It is not uncommon to see a dead animal washed up on the shore of the beach, but it should be alarming to you if you see several fish and/or other dead animals on shore. This is a telling sign that the water may be toxic. It’s very possible that “red tide”, which is when the water is filled with more toxic algae than normal. It can cause the water to become a reddish or brown color, other times the color may not change at all.
There is one particular algae species that causes them in the Gulf of Mexico called Karenia Brevis. If you go into these contaminated waters, you are likely to experience respiratory irritation like coughing and/or an itchy throat. However, if you rinse off in fresh water the symptoms are likely to disappear.
There’s No Warning for Quicksand, But You Can Get Out
Quicksand is usually, if not always extremely dangerous. It is denser than your body. If you put your foot in it, your foot will initially push the sand down, which will cause the water and clay to close around you. However, if the tides come in, that’s where you might be in drowning territory. If you find that you’re ever sinking in quicksand, you’ll need to wiggle your leg just a little bit and calmly step up.
If you’re able to get horizontal, there is a good chance that you will eventually float back to the top. However, it is possible that if the quicksand has gaseous bubbles, you have a higher chance of sinking.
If a Bee Stings You Near a Hive, Find Shelter
Almost all of us know the importance of not swatting at bees when they are swarming around us because they will feel threatened. Bees are usually attracted to anything that smells sweet and is a bright color. People do unfortunately get stung sometimes.
Did you know that a dead honey bee emits pheromones that let nearby bees know they should attack? If you’re near a hive and get stung, you’ll want to run, and run fast. You’ll want to find the closest shelter possible and try to avoid swatting at the bees following you.
But if They Start Running Towards You, It Could Mean a Fire
Other the other hand, if you are seeing birds flying and animals running, there may be a chance that there is a wildfire in the distance. There are some animals though, such as amphibians, who stay in the area of the fire and just burrow themselves in the ground to escape it.
Obviously larger animals like the ones pictured above do not have this luxury and have to find safer ground.
If There Are Bands in the Sky, Run to a Basement
If you are outside watching the clouds graze by and you see a long streak of rotating clouds, you are about to find that you are seeing the first signs of a large thunderstorm, or even worse, a tornado. Get indoors immediately and make your way to the basement just in case.
These streaks are what we call “inflow bands” and their presence is an indicator that the storm is drawing in low-level air from a long distance. These storms typically stretch to the southeast or south of the storm and are usually low in the sky. There are professional storm spotters who keep an eye out for them to see if a tornado is coming and they will then warn people who reside in that area to stay away from windows and get to the lowest level in their homes.