Tag: close encounter

‘Cool as ice’ swimmers face down 1,000-pound hammerhead shark

A Florida videographer has captured footage showing a 14-foot great hammerhead shark approaching within feet of waders who, remarkably, seemed unfazed by the encounter.

A Florida videographer has captured footage showing a 14-foot great hammerhead shark approaching within feet of waders who, remarkably, seemed unfazed by the encounter.

Evan Parness watched on his screen as he flew his drone overhead to capture the shark’s approach “in just feet of water.” He stated via Instagram that it was “the most intense clip I’ve ever filmed.”

The men, standing waist-deep on a reef, could see a portion of the shark but clearly did not enjoy the same perspective as Parness, who could see the entire shark.

Parness estimated the weigh of the shark at 1,000 pounds.

“This video is obviously slowed down, but while this was going down in real time, it felt like it was in slow motion while I was watching it live on my screen,” he recalled, adding that the swimmers were friends visiting from Michigan.

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A post shared by Evan Parness (@evan_parness)

They remained as “cool as ice” as the shark veered away before making contact with the men.

“When you come down to FL on vacation, don’t rule out a massive hammerhead checking you out!” Parness joked.

ALSO: Massive sea creature startles family on Mexican beach; video

Great hammerhead sharks can measure nearly 20 feet. They sometimes patrol Florida’s coast in search of smaller sharks, stingrays, bony fishes and other prey.

They’re not considered to be especially dangerous to humans but, according to the Florida Museum, “Because of their size and unpredictable nature, they should be treated with respect.”

Parness wrote: “As this was unfolding, I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen. I was expecting the shark to turn earlier than it did, but clearly, it wanted to fully investigate the Michigan bros.

“Since this was a Great hammerhead, I knew the odds of something bad happening were slim. But at the end of the day, nature is unpredictable & anything can happen.”

Parness theorized that the hammerhead was hunting blacktip sharks.

A sea creature encounter these beachgoers will never forget

Surreal footage showing a massive elephant seal hauling onto shore at a Mexican beach, startling beachgoers, is worth another look.

A news report on elephant seal bulls “surfing up onto the sand” for the molting season at a famous California rookery reminded me of an extraordinary event that occurred last July in Mexico.

The accompanying footage shows a massive elephant seal hauling out and frightening a family of beachgoers in Mulegé on the Sea of Cortez.

Mulegé is not an established rookery and this family probably had never experienced a close encounter with a creature so large and ominous-looking.

It turned out that the wayward mammal, which was spotted multiple times, was simply resting before returning to sea.

Northern elephant seals are the largest ‘true’ seals in the Northern Hemisphere and can weigh as much as 5,000 pounds. Their range includes the eastern and central North Pacific, from Alaska to Baja California.

They spend most of their time feeding at sea and typically come ashore at rookeries only to give birth, breed, and molt. Elephant seals can dive 2,500 feet in search of prey. They feed primarily on squid and fish, including sharks and rays.

The nearest significant elephant seal rookery to Mulegé is hundreds of miles away and around the Baja California peninsula, at Guadalupe Island west of Ensenada.

Watch: Shark sends top surfers to shore at legendary contest site

A drone pilot has captured footage showing what appears to be a large great white shark cruising through lineup at Jeffreys Bay in South Africa.

A drone pilot has captured footage showing what appears to be a large great white shark cruising the lineup at Jeffreys Bay in South Africa.

Jeffreys Bay is the site of the Corona Open J-Bay, featuring the world’s top surfers and scheduled through July 22.

In 2015, former world champion Mick Fanning was caught on camera fighting off a shark during a contest heat at J-Bay.

Last May, as Surfer reported, a 50-year-old recreational surfer suffered serious leg injuries during a shark attack at the legendary surf break.

In footage shared Saturday by pro surfer Nathan Florence, captured by Zoard, the shark swims lazily through an uncrowded lineup on what appears to be a practice day.

Florence writes: “Some groms came in down the point and said they had seen a big great white close enough to see its eyes!

“[I] had @zoard throw the drone up to see if we could spot it sure enough shark was cruising up the point! Tried to alert @riowaida_ with the drone it was nearing him and call people on beach to let the surfers know it was swimming right through lineup!

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“All turned out well everyone went in and and the shark just cruised its way up the point and went on its way! What a crazy thing to watch we know we playing in their home but to see how easily and mellow they can approach undetected is wild!”

In the footage, the surfers appear on edge after they realize the shark is close but the highlight is when Ian Gentil carves a top-turn and sends a cascade of spray over the shark.

The World Surf League competition, with one round in the books, will resume when the surf is suitable for top-level competition.

–Image is a video screen shot

Montana black bear hunter kills charging grizzly with handgun

A Montana hunter last week shot and killed a grizzly bear during a surprise close encounter in the Madison Range.

A Montana hunter last week shot and killed a grizzly bear during a surprise close encounter in the Madison Range.

The hunter was targeting black bears in rugged terrain when the grizzly bear charged, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. The hunter, who was not injured, killed the bear with a pistol.

Grizzly bears are under state and federal protection and the case is under investigation.

The hunter notified authorities on the same day, FWP stated in a news release, claiming that he shot the grizzly bear in self-defense.

ALSO: Rare footage shows massive python slithering through Kenya stream

The grizzly bear was a 15-year-old female known to researchers, with no history of human conflict. She did not appear to be with cubs, according to the hunter.

The bear died outside the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem but inside the Demographic Monitoring Area for the Yellowstone grizzly bear population.

–Generic grizzly bear image courtesy of ©Pete Thomas

Rare footage shows massive python navigating Kenya stream

A photographer on safari in Kenya has captured rare footage showing an enormous python navigating a shallow stream.

A photographer on safari in Kenya has captured rare footage showing an enormous python navigating a shallow stream.

The footage was captured in the Mara Triangle by Ollie Outram, an associate snake handler for East African Reptiles.

The research group stated via Instagram: “Pythons are very comfortable in water and usually use wildlife trails leading down to water to ambush their prey. They are very good swimmers and can spend quite sometime underwater.”

East African Reptiles explained that Southern African rock pythons can measure about 20 feet and the snake in the footage appears to be fully grown.

The group added: “They are a harmless constrictor, but a bite from a large python can cause significant damage and will need treatment from a doctor.”

Yellowstone tourist weighs options with bison next to boardwalk

A Yellowstone National Park tourist was caught on video weighing her options when a large bison appeared next to the boardwalk. Did she do the right thing?

You’re in Yellowstone National Park, walking toward the parking lot, when you encounter a large bison feeding only feet from the boardwalk.

Do you proceed and hope the bison ignores you? Do you wait for the bison to leave before continuing? Or do you climb through the boardwalk fence, opposite the bison, and risk descending a steep hill to the lot?

The accompanying footage, captured last week at the Petrified Tree landmark, shows a woman weighing options after climbing through the boardwalk fence.

She’s reluctant to descend the hill and ultimately chooses to climb back onto the wooden pathway – feet from the bison – with the hope that the massive animal would ignore her.

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A post shared by Pete Thomas (@solanapete)

Mission accomplished.

But it’s worth noting that a man was charged and gored last June while walking with his family on a boardwalk. (That boardwalk, unlike the Petrified Tree boardwalk, was not protected by fence rails.)

RELATED: Can you spot the other Yellowstone critter in this photo?

A few weeks earlier, a 25-year-old woman was gored and tossed 10 feet into the air after she approached within 10 feet of a bison near a boardwalk.

Yellowstone tourists are supposed to stay at least 25 yards from bison.

If they’re on a boardwalk, they’re advised to maintain that distance until it’s safe to pass. If the boardwalk is at a thermal feature such as Old Faithful, they should not leave the boardwalk.

But as anyone who has spent lots of time in the park knows, guidelines pertaining to bison and boardwalks are often ignored.

Watch: Prowling tiger bows to ‘titan herd’ of elephants

A large tiger was captured on video recently crouching in the grass to hide from massive elephants crossing a trail just feet away in India.

A large tiger was captured on video recently crouching in the grass to hide from massive elephants crossing a trail just feet away in India.

The footage, captured by naturalist Vijetha Simha, begins with one of the elephants trumpeting as if to announce the detection of the tiger just to their left.

The tiger crouches and almost becomes invisible as the first of three elephants – including a youngster – begin to cross the trail in the rain.

ALSO: Rescued cougar cub tries first hard-boiled egg in adorable video

The footage (posted below) was shared by Susanta Nanda of the Indian Forest Service.

Susanta stated via Twitter: “This is how animals communicate & maintain harmony… Elephant trumpets on smelling the tiger. The king gives way to the titan herd.”

Several seconds after the three elephants cross and disappear into the brush, the tiger stands and begins to follow, only to be chased away by a larger, trumpeting elephant that was bringing up the rear.

Whatever the tiger had hoped to gain from this encounter did not materialize.

Wrote the Times of India: “These creatures are so large that one can do nothing except bow down to their majesty. Now that the tiger has paid his respects to the ‘god of the jungle,’ they can go about their business.”

Man arrested for ‘idiotic antics’ near roadside elephant; video

A man in India was caught on video recently confronting a large elephant and seemingly offering prayer gestures with the confused animal just feet away.

A man in India was caught on video recently confronting a large elephant and seemingly offering prayer gestures with the confused animal just feet away.

Susanta Nanda of the Indian Forest Service tweeted the accompanying footage on May 11 and alluded to the unpredictable nature of elephants when challenged in such a manner.

“Anymore proof that elephants are gentle giants?” Nanda wrote. “But wild can be wild anytime. Don’t try these idiotic antics.”

Motorists can be heard honking at the man, whose actions inspired a bluff charge from an elephant that otherwise exhibited remarkable restraint.

ALSO: Yellowstone bison stampede like a scene from ‘old westerns’

The honking and traffic might have made a dangerous situation even more dangerous.

Elephants are revered in India and there are laws designed to protect them from harassment.

On May 12 Nanda updated his post to say that the man had been “arrested and taken into custody.”

Alluding to the District Forest Office division involved in the arrest, Nanda wrote: “Well done DFO Dharmapuri. This should serve as a deterrent to others.”

Elephant charges safari vehicle – was it all the shrieking?

Recent footage showing an elephant charging a safari vehicle in India has raised a question about proper behavior while observing wildlife.

Recent footage showing an elephant charging a safari vehicle in India has raised a question about proper behavior while observing wildlife.

“If one is so afraid of seeing an elephant in a safari vehicle, why do they venture into the forest [and] yell so loudly?” Susanta Nanda of the Indian Forest Service asked this week on Twitter. “Behave as humans & be sober & humble in jungle safaris.”

The footage shared by Nanda (posted below) shows selfie-seeking tourists shrieking in what seems a mixture of fear and excitement as the elephant closes on their open-topped vehicle.

As the elephant gains ground one tourist keeps her phone trained on the animal, just feet away. Moments later, the elephant backs off.

Asked by FTW Outdoors if he thought the shrieking caused the elephant to charge, Nanda replied: “Yes. To a large extent the yelling was the cause of it getting irritated.”

Comments beneath the post mostly placed blame on the tourists for not knowing better, but criticism also was directed at the driver for not keeping his passengers under control.

The most popular comment, however, reads: “The elephant says, this is my area and I’m the boss here.”

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Bison ‘red dogs’ join stampede on shaky Yellowstone bridge

A Yellowstone National Park visitor on Sunday captured an extraordinary scene involving dozens of bison that charged down a mountain and onto a bridge.

A Yellowstone National Park visitor on Sunday captured an extraordinary scene involving dozens of bison that stampeded down a mountain and onto a bridge.

Vanessa Lynn-Byerly stated on Facebook that the bison “literally shook the bridge” as she tried to hold her camera still in the car. (View the video below.)

She told FTW Outdoors:

“The car shook when they first came onto the bridge and I asked my husband if there was something happening with the car and he said, no, that’s the hooves shaking our car!”

The stampede, which included bison calves, or red dogs, occurred on a bridge that leads to Lamar Valley.

Viewers first see the massive animals charging down the steep hill to access the bridge. On the bridge, hooves pound the pavement as calves try to keep pace.

ALSO: Watch as prowling tiger bows to ‘titan herd’ of elephants

It was not clear what placed the iconic animals in such a hurry to cross the bridge, but it was an awesome display of power and grace.

Lynn-Byerly told her parents, jokingly, that the “sights and sounds” as the bison charged down the hill “reminded me of those old westerns they watch.”

Bison, which can weigh 2,000 pounds, are the largest land animals in North America. They can be viewed anywhere in the park, but sightings are common in Lamar and Hayden valleys.

Despite their size, bison can attain speeds of 30 mph.

Calves, affectionately referred to as red dogs, are typically born in April or May.

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