Tag: ambush

Sean Payton gets ‘Ambushed’ by Bill Vinovich after surprise onside kick

Broncos head coach Sean Payton got “Ambushed” by referee Bill Vinovich after opening his tenure with a surprise onside kick:

You couldn’t script this any better. Sean Payton opened his Denver Broncos tenure with one of the most iconic plays of his New Orleans Saints career — or at least he tried to. Payton called the same “Ambush” onside kick he dialed up to open the second half of Super Bowl XLIV for the opening kickoff in Sunday’s Week 1 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, and at first it worked out. Former Saints kicker Wil Lutz did his job well.

Denver recovered. Players celebrated on the sideline and fans were raucous in the stands. Announcers on the broadcast couldn’t believe the gutsy decision. And then Bill Vinovich emerged.

That’s right — the head referee from the 2019 NFC championship game debacle, who neglected to throw a penalty flag or own up to the mistake that let the Los Angeles Rams get away with a blatant pass interference foul, helping to cost the Saints (and Payton) another Super Bowl berth. Vinovich hasn’t worked a game in New Orleans since that incident, but he was on hand when Payton’s Broncos hit the field.

And he threw the flag this time. Vinovich fouled Denver for an illegal touch penalty on cornerback Tremon Smith, wiping out the would-be onside kick. The Raiders took over inside Broncos territory instead and quickly drove downfield to take a 7-0 lead.

Ouch. Payton took a ton of Saints players and coaches with him this offseason after accepting the Broncos job. But he can’t take the playbook with him.

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Tiger’s ambush attack on deer ‘will leave you surprised’

A journalist in India has shared footage showing an ambush attack by a tiger that didn’t go quite as planned.

A journalist in India has shared footage showing an ambush attack by a tiger that didn’t go quite as planned.

“This stunning video of a Royal Bengal Tiger chasing a deer in West Bengal’s Sunderbans will leave you surprised,” Piyali Mitra wrote on Twitter.

The footage, credited to Anup Kayal, shows the tiger crouched at the left, waiting for an opportunity to strike, as three unsuspecting deer browse just yards away.

However, as the tiger pounces, the deer scatter, and the tiger chases one into the water.

Susanta Nanda of the India Forest Service observed: “Tigers of Sunderbans mangroves are [adapted] to catch the prey even in water. But here is one that dodged the big cat.”

In the footage the tiger appears to be on top of the deer. But the deer changed direction underwater and surfaced well out of reach, signifying the end of the hunt.

Tigers, quite often, are not successful in catching prey. On average, however, they kill about one large animal per week.

–Bengal tiger image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Watch: Beachgoers in awe as great white shark ambushes seal

Beachgoers in Provincetown, Mass., watched in awe Wednesday as a great white shark ambushed a seal just beyond the shore.

Beachgoers in Provincetown, Mass., watched in awe Wednesday as a great white shark ambushed a seal just beyond the shore.

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy shared the footage to Facebook, crediting Matt and Shannon Scully, explaining that the “predation” occurred at 1 p.m. off Race Point Beach.

The shark appears to have been spotted before it launched its surface attack, creating a giant foamy splash. In the footage a woman asks, “Did you guys see it?” just before the eruption, which inspires more commentary.

White sharks prey on gray seals during the summer and early fall off Cape Cod, and one person observed in the comments section that nobody was swimming at the time of Wednesday’s attack:

“People are getting smarter, as you notice, nobody in their right mind would swim in the waters on the outer Cape!”

Reads another comment: “That water drops off deep. You are neck deep in five steps. It’s ‘Jaws’ paradise.”

Scientists make the most of the white shark feeding season by tagging sharks, usually from July into early November, to learn more about their habits and movements.

–Image and video courtesy of Matt and Shannon Scully

Spectacular false killer whale attack documented by researchers

Researchers in Hawaii have captured footage of a false killer whale ambushing an unsuspecting mahi-mahi with a spectacular breach.

Researchers in Hawaii have captured footage showing a false killer whale ambushing a large mahi-mahi with a spectacular breach.

“One of many predation events documented by our team while working with the endangered population of false killer whales in the Maui Nui area!” Cascadia Research Collective wrote Friday on Facebook, asking viewers to turn on the volume.

The footage, reminiscent of clips showing great white sharks breaching after seals or seal decoys, shows the false killer whale smacking the mahi-mahi into the air while also leaping free of the surface.

False killer whales (Pseudorca) – named because their skull characteristics are similar to those of killer whales (Orcinus orca) – inhabit tropical and sub-tropical waters worldwide but are not frequently encountered.

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In Hawaii, three populations exist, including a small endangered population most closely associated with the main islands.

The Washington State-based Cascadia Research Collective, in collaboration with the Scripps Acoustic Ecology Laboratory and Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, is studying foraging behavior of this population, in relation to oceanography and prey.

False killer whales routinely snack on mahi-mahi, which like to gather beneath floating debris, making them vulnerable to predation. (Note the floating object in the video.)

Asked if the footage captured Friday is rare, Robin Baird, a Cascadia Research Biologist, told For The Win Outdoors:

“Well, we’ve been working with false killer whales in Hawaii for 22 years and have seen this type of behavior a number of times, and filmed it a few times, although not necessarily long clips or great footage.”

Baird added that false killer whales “do throw fish into the air more so than any other species I’ve worked with.”

During some predation events, individual mammals shared food with other pod members. Prey sharing is common among false killer whales, which have also been known to present their kills to people watching from boats.

Cascadia on Friday published an update for the ongoing Maui Nui project in waters off Maui, Lanai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai.

The endangered false killer whales are the team’s “highest-priority species” and scientists captured several images showing the mammals preying on mahi-mahi and engaging in social behavior.

Based on their observations, the most common methods are ramming the fish with their heads or slapping them with tail flukes.

Scientists obtained several photo identifications for their catalog and collected biopsy samples “for genetics and hormone chemistry.”

The team also encountered or was hoping to encounter bottlenose dolphins, short-finned pilot whales, and less-common species such as rough-toothed dolphins and pygmy killer whales.

–Images courtesy of Jordan Lerma (top and bottom two) and Robin Baird of the Cascadia Research Collective

Cheetah ambushed by leopard, but hardly overmatched

A tourist at South Africa’s Kruger National Park has captured rare footage of a leopard trying to ambush an unsuspecting cheetah.

A tourist at South Africa’s Kruger National Park has captured rare footage of a leopard trying to ambush an unsuspecting cheetah.

Both cats are remarkable predators: the leopard holding an edge in terms of weight and strength, but the cheetah possessing more speed than any other land mammal.

That sets the stage for the scene that unfolded recently in front of Thokozani Phakathi, who sent the accompanying footage to Latest Sightings and described the event as “an unforgettable encounter that I will cherish for as long as my mind, heart, body and soul are together.”

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg0_HAm-w3g]

The video begins with the leopard sauntering alongside and upon a roadway, marking its territory as tourists watch in awe from their vehicles. At about the 1-minute mark the leopard seems to sense the presence of an approaching animal and lowers its crouch and plots a potential ambush.

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At 1:10 the leopard crouches deeper in the grass as the cheetah jogs into the picture. Phakathi said the young male cheetah had been calling out and seemed stressed, perhaps in search of a family member. The leopard, motionless behind a tree, waits until the cheetah is only yards away before charging.

Wrote Phakathi: “Just as the cheetah was a few meters away, the master of disguise pounced for a strike, the cheetah jolted with shock but accelerated and ran for his dear life.

“At some point, it was only the cheetah’s tale separating the two spotted cats, but the fastest [land mammal] on earth seized the moment to live up to his title and dashed off, escaping potential injuries or death as he was no match to that hefty fellow predator.”

The cheetah was too fast, but seemed to realize it had nearly walked into a deadly trap. When Phakathi saw the cheetah after the leopard had left the area “the cheetah was shaken and trembling like a leaf. He was even jumping in fear whenever tree branches were coming to contact with his legs or tail.”

–Images courtesy of Latest Sightings and Thokozani Phakathi