What's up fish face? The £40,000 carp that really does look human

By Paul Sims

Fishy: This ghost carp has markings on its head that resemble a mouth, nose and eyes


Owners and their pets are often said to grow to resemble each other. Which could be bad news for Brendan O'Sullivan.

He is the owner of this carp, which appears to be developing facial features which look worryingly human.

The 44-year-old former butcher bought the fish, a ghost carp, about five months ago but it is only in the past week that he has noticed what looks like a mouth, nose and eyes.

'Because of the weather earlier this year I didn't really get to have a proper look at it,' said Mr O'Sullivan, of Dagenham, Essex.

'Then, last week, as I was sunbathing in the back garden I poked my head over the pond and there it was swimming towards me.

'It was astonishing. I could easily make out from the markings two eyes, a nose and a mouth. I thought I was suffering from sunstroke.'

Carp have long been known to carry markings which can look like a human face, but actually seeing one is rare.

As a result, Mr O'Sullivan's fish is now said to be worth an estimated £40,000.


In profile: A side view of the carp shows it looking a lot more fish-like


source: dailymail

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Deadly pursuit: The moment diver comes face to face with killer shark

By Mail Foreign Service

Fearsome: An Oceanic White Tip shark bears down on marine biologist Wes Pratt in the Bahamas


Like a rabbit in the headlights, this brave scuba diver faces off against one of the most feared and endangered predators of the deep.

With its notably long pectoral fins enabling it to glide like a bird through the water, a 10ft-long, 350lb female Oceanic White Tip shark was photographed by Brian Skerry off the Out Islands in the Bahamas.

Swimming inches past Mr Skerry's long-time collaborator Wes Pratt, the large shark observed the pair for two hours.

Patiently waiting for days to find one specimen, Mr Skerry counted himself lucky, as recent surveys have estimated that the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean population of the white tip to have fallen by 98 per cent since the 1950s.

'The Oceanic White Tip is considered one of the most dangerous sharks in the sea along with the Great White and Tiger,' said Mr Skerry, 48, who has been an underwater photographer for 30 years.

'It is responsible for some of the most famous episodes of man-eating in history, such as when the USS Indianapolis sank in 1945.

'Around 800 sailors escaped into the water when it was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine, but only 321 were pulled from the sea alive.

'Most of the deaths in the water were from dehydration and heat exposure, but a significant number were attacked by Oceanic White Tips.'

Classed as a pelagic shark, the White Tip is mainly seen out in the open water of the Earth's oceans.

The exact population of Oceanic White Tips around the world is unknown, but the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources have classed the shark globally as vulnerable and critically endangered in the Western and Central Atlantic Ocean.


Cage fighter: Mr Pratt enjoys a moment of respite inside a protective cage. His collaborator Brian Skerry took these pictures during a two-hour swim with the shark


Mr Skerry said: 'We were lucky to encounter this shark and more than that extremely lucky to observe it for two hours.

'I first saw it in the sea while on the boat and without wasting any time me and Wes dived straight in and started to photograph the shark.

'It was in the late afternoon and as soon as I was in the water the shark came over to investigate me.

'I had to push her away with the lens of my camera and eventually she settled into a circling pattern I suppose trying to work out what we were doing.'

Eventually lowering a cage into the water, Mr Skerry opted to stay out so as to observe Mr Pratt's human interaction with the large shark.

'My heart was definitely in my mouth when I jumped in and the nerves were going when I saw the shark heading towards Wes,' he said.

'If I wasn't slightly scared then I wouldn't be in the water, because that would be foolish


Lunch: The shark is fed some bait, while the biologists' boat can be seen floating on the water's surface
Eventually leaving the shark after two hours, Mr Skerry found the experience one to savour.


'She was definitely firm but polite and showed no outward signs of aggression,' he said. 'She was good to deal with.'

In fact, the reduction of Oceanic White Tips around the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean is reaching critical levels approaching extinction, according to prominent experts.

A study by Dr Ram Meyers in 2005 extensively studied the falling population of the Oceanic White Tips.

'I have seen research that indicates that Oceanic White Tip populations may have fallen by 98 per cent since 1955,' said Dr Samuel Gruber, 72, a shark expert who lives in Bimini, Florida.

Their food has been extensively fished in the Gulf and the Caribbean and it can be said that where once they were very common, they have disappeared in some areas.

'They still do well in areas such as Hawaii, but it is definitely something that we are watching with interest.'


Endangered species: Oceanic White Tip populations are thought to have fallen by 98 per cent since 1955


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Look at the spa-rring macaques! Tempers boil over in the monkey hot tub

By Daily Mail Reporter

Stand-off: The pair of female macaques eyeball each other in a dispute over the best place in the hot spring


If looks could kill, both these monkeys would be dead and gone.

The pair of female macaques launched an angry stand-off over the question of who should have the best seat at a hot spring.

First they had a staring match. Then it was into battle, which mostly involves screams and shrieks although teeth can be involved.

Finally, with dominance established, the victorious party danced in triumph as the vanquished one moved slowly and shamefully away.

The encounter was filmed at a health spa known as Hell's Valley, near Nagano in Japan.


Flashpoint: The angry pair wrestle for supremacy but it's headed one way


Victory jig: The winner celebrates as her opponent skulks away, leaving her with pride of place in the spring


Some years ago the wild macaques started to copy the human visitors who enjoyed the hot springs and now they have become a fixture.

RSPCA chief photographer Andrew Forsyth, who took the pictures said: 'The hot bath is at the centre of the troop's territory and the most dominant females gather here to relax.

'Because it's such an attraction it can cause tension when lower-ranking animals try to get a corner of the bath.'


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The fundraiser with a sting in its tail... Teenager's raises £400 by creating a beard of bees

By Daily Mail Reporter

Buzzing: Nellie endured the swarm of insects on her face for several minutes


Most teenage girls like to create a buzz with their fashion statements. But Nellie Odam-Wilson went for an accessory with a real sting in its tail.

The 16-year-old modelled a ‘beard’ of bees at Quince Honey Farm in Devon yesterday – achieving her look by placing the Queen Bee on her face and waiting for a swarm to follow.

She escaped without a single sting after the stunt, which raised £400 towards a charity trip to Africa. Nellie, from South Molton in Devon, said: ‘It felt like they were everywhere.’

The £390 she raised from sponsors will help to underwrite her trip to Uganda, where she plans to do voluntary work in an orphanage.

Nellie said: 'It was a bit scary having all the bees on me, but it was worth it because it's for such a good cause.'

The plucky teenager endured a faceful of the buzzing creatures for seven minutes, remaining as quiet and still as possible to avoid being stung


The money Nellie raised will help finance her voluntary work in a Ugandan orphanage


'They were only on me for a matter of minutes but it seemed like much longer. You don't know if one of them will sting you. The bees were all crawling across my face and it was really itchy. But I work at the farm so I knew I was in good hands.'

Farm owner Ian Wallace said it was the first time anyone had managed the feat at the farm without receiving a single sting.


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The moment retired police diver came to face to face with a giant jellyfish

By David Derbyshire Environment Editor

This is the moment when David Peake came face-to-tentacle with a massive golden jellyfish - a 4ft-long blob floating off the coast of Cornwall


Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...

This is the moment when a diver came face-to-tentacle with a massive golden jellyfish - a four foot long blob floating off the coast of Cornwall.

The creature - also known as the Rhizostoma Octopus - is one of the most intimidating looking animals found in British coastal waters.

But despite its size and eight wriggling tentacles, it is completely harmless and unable to sting.


But despite the size of the rhizostoma octopus and its eight wriggling tentacles, it is completely harmless and unable to sting


Dave Peake, 66, snatched underwater pictures of the monster creature and after he spotted it off Whitsand Bay in Cornwall.

Retired police diver Dave, from Yelverton, near Plymouth, Devon, said it was the biggest one of the jellyfish he had seen.

'These creatures tend to be big old things, but this one was particularly large. About three or four feet long with its tentacles, he said.

'I wanted to get myself in the picture to show its size and I ended up face-to-face with it. It was inches away.

'They look scary because they are so big, but they are quite harmless and don't sting at all.

'They do come to the UK frequently, but this time I saw only the one. They drift across the Atlantic to Britain in the summer sometimes.'

The father-of-one said the appearance of the jellyfish could be encouraging leatherback turtles to come to our shores, with one spotted recently.

A group of kayakers reported seeing one of the sea turtles last week off Sennen Cove near Land's End in Cornwall.

'These types of jellyfish are a favourite food of leatherback turtles, so this might be an indication that we might see some around this summer,' he sad.

'We've had some hot weather and quite an influx of the small blue jellyfish - and then this one. So I think we could get a few more.'

Rhizostoma Octopus, despite their name, are large jellyfish which feed on plankton.
Each of their eight legs has a sticky band which is made up of numerous mouths for catching food.

The creatures are found around the southern and western shores of Britain and Ireland - and can be seen as far north as the Outer Hebrides.

They can sometimes be seen stranded on the beach, or trapped in rock pools.

Scientists believe it lives in deep water in the winter, and floats in to shallows to breed.

Mr Peake added: "This jellyfish didn't look one hundred per cent healthy - but perhaps that was because it had come all across the Atlantic.'



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The moment a fox sneaked into a young mother's bedroom

By Luke Salkeld

Fearless: Gerald McGivern captures the moment as the fox crouches on the bedroom window sill


Perched with an air of menace on the window sill of an urban home, a fox waits.
Fortuneately in this case the bed was empty and the animal was shoed away. But the image shows just how brazen foxed have become in invading homes.

The fox was snapped after it had entered a Middlesex home through the French doors and come in the wake of the attack on twins Lola and Isabella Koupparis in East London on June 5.

Gerald McGivern was watching television at the Ruislip home of his daughter Aine Morrow when he caught sight of the skinny fox staring at him.

It darted upstairs and onto the window sill in Mrs Morrow's bedroom before it was eventually chased out through the front door.

Mr McGivern took the photo as proof of the episode, but did not tell his 31-year-old pregnant daughter until a few days later.

Mrs Morrow, who has a six-month-old son Shane, now shuts all windows and is too scared to leave any doors open as the fox still regularly prowls the area.

She said: 'It is any parent's worst nightmare. I was heavily pregnant at the time it was taken and it totally horrified me. My dad said the fox wasn't aggressive but he couldn't believe how brave it was. It didn't show any fear at all.

'Now I have had a baby and the French doors are never open, I dare not risk it. A few of my neighbours have said it's been in their houses trying to get into the kitchens


On the mend: Twins Isabella and Lola Koupparis are recovering from the dreadful injuries they suffered when a fox attacked them at their London home


An RSPCA spokesman said there were believed to be around 33,000 adult urban foxes in cities across the UK that were generally seen as a 'minor nuisance'.

He said :'Some people suggest that relocating or destroying foxes that are present in one part of town is the answer. However, this will simply encourage other foxes to move in from other areas and take their place.'

"Therefore, this option is not only disproportionate to the problems the animals are alleged to commit but is also ineffective.

The most humane and long-term solution to discourage foxes is to remove or prevent access to what attracts them to the area, he added.


source: dailymail

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Scuba Dooby Doo: Meet the deep sea diving Dachshund with a taste for adventure

By Sara Nelson

Intrepid: Boniface the Dachshund is helped into his suit so he can join his owner Sergei Gorbunov under the sea


A Russian diving team has a brand new recruit - in the form of a miniature Dachshund.

The maritime mutt is seen here taking the plunge with his owner in a specially-built wet suit and breathing mask.

Boniface was kitted out with the suit by his owner Sergei Gorbunov, who is a professional diver.


Adventurous: The suit comes with a special plexi-glass mask so the maritime mutt can see where he's going


Gorbunov claims that whenever he went diving without Boniface in the past, the dog would become upset, so he decided to solve the problem by taking him too.

A South Korean company agreed to make the purpose-built suit and now the intrepid divers are set to spend hours under the waves near Vladivostok, Russia.

Complete with oxygen tank and plexi-glass mask, Boniface has so far worn the suit in a series of trials in deep water pools - with a little encouragement in the form of sausages.


Man's best friend: Gorbunov decided to get the suit built because Boniface would become upset when he and his team went diving without him


Gorbunov, who is director of diving at Vladivostok Maritime College, said: 'We created the suit for my pet Boniface.

'He always worries when divers disappear under the water so for his sake we have had a special doggy diving suit made, complete with an oxygen tank.

'We think the experiment has been a great success, Boniface felt comfortable under the water but maybe or maybe not because we fed him sausages before and after.'

Sergei said Boniface will be ready soon to dive in open water with the team at depths of up to 45 metres, which is the maximum depth for human divers.



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You talkin' to me? The moment a tiny prairie dog squared off against a colossal bison 850 times its weight

By Mail Foreign Service

Plucky: A prairie dog squares up to an American bison in the Witchita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma


Caught in an unlikely showdown with a giant bison, this plucky prairie dog might be best advised to pick on someone his own size.

The cheeky rodent was pictured taking part in an apparent staring battle with the beast in a prairie dog colony – known as a ‘town’ – in the Witchita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, in Oklahoma.

Black-tailed prairie dogs are just 12-16 inches long and weigh between one and three pounds.

American bison, also called American buffalo, can tower at six feet six inches high, 10 feet long, and can weigh a staggering 2,500 pounds.


Outnumbered: The prairie dog cuts a lonely figure among the bison, which can weigh up to 2,500 pounds


Black-tailed prairie dogs are just 12-16 inches long and weigh between one and three pounds


But despite being shockingly smaller than its huge hairy nemesis, the prairie dog seemed happy to stand its ground.

Photography partners David Roberts, who works in the Herpetology and Graphics departments of Dallas Zoo, and David Schleser, a former dentist and curator of the Dallas Aquarium, often venture out into the wilderness on biology and photography projects.

Both from Texas, they lead eco-tourism expeditions to places like the Peruvian Amazon with their photographs being used in several books, field guides, and other publications.

Roberts said: 'Bison often visit prairie dog towns because they excavate large amounts of soil to the surface.

'Bison like to roll in the dust because the dirt helps rid them of parasites, and it just feels good.

'It makes for good opportunities to observe the two species together and sometimes running into each other, like in our photo.'

source: dailymail

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Elephant Parade auction

By Mail Online Reporter

Colourful: Visitors looking at the elephants on display last week


When Elizabeth Hurley is invited to an event, you can usually assume she'll be one of the best dressed on the guest list.

Attending the Elephant Parade auction at the Royal Hospital Gardens in London tonight, the 45-year-old model put on another stunning red carpet performance in a hot pink dress.

Instead of her trademark slashed-to-the-thigh gown, the Austin Powers star was wear a cowl-neck fuchsia floor-length dress and silver high-heeled sandals.


Fabulous in fuchsia: Elizabeth Hurley looked stunning in a hot pink dress as she arrived at the Elephant Parade auction at the Royal Hospital Chelsea


Joining Hurley at the glitzy bash at the home of the Chelsea Pensioners was husband Arun Nayar and her good friend Trinny Woodall.

Style guru Woodall, 46, also adopted a similar dress code to her friend by teaming a pink and purple vintage-style silk gown with a pair of silver shoes.

While the charity event attracted many Chelsea locals like Hurley and Woodall, also in attendance was Hollywood veteran Goldie Hawn, socialite Tamara Beckwith, model Lisa B and young royals Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.

Having flown in from the United States specially to host the fundraiser, Goldie, 64, rolled back the years in a floral tiered gown.


Style stealers: Charity patron Goldie Hawn (left) and Trinny Woodall both teamed their glamorous gowns with 'bed head' hairdos


The Private Benjamin star is an official patron of the Elephant Family charity, who are raising money to protect the endangered Asian elephant.

The charity was founded by Mark Shand - the younger brother of Camilla, Duchess Of Cornwall.

Over the past few weeks, over 250 elephant sculptures - each decorated differently by a host of famous names including Diane Von Furstenberg, Paul Smith and John Rocha - have been placed all over London at tourist spots such as outside St Paul's Cathedral or Trafalgar Square.


Standing in for mum: Princess Beatrice and Eugenie (left), whose mother is one of the Elephant Family patrons


But last week they were relocated to the manicured lawns of the Royal Hospital ahead of the auction tonight.

Speaking about the campaign, Hawn said: 'Anyone who loves elephants, and I do, will love Elephant Parade. It is not only the most beautiful, colourful and fun campaign, it also holds the key to saving the majestic species from extinction.'

Notably absent from the event was Hawn's fellow patron Sarah Ferguson, who is keeping a low-profile since she was caught on camera allegedly asking for money to be introduced to her ex-husband Prince Andrew.


It's for charideeee: Socialiates Tamara Beckwith and Lisa B, who is pregnant with her third child, (left) and Hurley with her husband Arun Nayar


Instead the shamed royal was represented by her daughters. Clearly feeling more confident with her figure as her recent weight loss, Princess Beatrice, 21, opted for a flirty yellow mini-dress.

Her younger sister Eugenie, 20, was equally summery in a simple white T-shirt dress.

Arriving at the Royal Hospital, the glamorous guests were presented with Indian flower garlands before being invited to stroll through the rows of colourful elephant sculptures.


Rear of the year: The model and her husband check out the colourful elephants up for sale


Lookalike: The Princesses join a Chelsea Pensioner by an elephant designed to look like a Royal Hospital resident


source: dailymail

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Aw, sweetie, you got a splinter. Don't cry, let me kiss it better

By Daily Mail Reporter

Mother's love: Mum Deedee kisses Randee the baby orangutan better after getting a splinter in his finger
Photographer Evan Hambrick said: 'I could not believe how human-like orangutans are.


Some things just need a mother's touch.

When Randee the baby orangutan got a splinter, his mother Deedee knew there was only one way to soothe his pain.

She scooped up her little boy in her arms, held him close and tenderly kissed his sore finger.

Randee had been playing in a pile of pine straw at Lowry Park Zoo in Florida when he cried out in distress.

'I think the baby had been chewing on some pine straw, then I noticed he made a very distressed face. He looked like he was about to cry.

'We share so much with these animals and I don't think we give them the credit for how much like us they are.'


Ouch: Randee had been playing in a pile of pine straw when he cried out in distress, but mum Deedee comes to the rescue


Like humans: Orangutans use facial expressions to show emotions


'They are smart, use facial expressions to share emotions and show emotions with their lips and hands, as you can see in this photo.

'Not only is the mother kissing the baby, but she is gently holding the babies hand and finger and slowly kissing her baby.

'Humans love to be touched and kissed and the orangutans and other great apes are no different. Her baby was in distress and she was kissing it better.

'Orangutans are arguably the best mothers in the world in my opinion.'

Mr Hambrick was able to capture the amazing action on camera after studying the apes for weeks.

He said: 'Each day I probably spent three hours spread out over a five hour period just watching them.

'I observed the lighting conditions and noted what time of day was the best to take photos, finding the best spot to shoot from was the trickiest bit.

'These guys were awesome animals to photograph and kept giving a great show. The baby was super cute and the mother was really loving and affectionate.

'The mother would find bits of food and start to eat them, if the baby wanted the food he would reach out with his hand and the mother would hand the food over happily.'


source: dailymail

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