Taken in 1965, this image captures the curiosity of a small, young boy as he approaches a most likely deceased, enormous whale shark, washed up on the coastal shore of Botany Bay, in Australia. In the ultimate meeting of opposites, the small, timid child cautiously touches the contrasting sea animal known as the largest species of fish on the entire planet: the whale shark. Despite this creature’s enormous size, in reality, these animals are completely harmless to people.
Similar to the baleen whale, the whale shark is a filter feeder or an animal that, in zoology terms, is described as “a form of food procurement in which food particles or small organisms are randomly strained from water.” In the case of the whale shark, this massive fish catches its food by swimming along the ocean, keeping its huge mouth open so that it may strain any tiny living things in the water, an act which is carried out through the whale shark’s filter pads.
The Last Captured Moments of an Elderly Lion
In the below photo stands a weak elderly lion in his final hours. If anything, this sad photograph proves the ways of life in the jungle are often unkind, and absolute. Known as Skybed Scar, this lion made quite a name for himself in South Africa’s Kruger Park. Once the ruler over all — the ultimate king of the jungle — as this recent picture show, those days are now long gone.
Allegedly kicked out of his lion pride, unable to fend for himself in his weakened state, without the protection and food once provided to him by his family, Scar grew increasingly gaunt and thin.
A Mother Bat Flies Her Baby High in the Sky
This photo captures a truly rare, touching moment of a mother bat and her baby, as they fly across the sky. While Halloween and vampire movies have made bats out to be truly evil, sinister creatures, the notoriously bad reputation of bats is one they really do not deserve. In reality, bats are actually extremely peaceful, incredible creatures. Bat moms, in particular, are widely known as some of the most heroic of mothers in the entire animal kingdom.
In the photo, this grey-headed flying fox is seen working hard to carry her rather large bat pup. While this mother seems to move forward by the “force of motherly love,” in contrast, bat dads are far less doting and are known to leave their female mates and children. For these species, it is the single mother who raises the bat pups as they grow from baby to adult.
Smile for the Camera! A Grinning Crocodile Bears its Teeth as It Jumps Mid-air
This action-packed photograph captures a young crocodile jumping straight up into the sky, in order to catch its next meal. Amazingly, these reptiles are able to do so by generating large amounts of momentum combined with powerful undulations of the reptile’s tail. It is then able to push off from the bottom of the river, so long as it is shallow enough.
From here, the crocodile is able to launch itself unbelievably high into the air. Believe it or not, of the 13 types of crocodiles, species like that of the Cuban crocodile, as well as a few others, are even able to become experts in this unusual tactic, ultimately adapting to habitually hunt for their prey as they perch high up onto tree branches, which extend outward from the land, lingering over the water’s surface.
Fashion’s Next Biggest Trend: A Butterfly-adorned Crocodile
While this butterfly crown may look like nothing more than a stylish fashion statement, this seemingly unusual relationship actually serves a very important purpose for insects like butterflies and bees. This picture captures a shot of a grinning caiman as he sits casually on a log, surrounded by a myriad of colorful butterflies, sitting upon his head like a crown.
But what is the story behind this intriguing photo? The answer lies in these two animals' symbiotic relationship. A common occurrence for the caiman is that scientists discovered that these butterflies actually sit on reptiles like these in order to harness nutrients from the salt that gathers on the caimans’ skin and, most importantly, the reptiles’ tears.