Why Do Otters Juggle Rocks? What's Their Purpose In Playing And Juggling Stones?

Otters are often observed - both in the wild and inside the enclosures of zoos - playing and juggling with stones and pebbles. There are several videos of such strange behavior that you can watch on YouTube. These cute little animals have been recorded juggling one rock, two rocks, and sometimes three rocks. The question is why do otters juggle rocks? What's their purpose in doing so? What do they gain out of it?

Unfortunately, it's still unclear why the otters do it. Some believe that it's merely an act of play solely for entertainment purposes. Think of a cat playing with a ball of thread. Or a dog having fun with a twig. It's possible that the otters are just juggling for fun. However, the bizzareness of the act makes some to propose that there's more to the act than just a mere source of entertainment. The otters doesn't seem to play with other things the way other animals do. They prefer pebbles over anything else.

One theory is that this activity has something to do with eating behavior. This is because otters often use rocks as tools in smashing the shells of mollusks to gain access to the meat inside. Some suggest that there's a connection between the two. Some otters have been observed vigorously defending the rocks they have against other otters.

One theory suggests that the activity resembles the act of gathering food and that it may signal hunger. This is because the act of juggling declines when the otters are fully fed. But then again, as we mentioned above, it could be just a case of them otters killing time and entertaining themselves.

Snake Turns Into A Zombie After A Man Cut Off Its Poisonous Head

If there's one thing you should know about poisonous snakes, it's the fact that they are rather hard to kill. Just because you've cut off a snake's head doesn't necessarily mean you are safe around it. Even when a snake's head has been separated from its main body, it is still capable of responding to stimuli for as long as an hour. It can still lash out and bite. So don't even think of poking your fingers at a severed snake's head.

YouTube user Sam Billiter came across a copperhead once and cut off its head. Much to his surprise, the body just kept on wiggling. When the wiggling tail touched the severed head, the head suddenly snapped open its jaws and clamped down its poisonous fangs upon its own body. As was mentioned earlier, the decapitated head is still capable of responding to stimuli. Billiter captured the incident on video and you can watch it below.

A severed snake head is still more than capable to kill anybody. As you can see from the video below, the copperhead still has its jaws snapping even though the head has been totally separated from its body. This is because of the snake's bite reflex. Even though a snake is dead, the bite reflex can still be in there moments after it has died. 

Whale Lifts Two Kayakers Above The Water Off The Coast Of Puerta Madryn In Argentina

A father and his daughter were kayaking near the beach off the coast of Puerto Madryn in Argentina when they encountered at least two whales. The whales were so near the kayak's path that the two kayakers were not able to guide their boat away from the whales. 

The kayak ran smack into one of the whales' back. For a few seconds, the kayak was suspended above the water. The events were captured on video through a GoPro camera held by one of the kayakers (the father).

Whales swimming very near the beach in Puerto Madryn is not unusual. Locals are used to seeing these gigantic water creatures swimming there. The ones spotted by the kayakers are Right whales.

Thousands Of Flying Sea Creatures Filmed Off The Coast Of Baja California

Only a few ocean-dwelling creatures can boast of the ability to fly. Among these is the mobula ray or devil fish. With wings that span over two meters from tip to tip, mobula rays can propel themselves and breach the surface of the water for as high as a couple of meters.

Not much is known about these flying rays. In the short film below by National Geographic, tens of thousands of mobula rays converged in an epic gathering off the coast of Baja in California. And being the mysterious creatures that they are, they just vanished as quickly as they appeared. It's an amazing aspect of nature that the National Geographic was luckily able to film.

Time-Lapse Video Of Thousands Of Ants Devouring A Dead Gecko

The next time you come across a dead gecko in your house and you don't feel like cleaning it up yourself, you might consider giving the clean-up job to the ants. These tiny little devils can devour the whole dead gecko in just over a day. As the following time-lapse video shows, ants can get the job done. They'll eat the whole of the gecko except the bones.

Take A Peek Into The Amazing Miracles Of The Natural World (Video)

Louie Schwartzberg, a filmmaker widely recognized as a pioneer in high-end time-lapse cinematography recently appeared on TED and delivered a talk about his latest film project, Mysteries of the Unseen World. He showed several clips from the film that explore the parts of the natural world that are imperceptible to the human eye.

Schwartzberg's introduction for his talk is in itself inspiring. Here's what he said: "What is the intersection between technology, art and science? Curiosity and wonder because it drives us to explore. Cause we're surrounded by things we can't see. And I love to use film to take us on a journey through portals of time and space. To make the invisible visible. Because what that does, it expands our horizons, it transforms our perception, it opens our minds and it touches our heart."

Lion Attacked and Injured by a Buffalo Miraculously Saved by Vets

A lioness which was mauled and seriously injured by a male buffalo was miraculously saved after being treated by vets. Siena, a lioness at the Masai Mara Nature Reserve in Kenya almost had one of her hind legs ripped off when a buffalo attacked and gored her. Although she can barely keep up with the pride, amazingly she was still able to stand up and walk. Big cats are known for their pain tolerance but the gaping injury on Siena is so bad that it's almost unbelievable to see her walking around.

Making matters worse is the fact that Siena just recently has given birth to three cubs. If she dies from her wounds, the survival of her cubs will be uncertain as well. Fortunately, staff from the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust came to the rescue. Dj Njoroge of the Kenyan Wildlife Trust was flown all the way from Nairobi to operate on the lioness and treat her of her wounds. It was a huge success and Siena was able to rejoin her cubs and pride with her wound closed up and treated to prevent complications.

Elephant Crashes A Pool Party In Botswana...Good Thing It Didn't Steal The Beer

An elephant nonchalantly approached a pool party that was in full swing and noisily drank from the pool. This happened at the Elephant Sands, a bush lodge and campsite in Botswana in Africa. In the bush lodge, visitors can enjoy the natural wonders of Africa while getting up close with the giant elephants.

There's a can of beer lying just near the pool. Luckily, the elephant seemed to not harbor any interest upon it. What's amazing about this video is the peaceful conduct of the animal. Elephants can be dangerous and are known to attack people. But this one seemed to feel very comfortable among people. It must be because of the fact that it lives in a bush lodge where humans are a daily sight.