topic Re: Imagine coming across this guy? in Community Chat

Imagine coming across this guy?

gertrudecloset — Thu, 19 May 2022 20:24:39 GMT

No matter how cuddly they look - and they look incredibly cuddly - they're not to be snuggled upon any circumstances. It's not that they're mean or that they have a taste for human flesh, they just like to have their own space.

How about this guy?

If a rhino is going to charge at you it's going to be the white rhino, not because it's the most aggressive but because there are just so many of them roaming the eastern hemisphere

A barn funnel weaver lies in wait inside his perfectly crafted web for his food to arrive

These spooky spiders can live up to seven years, which is a long time in the insect kingdom. Similar to grass spiders, these creatures tend to hang out in their webs. During the mating season in the summer you're likely to find two of these bad boys hanging out together, possibly with web sacks surrounding the area.

Here's the good news: Barn Spiders rarely bite humans. In fact, they're shy creatures that would rather avoid you altogether. However, if you do suffer a bite by one of these spiders it should bring on anything other than a little swelling. Still, keep a look out the next time you're crawling through an old barn.

I'd love to see this up close and personal at the Aquarium

Beluga whales have often been mistaken for mermaids.

This viral image of a Beluga whale showing off its "knees" that are supposedly hidden beneath its thick blubber is actually a shot of one of the more important aspects of a whale. What's on display in this photo is actually a lengthy rail of extra fatty insulation that helps a Beluga whale stay warm in the harsh arctic waters it calls home. So why does this whale look like it has knees?

According to Carey Richard, the supervisor of cetaceans and pinnipeds at the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut:

It was just a weird camera angle. The position of the camera is just such that they caught that blubber moving. I’ve never seen blubber looking like human anatomy.

Re: Imagine coming across this guy?

Snoopp — Thu, 19 May 2022 20:20:48 GMT

Grizzly bears are terrifying. I've read too many stories about them.

Re: Imagine coming across this guy?

gertrudecloset — Thu, 19 May 2022 20:26:27 GMT

@Snoopp I have totally forgotten about the grizzly in favor of the black and brown bears. I just don't know what I'd do. Maybe if you stand still you don't intimidate them? LOL

Re: Imagine coming across this guy?

Snoopp — Thu, 19 May 2022 20:29:48 GMT

I think you respond differently depending on black bears or grizzly bears but I think with a grizzly you are in big trouble. They have been known to chase people on the water from the river bank.

Re: Imagine coming across this guy?

chickenbutt — Thu, 19 May 2022 20:35:23 GMT

Oh, he's so cute!

By and large, I'm not afraid of non-human animals. I used to swim with sharks and other water animals that are way bigger than I, and that was awesome.

Well, I am terrified of bees but that's about it. People always gave me a hard time (just funnin') about the sharks and how much I loved them and loved to be in the water with them, yet if a bee comes into my orbit I will likely go into shock.

I'm not saying I'd do something stupid, but they just don't scare me, right out of the gate, and I would love to be able to watch these large animals from a safe distance. Well, ok, I'd love to pet them and hug them but I am a realist. It's just a bit of fantasy on my part.

Re: Imagine coming across this guy?

gertrudecloset — Thu, 19 May 2022 20:41:21 GMT

@chickenbutt I'm not messing with those bees. I have "yellow jackets" in and around my hedges on the front of my house that I'm often afraid to go out the front door. LOL. Someone told me there might be a nest hidden in the hedges somewhere. I had my son look (I was not going to) and there is nothing there. They are attracted to me. That's all there is to that.

The pic of that beluga whale is amazing. As a child I was fascinated with mermaids and thought they were real. I think the photographer got luck with his shot of the whale at the time he took the pic.

Swim with some sharks? Huh???????

Re: Imagine coming across this guy?

Porcelain — Thu, 19 May 2022 20:49:27 GMT

Yikers. Yet hippos are supposedly the most dangerous? They pop up out of nowhere at the water's edge and you're a gonner.

According to Scientific American:

"Every year across Africa, hippos kill an estimated 500 people, making them the world's deadliest mammal, after humans, and nearly twice as deadly as lions. Hippopotamuses are herbivories and rarely bother other animals."

Re: Imagine coming across this guy?

chickenbutt — Thu, 19 May 2022 20:53:26 GMT

@gertrudecloset wrote:
@chickenbutt I'm not messing with those bees. I have "yellow jackets" in and around my hedges on the front of my house that I'm often afraid to go out the front door. LOL. Someone told me there might be a nest hidden in the hedges somewhere. I had my son look (I was not going to) and there is nothing there. They are attracted to me. That's all there is to that.

The pic of that beluga whale is amazing. As a child I was fascinated with mermaids and thought they were real. I think the photographer got luck with his shot of the whale at the time he took the pic.

Swim with some sharks? Huh???????

Hi Darlin! Yeah, bees (all of them for me - skinny ones, big hairy ones, ALL of them) are so terrifying to me. I shudder just thinking about a bee being near me.

But, yeah, sharks are my fav for sure and had the pleasure, in my 2-300 dives, to swim with hundreds of them.

One time I was in Palau and one new one for me was the Napoleon Wrasse (will post pic below). They are unique, for sure, and quite huge! One of them would be bigger than if we smushed together all the divers who jumped off the boat that day.

In Palau they had this one fav NR who they had named Junior. He loved hard boiled eggs (but I won't take that against him ) and the divemaster would bring some in his BC pocket. He had me make a big circle with my arms. Junior was on one side of my circle and, on the other side, the divemaster would hold out one of the eggs.

Junior would push partly (no way he could fit very far) into my arm circle to get the egg. Of course, I gave him a pat and hug.

So, the super cool thing was watching him eat the egg and all of a sudden the shell, in teeny tiny little bits came flying out of his gills. I'd just never seen anything like that and, since Palau was one of my dream dive destinations it was just so awesome. Lots of stories there, and Fiji too.

Swam with many a shark in both places, and also in the Caribbean, over those years and I just hope I never forget those amazing experiences.

(sorry so long) *sheepish grin*

💖

Re: Imagine coming across this guy?

On It — Thu, 19 May 2022 20:55:10 GMT

I am not familiar with how to deal with the chance encounter of a grizzly, but the black bear in our forest avoid human interaction for the most part. Talking loudly and making noise will cause them to leave. These bear become dangerous when they are surprised or startled. When we go outside after dusk we are especially vocal and noisy. It is almost impossible to see a black bear at night in the forest. They are quiet and make no noise. I never take out trash after sunset or before sunrise. I am most concerned about a mama bear with her cubs. That is the bear that I think is the most dangerous.

Re: Imagine coming across this guy?

gertrudecloset — Thu, 19 May 2022 20:59:15 GMT

@Porcelain Here's your buddy....

Re: Imagine coming across this guy?

gertrudecloset — Thu, 19 May 2022 21:01:06 GMT

@chickenbutt wrote:
@gertrudecloset wrote:
@chickenbutt I'm not messing with those bees. I have "yellow jackets" in and around my hedges on the front of my house that I'm often afraid to go out the front door. LOL. Someone told me there might be a nest hidden in the hedges somewhere. I had my son look (I was not going to) and there is nothing there. They are attracted to me. That's all there is to that.

The pic of that beluga whale is amazing. As a child I was fascinated with mermaids and thought they were real. I think the photographer got luck with his shot of the whale at the time he took the pic.

Swim with some sharks? Huh???????

Hi Darlin! Yeah, bees (all of them for me - skinny ones, big hairy ones, ALL of them) are so terrifying to me. I shudder just thinking about a bee being near me.

But, yeah, sharks are my fav for sure and had the pleasure, in my 2-300 dives, to swim with hundreds of them.

One time I was in Palau and one new one for me was the Napoleon Wrasse (will post pic below). They are unique, for sure, and quite huge! One of them would be bigger than if we smushed together all the divers who jumped off the boat that day.

In Palau they had this one fav NR who they had named Junior. He loved hard boiled eggs (but I won't take that against him ) and the divemaster would bring some in his BC pocket. He had me make a big circle with my arms. Junior was on one side of my circle and, on the other side, the divemaster would hold out one of the eggs.

Junior would push partly (no way he could fit very far) into my arm circle to get the egg. Of course, I gave him a pat and hug.

So, the super cool thing was watching him eat the egg and all of a sudden the shell, in teeny tiny little bits came flying out of his gills. I'd just never seen anything like that and, since Palau was one of my dream dive destinations it was just so awesome. Lots of stories there, and Fiji too.

Swam with many a shark in both places, and also in the Caribbean, over those years and I just hope I never forget those amazing experiences.

(sorry so long) *sheepish grin*

💖

This is a sharke? I have never ever heard of or seen this one. Quite interesting. Is the coloring from the water or is the shark's natural color @chickenbutt ?

Re: Imagine coming across this guy?

CatsyCline — Thu, 19 May 2022 21:02:35 GMT

@gertrudecloset yellow jackets scare the !$%&!!* out of me and they can sting over and over and over and they can be deadly!

they make their nests in the ground, in the dirt. in August/Sept momma Jelly Jacket kicks babies out of the nest...the baboes get disoriented and hover around look for sweets.

We have killer bees right now and they are a trip. Hovering right by my car. Luckily they only attack other bees. Plug up their holes so they leave.

Hornets like to scarf up the wood on the deck. They use the wood, and any available water,. to make their elaborate nests .

Re: Imagine coming across this guy?

chickenbutt — Thu, 19 May 2022 21:02:51 GMT

@gertrudecloset wrote:
@chickenbutt wrote:
@gertrudecloset wrote:
@chickenbutt I'm not messing with those bees. I have "yellow jackets" in and around my hedges on the front of my house that I'm often afraid to go out the front door. LOL. Someone told me there might be a nest hidden in the hedges somewhere. I had my son look (I was not going to) and there is nothing there. They are attracted to me. That's all there is to that.

The pic of that beluga whale is amazing. As a child I was fascinated with mermaids and thought they were real. I think the photographer got luck with his shot of the whale at the time he took the pic.

Swim with some sharks? Huh???????

Hi Darlin! Yeah, bees (all of them for me - skinny ones, big hairy ones, ALL of them) are so terrifying to me. I shudder just thinking about a bee being near me.

But, yeah, sharks are my fav for sure and had the pleasure, in my 2-300 dives, to swim with hundreds of them.

One time I was in Palau and one new one for me was the Napoleon Wrasse (will post pic below). They are unique, for sure, and quite huge! One of them would be bigger than if we smushed together all the divers who jumped off the boat that day.

In Palau they had this one fav NR who they had named Junior. He loved hard boiled eggs (but I won't take that against him ) and the divemaster would bring some in his BC pocket. He had me make a big circle with my arms. Junior was on one side of my circle and, on the other side, the divemaster would hold out one of the eggs.

Junior would push partly (no way he could fit very far) into my arm circle to get the egg. Of course, I gave him a pat and hug.

So, the super cool thing was watching him eat the egg and all of a sudden the shell, in teeny tiny little bits came flying out of his gills. I'd just never seen anything like that and, since Palau was one of my dream dive destinations it was just so awesome. Lots of stories there, and Fiji too.

Swam with many a shark in both places, and also in the Caribbean, over those years and I just hope I never forget those amazing experiences.

(sorry so long) *sheepish grin*

💖

This is a sharke? I have never ever heard of or seen this one. Quite interesting. Is the coloring from the water or is the shark's natural color @chickenbutt ?

Oh no. He's a fish. I really liked them, as soon as I started seeing them in my Western South Pacific dives because not only are they quite large, but they are so unique. I mean, NOBODY looks like that right?

And, yes, that is his actual coloring.

Re: Imagine coming across this guy?

gertrudecloset — Thu, 19 May 2022 21:04:44 GMT

@CatsyCline wrote:
@gertrudecloset yellow jackets scare the !$%&!!* out of me and they can sting over and over and over and they can be deadly!

they make their nests in the ground, in the dirt. in August/Sept momma Jelly Jacket kicks babies out of the nest...the baboes get disoriented and hover around look for sweets.

We have killer bees right now and they are a trip. Hovering right by my car. Luckily they only attack other bees. Plug up their holes so they leave.

Hornets like to scarf up the wood on the deck. They use the wood, and any available water,. to make their elaborate nests .

They are some serious lil things. They get all up in your face as if to say "what are you going to do about it?" I hate them. I hate them dearly. I have been stung by a bee before (in childhood).

Killer bees? What do they kill? Ummmmm.....

@CatsyCline

Re: Imagine coming across this guy?

gertrudecloset — Thu, 19 May 2022 21:07:26 GMT

Beautiful creature. I've seen fish of many colors but they are usually in schools and you can't get a good close up of some. Never this color though. Thanks for sharing...

You enjoy life with your sharks! YOLO (you only live once)!!!! @chickenbutt

Re: Imagine coming across this guy?

CatsyCline — Thu, 19 May 2022 21:12:32 GMT

@gertrudecloset wrote:
@CatsyCline wrote:
@gertrudecloset yellow jackets scare the !$%&!!* out of me and they can sting over and over and over and they can be deadly!

they make their nests in the ground, in the dirt. in August/Sept momma Jelly Jacket kicks babies out of the nest...the baboes get disoriented and hover around look for sweets.

We have killer bees right now and they are a trip. Hovering right by my car. Luckily they only attack other bees. Plug up their holes so they leave.

Hornets like to scarf up the wood on the deck. They use the wood, and any available water,. to make their elaborate nests .
They are some serious lil things. They get all up in your face as if to say "what are you going to do about it?" I hate them. I hate them dearly. I have been stung by a bee before (in childhood).

Killer bees? What do they kill? Ummmmm.....
@CatsyCline

They are Carpenter Bees but they kill each other. we call them Killer bees. they look like bumble bees but they are shiny and they hover.

Re: Imagine coming across this guy?

gertrudecloset — Thu, 19 May 2022 21:20:26 GMT

whewwww. I thought you might have come back to say they kill us (like Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds." @CatsyCline . I have heard the other term used for these bees (carpenter).

Look, I'm not getting along with bugs. Bugs know that I don't like them. They do (LOL). Doesn't stop them. No seeums in the summer, mosquitoes, those big flying bugs with wings, (dragron flys) Great big wasps and I don't like moths either. If it comes in my house, I will be trying to get rid of it quickly.

This reminds me I need to stock up on some Sawyer Deet products. I keep these on hand. I know the price has gone up tremendously since a couple of years ago.

Re: Imagine coming across this guy?

CatsyCline — Thu, 19 May 2022 21:38:24 GMT

@gertrudecloset

i hate flying menaces,especially the ones bzzzzing in my ears, creepycrawlers, ALL 8 legged freaks dropping down on their threads!!

good things about winter: no bugs, no spiders and no motorcycles!

Re: Imagine coming across this guy?

gertrudecloset — Thu, 19 May 2022 21:39:30 GMT

@CatsyCline wrote:
@gertrudecloset

i hate flying menaces,especially the ones bzzzzing in my ears, creepycrawlers, ALL 8 legged freaks dropping down on their threads!!

good things about winter: no bugs, no spiders and no motorcycles!

I'm right there with you @CatsyCline . One of the very reasons I dislike Summer. Grrrrr.

Re: Imagine coming across this guy?

Porcelain — Thu, 19 May 2022 21:49:03 GMT

@gertrudecloset wrote:
@Porcelain Here's your buddy....

Acccck! Whoever took those first three pictures was in for a world of hurt! Those lower fangs too. Yikes. When I used to play Hungry Hungry Hippos they never had pointed fangs like that.