Category: Outdoors

Which of these elephant seal photos is real?

Justin Hofman’s southern elephant seal image is remarkable, but apparently not remarkable enough as a doctored version has gone viral.

Justin Hofman’s southern elephant seal image is remarkable: head out of the water, snout pointed skyward, bulbous eyes staring into the lens, whiskers probing….

But apparently the image, shared recently via Instagram, was not remarkable enough. Somebody doctored the photo, without permission, to give the massive pinniped an even more comical appearance.

Can you tell which of the images posted above is the original? (Answer revealed in social media posts below.)

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Hofman told For The Win Outdoors that the image he shared three weeks ago was captured in 2011 in Antarctica. The post garnered nearly 12,000 likes and was widely shared on marine mammal-themed social media pages.

However, the photoshopped version went viral thanks to multiple appearances on Imgur and Reddit, with no photographer attribution. The image also circulated via Twitter and Facebook, and many were fooled into thinking it was unaltered.

As viewers can see, the doctored version features what looks like a mouth and nose beneath the eyes. Other tweaks to the whiskered area make it appear as though the mammal is wearing a hairpiece, while its human-like face stares into the camera.

In the original photo, the mouth and chin are on the other side of the seal’s head, facing away from the camera. Viewers are looking at the top of the head.

This shrewd manipulation was carried out without permission of the photographer. However, when reached over the weekend, Hofman seemed to be a good sport.

“The Internet is a lawless place, but I don’t really mind it,” he said. “It’s all done with good intentions and I appreciate anything that makes people laugh.”

Utah declares ‘emergency’ cougar harvest increase

In a move met with debate, Utah made an “emergency change” by increasing the cougar harvest objectives in hopes of helping another animal.

In a move met with lively debate, Utah made an “emergency change” by increasing the cougar harvest objectives in 11 areas across the state in hopes of helping struggling deer populations.

The Utah Division Wildlife Resources on Thursday increased by 117 the “harvest objective,” meaning once the quota is reached in these areas the hunt will close, the agency stated.

“We basically wanted to increase some of our cougar harvest in those areas since they’re the primary predator for deer, just as kind of a way to stabilize and help some of those mule deer populations that are struggling to recover more quickly,” Faith Heaton Jolley, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources spokeswoman, told KSL.com.

“It’s just been different pockets of the state that have either been hit really hard by these heavy winters or by drought seasons.”

In August, the agency raised the quota for the fourth straight year, agreeing to 690 cougar permits, an increase of 46 from the previous year, KSL.com reported, adding that there are more than 2,500 estimated adult mountain lions in the state compared to about 1,000 in 2004.

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The hunting harvest-objective units are listed on the DWR website.

Not everybody was happy with the change, and a back-and-forth discussion ensued at the end of the KSL.com post. Among the comments:

“Killing the cougars is not going to do very much to increase deer populations. Human involvement is causing the deer decline. Work on the deer poaching and land grab problem.”

“Most people don’t realize the impact these cats actually do have on deer populations. It might not be the same case in certain areas, but there are plenty of places that do need more cougar tags because they are definitely hurting deer populations in those areas.”

“We have way too many deer out there, let the cougars do their job.”

“I guess this is the difference between a team of scientists making a decision and laymen off the street. They are making a decision based off of years of collected data and are trying to make the best decision from that. Separating our emotions from these kinds of decisions can yield great results and be far less divisive.”

“Mother Nature is very good at maintaining herd populations and health through natural predators. Only since the introduction of human ‘sport’ hunting of both predator and prey animals has herd populations and health become an issue. It’s a man caused problem. So, take man out of the equation and let nature do what it’s done successfully for tens of thousands of years.”

“There’s sometimes controversy with hunting predator species,” Jolley told KSL.com. “The biggest thing is we’re trying to reduce some of these populations where these deer are struggling, and it can help facilitate them to recover more quickly, but it’s also all these quotas we’ve set will help (maintain) sustainable management for both these predator and prey populations.”

Photos and graphic courtesy of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

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Ice fisherman bags limit with farm tools, becomes Internet star

Video showing a man ice fishing in Kazakhstan, exhibiting a style of catching that’d be illegal in the U.S., has gone viral on Twitter.

Video showing a man ice fishing in Kazakhstan, exhibiting a style of catching that’d be illegal in the U.S., has gone viral on social media, perhaps because of its raw and simplistic nature.

The footage, shared last Sunday by Twitter user Starshina73, has been viewed more than 7 million times.

The unidentified fisherman, accompanied by two pet sheep, is the picture of confidence as he chops a hole in the ice, baits the water with pellets, and hurls his pitchfork through the hole to impale four hefty fish (perhaps carp), one after the other.

The rest is a display of efficiency: The fish are cleaned with another farm tool and hauled over the man’s shoulder, on the prongs of his pitchfork, back to the farm, where they’re carefully seasoned, butterflied with twigs and dried over an open fire.

All in a day’s work, the man gestures at the end, with two thumbs up and a broad smile.

–Image is courtesy of Gabit Rahimberlin

Sixth bald eagle in six months found shot

An injured bald eagle that later died in Maine on Sunday was the sixth bald eagle found shot in the past six months in different states.

An injured bald eagle that later died in Maine on Sunday was the sixth bald eagle found shot in the past six months in different states.

The latest casualty was discovered along the Androscoggin River in Peru where a passerby alerted authorities and cared for the eagle until a game warden arrived, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife reported Wednesday.

The bald eagle later died, and X-rays revealed it had been shot.

Like the other incidents, local authorities asked for help in finding the person or persons responsible, and offered a $4,500 reward for information leading to a conviction.

Under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940, the first criminal offense is a misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.

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Other recently reported incidents:

On July 25, a bald eagle was found shot dead in Pennsylvania near Hope Cemetery in Elk Creek Township in Erie County, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

On Nov. 7, a bald eagle was found shot dead in southwest Oregon in Lower Cow Creek in Douglas County, according to the Oregon State Police.

On Nov. 22, a bald eagle found shot in the wing north of Paris, Missouri, was taken to the state’s Raptor Rehabilitation Project for treatment and observation, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation. It was the only one of these six bald eagles that was reported recovering.

On Dec. 24, a bald eagle was discovered alive south of the White River in Lawrence, Indiana, but later died of its wounds, FOX59 reported.

On Dec. 30, a bald eagle was shot near Eagle Nest Island in the Tennessee River. Someone discovered the wounded eagle and took it to the North Madison Animal Hospital where it was determined its injuries were untreatable and it was euthanized, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

One recent conviction under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is an example of what can happen to those who are caught:

A West Virginia man was convicted in federal court for killing a bald eagle and sentenced to serve six days in federal prison, 11 months and 26 days of home confinement, and five years supervised probation; he must also forfeit the rifle used to kill the eagle and pay $3,301 in jail and court fees.

Photos courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.

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Startling shark sighting prompts swift action by witness

A boy flying a drone over the surf in Australia watched a shark swim perilously close to two swimmers, prompting his aunt to take action.

A 17-year-old boy flying his drone over the surf in Australia watched a shark believed to be a great white swim perilously close to two swimmers, prompting his aunt to take swift action.

Cameron Grace, on vacation from Sydney, captured video of the incident that occurred Monday at Main Beach in Forster, New South Wales.

“I said I gotta go down there, I can’t just sit here and watch this,” Rachel Walter, the aunt, told 7NEWS. “I didn’t know what was going to happen. So I ran really quickly down to the beach and I got into the water, and I waved for the two boys to get out.

“They were completely oblivious.”

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Interestingly, most surfers and swimmers are oblivious to the presence of sharks, according to one shark expert.

“For every one shark that you see, there might be 10 or 100 sharks that see you,” Rob Townsend of SeaLife Sydney told 7NEWS. “You just don’t realize it because they’re not mindless killers.

“If you think about how many people are in the water on a daily basis, especially in summer in Australia, you’ve got to imagine that this kind of thing is happening all the time and we just don’t realize it.”

But one certainly can’t blame Walter for her swift warning to the youths, especially considering the proximity of the shark to them.

Photo courtesy of Cameron Grace.

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Avid angler’s striped bass catch is pending world record

A West Virginia angler drove more than 400 miles to the coast to fish for striped bass and came away with a pending world record.

A West Virginia angler drove 400-plus miles to Chesapeake Bay recently to fish for striped bass and came away with a pending world record.

Alex Foster caught the 48.03-inch striper on Jan. 7 in rainy off Cape Charles with Sho-Nuf Sportfishing. Photos and measurements have been submitted to the International Game Fish Assn. for consideration in the all-tackle length record category.

The current IGFA length record is 117 centimeters, or just over 46 inches. Foster’s fish taped out at 122 centimeters.

After the  catch, Sho-Nuf Capt. Clinton Lessard wrote on Facebook: “Alex Foster landed this massive 122-centimeter striped bass to potentially set the new IGFA All-Tackle Length World Record.

“Alex was trolling a live eel and fought the fish for 15 minutes prior to measuring and releasing it! Congratulations, Alex, on potentially your first IGFA World Record.”

The length record is designed for anglers who prefer to release fish they believe might warrant record consideration.

Foster’s striper weighed 58 pounds on an uncertified hand scale before it was tossed back. (Newly passed state regulations do not allow the keep of striped bass longer than 28 inches.)

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According to the Virginian-Pilot, Foster has had the length record in mind for some time. His 445-mile drive from his home in Charleston, West Virginia, to Chesapeake Bay was timed to coincide with the run of striped bass along the coast.

“I’ve most definitely been targeting this record,” Foster said. “I’ve put a lot of time and effort into this fish.”

For the sake of comparison, the IGFA lists as the all-tackle weight record an 81-pound, 14-ounce striped bass caught off Westbrook, Conn., in August 2011.

–Photos showing Alex Foster and his striped bass are courtesy of Sho-Nuf Sportfishing 

Rare ‘super cow’ tuna caught off Cabo San Lucas

After hooking two enormous yellowfin tuna and losing both, a group of anglers out of Cabo San Lucas boated the fish of a lifetime.

After hooking two enormous yellowfin tuna and losing both – one after a 4-hour fight – a group of anglers out of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, boated the fish of a lifetime.

Steve Hammerschmidt, of Huntington Beach, landed the 365-pound ‘super cow’ after a battle of 2-plus hours last Tuesday in the Pacific, 30 miles north of the resort city on Baja California’s tip.

Veteran anglers often refer to yellowfin tuna topping 200 pounds as “cows.” Tuna topping 300 pounds are “super cows,” and catches of these giants are quite rare.

However, even larger yellowfin tuna exist within their range in the eastern Pacific. The world record yellowfin – caught south of Cabo San Lucas in 2012 – stands at 427 pounds.

Hammerschmidt was fishing aboard Castigo with owner Larry Jacinto, Capt. Sean Sadler, and mate Adam Cargill.

According to Rebecca Ehrenberg of Pisces Sportfishing, which posted about the catch on Facebook, the anglers had received information about the presence of large tuna from the crew of the San Diego-based Red Rooster III.

After arriving at the spot, they hooked a tuna estimated to weigh 380 pounds and lost that fish after 4-1/2 hours, in the darkness, just 15 feet from the boat.

Cargill told Ehrenberg: “We were devastated after we lost this fish, but we were ready to get  right back on it first thing in the morning. The next day I rigged the line with a natural flying fish I had, and immediately had an explosion on it. Again, huge fish, but we missed it.”

Cargill then baited a line with a fresh sardine, handed the rod to Hammerschmidt, and the hookup was nearly instantaneous.  After 2 1/2  hours the fish was safely on board and the veteran anglers celebrated their largest catch to date.

The tuna measured 84 inches and had a cow-like girth of 59 inches, leaving the group with enough fresh ahi to feed a small community.

–Images are courtesy of Sean Sadler and Pisces Sportfishing

Fisherman catches 50-year-old grouper, and some flack

A fisherman caught a 350-pound grouper that biologists determined to be 50 years old and a value to its aging program. Some aren’t happy.

A Florida fisherman landed a 350-pound Warsaw grouper off Southwest Florida that biologists from the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute determined to be 50 years old and a valuable asset to its aging program.

“Biologists from FWRI’s Age and Growth Lab estimated the age of this fish at 50 years old, making this the oldest sample collected for our aging program,” the institute reported on its Facebook page. “Acquiring the otolith from this fish was extremely valuable as samples from larger and older fish are rare.”

Otoliths are commonly known as “ear stones” and help biologists determine the age as well as growth rates of various fishes.

The catch was made by Jason Boyll of Sarasota on Dec. 29 while fishing in 600 feet of water.

“Almost as exciting as seeing this guy boat-side was the look on everyone’s face and the excitement when I got this otolith,” Boyll wrote on his Facebook page. “So happy @fwcresearch was able to process this.”

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Not everybody was happy. Many comments under the institute’s post were critical of the catch of what the FWRI called “a big old fish.” One called it a tragedy; another said it is “so wrong.”

“This is actually sad,” someone wrote. “A fish like that should not have been killed.”

“Catch and release is the way to go,” another added.

Though biologists acknowledged the value of acquiring such a specimen, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said it “does not encourage the targeting of Warsaw grouper since the status of the population in the Gulf is unknown.”

The Warsaw grouper is characterized by an elongated dorsal spine, and is the only grouper with 10 dorsal spines, one less than all the others. They are found in depths from 180 to 1,700 feet.

Photos of the catch and otolith courtesy of FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.

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Spectacular video of Mexico’s volcanic eruption

One of the more than 100 webcams across Mexico captured amazing video of the eruption of the Popocatépetl volcano.

More than 100 webcams are positioned throughout Mexico via Webcams de Mexico to “share and promote the beauty of Mexico,” and one of those webcams captured spectacular footage of the eruption of the Popocatépetl volcano.

The time-lapse video of Thursday’s eruption of the volcano known by local natives as “Smoking Hill” shows an amazing surge of lava and a column of ash that was sent nearly two miles high, according to El Universal.

It was visible from Mexico City that is located 48 miles northwest of the volcano.

Abigail Cervantes, deputy director of Cenapred Publications, told Reuters that the event was within the bounds of “normal” eruptions and that plumes of smoke previously had reached up to six miles high.

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“On December 21, new high-resolution cameras were installed,” Cervantes told El Universal. “That’s why it looked more spectacular.”

From El Universal: “The volcano, the second-highest in Mexico with an elevation of 5,550 meters above sea level, is one of the most closely monitored in the world, not least because of its proximity to Mexico City and around 26 million people.”

Photos courtesy of the Mexican government.

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Catch of 15-foot great white shark honors hit-and-run victim

A 15-foot great white shark was caught Wednesday off Hilton Head, S.C., and named after a girl who was killed in a hit-and-run accident.

A 15-foot great white shark was caught Wednesday off Hilton Head, S.C., and named after a 14-year-old girl who was killed in a 2016 hit-and-run accident.

Capt. Chip Michalove of Outcast Sport Fishing tagged and released the adult female shark – his first white shark catch of 2020 – and afterward named her Grace.

Grace Sulak in 2015. Photo courtesy of Kristen Sulak

“We’re naming her Grace after an aspiring marine biologist Grace Sulak [who] was killed in a hit-and-run May 7, 2016 on I-26,” Michalove wrote Thursday on Facebook. “The white truck that caused the accident was never found.”

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Sulak, a member of the Bluffton High School track team, was riding in a car with her best friend and her friend’s mother when their vehicle was run off the road by the driver of a white truck, who fled the scene.

Sulak was the only person killed in the accident, which remains under investigation.

Michalove, who tags white sharks that have migrated south after spending the summer off Cape Cod, is assisting in a long-term scientific project with Greg Skomal of the Massachusetts Department of Marine Fisheries and Megan Winton of the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.

The movements of sharks tagged by the group can be followed via its “Sharktivity” app.

–Images showing the great white shark are courtesy of Chip Michalove. Image showing Grace Sulak in 2015 is courtesy of Kristen Sulak