexes like Arnold Schwarzenegger with abs of steel.

“I’d been watching whales every day for weeks, and I hadn’t notice any of the whales with particularly ripped bods – so I was fairly shocked,” said Merron who took the photos at the Cunningham River in Somerset Island, Canada.

“When you think of a whale, covered in blubber, you don’t think of toned abdominals – especially the beluga whales, who spend their lives in the coldest of waters and have blubber 10-15cm thick to keep them warm,” he added.

The beluga whale is also known to have facial muscle that help it smile.

Categories
Animals Nature Science

Venice, Italy from space before and after coronavirus lockdown

Once the epicenter of the Coronavirus, Italy has seen its popular cities like Venice deserted.

Check out these before and after photos of Venice from space prior to the lockdown caused by the pandemic.

Venice, Italy from space before and after coronavirus lockdown

The people’s pollution?

Human absence is having an environmental impact on the city.

Dolphins are purportedly swimming through the city’s canals and the swans have returned.

One can see also little fish swimming in clear waters, also an unexpected side effect of the pandemic.

Categories
Animals Nature Travel

These owls in a Tokyo cafe are named after musicians and bands

James Mollison of TOPIC ventured into one of Tokyo’s animal cafes where you can sip your coffee with your animal of choice (cats, dogs, and rabbits). But this coffee shop was a little different.

Tokyo’s Pakuchi Bar is apparently one of eight owl cafes in the big city. The owner, Tomo Nanaka, owns 30 of them which she allows in public on the weekends and on special holidays. Even more, she’s named them after musicians and bands.

Below are some of my favorite. From left to right: Kurt Cobain, The Chemical Brothers, Beck, and The Cure.

These owls in a Tokyo cafe are named after musicians and bands
Kurt Cobain, a northern white-faced owl
These owls in a Tokyo cafe are named after musicians and bands
The Chemical Brothers, a black-banded owl
These owls in a Tokyo cafe are named after musicians and bands
Beck, a snowy owl
These owls in a Tokyo cafe are named after musicians and bands
Cure, a western screech owl

There’s a video too.

(All images via James Mollison)

Categories
Animals Nature

Valais Blacknose sheep from Switzerland

Strange-looking but cute — if you can even see their faces — the Valais Blacknose sheep is a type of mountain-breed sheep from the Valais region of Switzerland.

These fancy-looking lambs are called ‘luxury sheep.’

Although they’re used for their wool and meat in Switzerland, the sheep are growing in demand in the UK as pets with a value of up to £10,000 each for newborns.

Valais Blacknose sheep from Switzerland
Valais Blacknose sheep from Switzerland
Valais Blacknose sheep from Switzerland
Categories
Animals Nature

Meet the Dracula Parrot, the most metal birds on the planet

Dracula Parrot
via Twitter

Thinking of parrots usually conjures up images of the brightly colored blue, red, and green creatures.

But with the shape of a parrot and the dark beak of a vulture, Pesquet’s parrot, commonly known as the Dracula parrot, is one of the more unique-looking parrot species.

The vampiric looking bird from the mountains of New Guinea looks bloodthirsty but snacks on a diet of figs. It’s unusual goth-like appearance, a mishmash of black and red plumes, is also quite beautiful. Male Dracula parrots have an extra red dot behind the ears.

Unfortunately, the Dracula Parrot’s mesmerizing feathers make it attractive to poachers. The bird has been listed on the endangered species list by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).

Meet the Dracula Parrot
via tw
Meet the Dracula Parrot
via tw
Categories
Animals Nature

Cute or Ugly? Meet the Vietnamese Mossy Tree Frog

Vietnamese Mossy Tree Frog

The Vietnamese Mossy Tree Frog is a species of frog that can be found in northern Vietnam, China, and Laos.

The tree frog looks like a crocodile smushed into a tiny 3” body. In addition to its “mossy” looking texture helps it blend in with its environment, the frog is known to curl up and play dead when frightened.

These frogs also have an adhesive disk at the end of each of toe which makes them crafty tree climbers.