We are only three months into 2024 and there are already a slurry of crazy animal-related stories and attacks.
The animal kingdom is a fascinating, if not scary, sector of the world. When they are not taking over cities or attacking humans, some animals are even throwing themselves adorable parties. Let’s take a look at some of the craziest animal stories of 2024.
Killer Whale versus Great White
Most recently, in what scientists said was the first moment of its kind, a lone Killer Whale killed and gutted a Great White Shark. While Orcas are known to attack the vicious fish, experts said this was the first documented case of a solitary whale taking on the king of the ocean.
The whole encounter took less than two minutes, with eyewitnesses stating that the whale “gripped the left pectoral fin of the shark and thrust forward with the shark several times before eventually eviscerating it.”
New Anaconda
Earlier in February, a brand new species of anaconda was discovered in the Amazon Rainforest at a staggering 20 feet long (6.1m).
Though similar to the green anaconda, the northern green anaconda is a completely different species with a 5.5% genetic difference.
“But the really amazing part was, despite this genetic difference, and despite their long period of divergence, the two animals are completely identical,” researcher Bryan G. Fry told Reuters%20%2D%20Researchers,look%20identical%20to%20this%20day).
Mauled to death by a lion
This month, while visiting the Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park in Tirupati, India, 34-year-old Prahlad Gurjar attempted to get a selfie with a lion. Of course, the encounter did not go as he expected and he bled to death 10 minutes after the attack.
“After seeing the human being inside the enclosure, the animal attacked,” a spokesperson told PEOPLE Magazine. “Though the animal keeper and other security staff nearby tried to save the person, the animal dragged the person inside the enclosure.”
Introducing Fluffy
At the start of the month, an Alligator snapping turtle was discovered in a UK lake of all places. Nicknamed Fluffy, the turtle was transported to a veterinary clinic where it was revealed that he was in a state of hibernation due to the country’s cold weather.
Dr. Dominic Moule told the BBC: “At this size, it could give you a nasty bite. But when they get bigger…they can cause some damage…I’m sure if it was left there [in the lake] it would be invasive and eat everything in the water.”
Gay whales
Nature photographers Lyle Krannichfeld and Brandi Romano made history in 2024 as they recorded footage of the first-ever humpback whale mating. In another first, it was also the first documented recording of homosexual humpback whale mating! A true victory for the LGBTQ+ community!
“We realized pretty quickly that there was a scientific significance to it,” Krannichfeld, said.“Even if there were no articles published or nothing ever came of it, we knew that it was important to the scientific community and those who were studying the whales just because of the unique behavior.”
Bear attack ends in amputation
At the end of January, Stefan Claudio Specogna was involved in a horrific attack that resulted in the loss of his arm.
While feeding an Asian black bear, Specogna found the animal’s jaws clamped down on his arm. Not wanting to hurt the creature, he amputated it himself using a pocket knife!
Chirp Chirp
2024 will mark the year that two separate broods of cicadas break ground at the same time to conduct their mating rituals. This year will mark the first year of the ruckus since 1803!
“Thomas Jefferson was president the last time these two broods came out, so is it rare? Yes,” said Gene Kritsky, an entomologist at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati and author of “A Tale of Two Broods,” a book about this year’s dual emergence that was published earlier this month.
