These Jarring Photos of Nature Will Make You Do a Double Take
These photos from photographers around the world are a reminder of just how incredible nature can be. From a storm that completely engulfed an offshore lighthouse to the couple who witnessed a grizzly bear chasing a cyclist, these jarring nature photos will surely make you do a double-take.
Old School Photoshop
Real or fake? While this one might be able to fool some, it’s a fake. This image was actually created for a political advertisement while Teddy Roosevelt was running for Presidency while representing the Progressive Party.
The Progressive Party’s mascot is a moose, so a photography firm known as Underwood and Underwood carefully cut out a photo of Roosevelt on a horse by hand and pasted in on a photo of a moose in the water. The image first ran in an edition of the New York Tribune. Old school Photoshop!
Storm Chasers Following a Tornado In 1898
This incredible photo dates back to 1898, which is incredible in itself because analog cameras were still a budding technology. What's crazier though is the suspenseful moment captured on film.
This photo was snapped in Waynoka, Oklahoma in May of that year. Some claim that the two men in the photo were seasoned storm chasers, but David Hoadley — who wasn't born until 1938 — is credited with being the first official storm chaser.
Would You Believe This Man Survived?
In 1989, Jean Guichard captured this incredible photo on the northwest coast of France. The lighthouse known as Phares dans la Tempete, la Jument, is almost completing engulfed by a massive wave.
If you look close enough, you can a man standing at the entrance. This man Theodore Malgorn was the lighthouse keeper, and he was eagerly awaiting rescue. Malgorn and his colleagues remained safely tucked away in the upper levels of the lighthouse during the storm and all made it out safely. Despite the severity of the weather, the lighthouse received little damage and is still standing today.
A Traveling Couple Captures Cyclist Being Chased By a Grizzly Bear
File this one under things you will probably only see in Canada. Cassie Beyer and her husband Donald Poster were driving down a scenic highway in July 2017 when they spotted a cyclist who was unknowingly being chased by a sizeable grizzly bear.
The couple started honking their horn in an attempt to scare the bear. Another drive did the same, catching the cyclist’s attention and yelling 'You've got a grizzly bear about 25 feet behind you.' Apparently, the cyclist is used to this as he reportedly kept calm and started pedaling faster. Luckily, the bear lost interest and wandered back into the woods! The next man wasn’t as lucky as this cyclist.
A Great White Shark Next to the Mouth of a Megalodon Shows Just How Massive the Extinct Shark Was
Normally, animals going extinct is a bad thing. But one look at the jaws of a megalodon and we can’t say we’re sad they are no longer in existence. These behemoths existed somewhere between 2.5 and 28 million years ago but went extinct due to lack of prey.
Female great white sharks can grow up to be 21 feet in length, so they’re not exactly on the small size. But that’s no match for the megalodon, which could be as long as 59 feet.
One Big Pig!
Meet Esther the Wonder Pig. When her owners brought her home as a baby, they were under the mistaken impression that she was a "micro pig," which is a special breed of domesticated hog that tends to stay pretty small. She was expected to max out at 50 to 150 pounds.
Today, Esther weighs in at a whopping 650 pounds and has a huge social media following. Her humans love her just as much as if she was really a micro pig!
You’ve Goat To Be Kidding Me
Your eyes aren’t fooling you! This photo is 100% real. You already know that goats are skilled climbers, but what’s special about this photo is the tree. This is an Argania tree and it’s often found in Morocco. What makes the Argania so special is the tasty nut that it produces. Goats go nuts for these nuts!
Goats love them so much that they will scale the trees for a snack. Goats are cute. So are raccoons...But we're not sure we'd be excited to see this many raccoons outside of our tent.
Next Time, Stay In Your Tent
Cute? Or what nightmares are made of? We’re going with the latter! This creepy photo looks like it could be a behind-the-scenes snap from the set of a Stephen King movie, but it’s completely real.
Decades ago, a woman was camping in the middle of the woods and heard an excessive rustling outside of her tent. She didn’t have a flashlight on hand so she stuck a disposable camera out of her tent and took a photo, hoping the flash would help her see. Considering raccoons are solitary animals who prefer to keep to themselves or small groups, this is quite shocking to see. We can’t help but wonder what her reaction was when she saw all of those beady eyes!
Is That a Beluga Whale Or a Mermaid?
When the image of this beluga whale went viral, it had everyone questioning whether or not belugas have knees. From the image above, this whale certainly appears to be hiding legs under its skin (no wonder beluga have been mistaken for “mermaids” throughout history!).
But in reality, beluga whales do not have knees...or legs for that matter. The symmetrical, bone-like features you see above are actually thick deposits of blubber and are especially important since these beautiful creatures live in arctic waters. It the end, this is just a strange angle, but we can still believe that mermaids are real!
Star-Nosed Moles Are Almost Too Weird to Be Real
The star-nosed mole is one of the most interesting animals on the plant — if only for its look! This odd creature is actually a small rodent. The star-nosed mole has 22 appendage-like structures surrounding its nose. Although this physical feature may look surreal, it actually serves a very important purpose.
Without its unique nose, the star-nosed mole would have a difficult time with its senses. It's this organ that helps them smell, feel touch, and sense temperature changes.
This Crab Seeking Refuge In a Skull Is Eerily Beautiful
Isn't this photo is eerily beautiful? Crabs like the one pictured above seek out abandoned shells to make into their homes. So this unexpecting crab probably thought he hit the lottery when he came upon this skull on the shore.
While we would be very taken aback to find such a thing on the beach, this crab was just happy they were about to find a safe space. Now, as for how this human skull ended up here...we're not sure we want to know.
Tippi Hedren Posing For a Photo On the Set of Roar
This photo would be much scarier if this tiger were alive! While this tiger may be real, this photograph is actually a shot from the set of Roar. The film, which starred Noel Marshall, and his then-wife, Tippi Hedren, premiered in 1981.
Roar told the story of an American woman and her children as they travel to America to visit a scientist that lives with numerous wild animals. While the movie was supposed to be filmed with tame creatures, this wasn't always the case. Roar has since been deemed one of the most dangerous movies to make. In total, there were 70 injuries that occurred on the set — some of which were life-threatening.
This Enormous 28-Foot Crocodile From Australia
Nature is a lot of things...including terrifying. One look at this 28-foot crocodile proves it. This photo was taken in Queensland, Australia in 1957 after this enormous crocodile was shot and killed. What’s even cooler is that the croc was taken down by a female hunter named Krystina Pawlowski.
Pawlowski was a Polish immigrant who moved to Australia where she became of the most respected hunters around — female or not. But she didn’t gain international attention until she killed this crocodile with one shot, earning the fitting nickname “One Shot” and a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Watch Out!
You know you’re from the Midwest when you can look this calm, cool, and collected with a tornado ripping behind you. And no, Photoshop wasn’t involved! This woman, who was identified as Audra Thomas, is from Beaver City, Nebraska. Nebraska gets hit with, on average, 57 tornadoes each year, so this was probably the norm for Thomas.
While the tornado looks like it’s right behind her, the storm is actually miles away. Not that that makes it any less terrifying!
Qizai Is the Only Brown Panda In the World
Born with brown fur thanks to a genetic mutation, Qizai was outcast by other pandas and abandoned by his mother when he was just two months old. Although he was found weak and neglected by a nature reserve in the Qingling Mountains in Central China, the talented team was able to help him.
Today, Qizai is healthy and happy after being rehabilitated. Now seven years old, the nature reserve employees say he is thriving. They are even looking to find a mate for Qizai!
These Mammatus Clouds Following a Tornado Look Totally Photoshopped
Mammatus clouds, also known as mammary clouds, get their name for their resemblance to udders. These strange clouds are formed when cold air is pushed down and forms pockets within the warm air. A man named Wiliam Clement Ley was the first person to record this phenomenon in the late 1890s.
You are most likely to see them following a thunderstorm or tornado. This photo was taken in Nevada after the latter.
A Cheetah Hopping Into Water
This is one brave photographer putting their camera in a river to get this photograph of a cheetah hopping into the water for some lunch. While people might be used to seeing those underwater dog photos, this one is a bit more jarring.
Well, it is a bit more instance solely because of this giant cat's huge claws and massive teeth! And, perhaps, the way its eyes are a bit crazy-looking, even while underwater.
A Dingo Eating a Shark On the Beach While Two Snakes Are Intertwined Is So Australia
Go to Australia they said. It’ll be fun they said. Australia is undeniably beautiful, but the land down under is unlike any other place on the globe. Despite Australia’s beauty, there are more things that will kill you there than not! Jokes aside…
This is about as Australian as a photo can get, but this photo had a little assistance from Photoshop. While the photo of the dingo eating the shark is real, as is the photo of the snakes, both images were superimposed together.
The Irwins Pose With a Croc In Their Zoo
This picture is jarring for a few reasons. For starters, anyone that calm, cool, and collected while posing with a large crocodile is crazy. But when you realize this is a photo of Terri and Steve Irwin, it becomes a little different.
Steve Irwin, also known as The Crocodile Hunter, was more than just a zookeeper. He and his wife worked tirelessly to conserve species and wildlands, educate the public, and entertain as many as he could. When he passed away in a freak stingray accident on September 4, 2006, the world was shocked. We miss you, Steve!
To The Underworld
This is a lava pit that looks like it leads straight down to the devil. The tar even looks like lost souls being sucked into the fiery abyss. If that lady isn't careful then she could end up in a pretty hot situation.
The danger in this picture is part of what makes it beautiful. The darkness of the hardened magma compare to the fiery red inside burning bright makes it hard to look away, even if you would never be brave enough to stand on the mountain top.
Bulgarian men in babugeri costumes, used in pagan rituals
This is one of those pictures that the longer you stare at it the more you convince yourself that it might be a real creature.
Thankfully though, this is just a tradition. And not some hairy long-necked monster.
"Blade Runner" Whale
Sadly this poor whale was struck by a boat propeller in Sydney in 2001. The whale was spotted with a huge scar spanning 30 centimeters along her left side.
She continues to live her life and has been spotted off the coast of the town of Eden in new South Wales.
Landslide Of Doom
This was one crazy landslide. the detour for this must have been extremely annoying and how long did it take for this to fix this? Hopefully, there was no one who got trapped in the dirt and debris while it was happening. I feel sorry for the construction workers handling this.
As terrifying as damage like this can be, events like that are thankfully rare. Hopefully, you've never had to see one up close and never will.
Fox In The Block
This fox reportedly fell into the ice and was found frozen in a cube of ice. Once discovered, he was carved into shape and left on the ice as a "scarecrow" to keep people off the ice. Seeing a frozen fox is a tad bit creepy wouldn't you agree?
If you ventured this far out into the arctic and saw this terrifying sight what would you do? We bet you would backtrack to safety.
A Wolf Spider Carrying Her Young
Look closely! ...Or maybe don’t. If you aren’t a huge fan of spiders, we wholeheartedly apologize for this jarring photo. While this is obviously a photo of a spider, further inspection reveals it’s a mother arachnid who is carrying her babies on her back. Cute! ...In an absolutely terrifying way.
What’s interesting about this photo is that most spiders wrap their eggs in an egg sack and then leave their young to hatch and fend for themselves. The wolf spider, however, is the only spider species in the world that carries her eggs around, fastened to her abdomen.
An Island Of Fire Ants
Yes, you are looking this correctly. That is a herd of ants that formed together during Hurricane Harvey so they could float safely together. Smart thinking on their part but a terrifying sight for us to see in real life. They could easily disband and attack you.
Of course, this is a brilliant survival technique for these animals. This is just not something you ever want to see in person without a change of clothes.
Dead Man's Fungus Is Straight Out Of A Horror Movie
It looks like a zombie waking from the dead and trying to dig itself out of a shallow grave. In reality, this is a fungus called xylaria polymorpha. It's a saprotrophic fungus which means it needs dead organic matter to grow. Terrifyingly, that means it would actually grow rapidly in a cemetery.
Whichever scientist out there had the idea to nickname this plant Dead Man’s Fungus had a weird sense of humor.
Terrifying Catch Of The Day
One can only imagine what the diver in this photo was going through as he was snatched by this giant sea creature while on board his own ship. It's not every day one of the smartest animals in the ocean appears from the depths to do something like this!
Creatures from the depths of the oceans can reach astonishing sizes. Hopefully, this human was able to make it to safety before anything worse than this terrifying struggle happened.
Husk Heads
What you see are dying flowers. But on first glance, it looks like little heads in the plants. Ghostly faces too, flowers don't usually look this way when they’re dying out so this is particularly creepy. But now you know just in case you run into something like this.
I’ve never seen a plant husk that dries out and looks like this, but we promise this photo isn’t staged. It’s the real, terrifying deal.
Another Scary Nest
This was found in a man's shed that was left alone for an extended period of time. The scary head feature is from a wood carving that was in the shed and apparently, a nest was formed over it. Walking into the shed and seeing this for the first time must have been borderline heart-stopping.
There is no horror movie I have ever seen that has produced something this instantly nightmare-inducing.
A New Transformation
Strolling through nature is always fun and a good time. That is until you come across something like this that looks like its transforming into an alien from another planet. Imagine that thing turned into that while you were walking by and proceeded to fly in your direction.
It's amazing to see something like this that you would never expect to see otherwise. The only time I’ve seen something this close is in school when they make you watch caterpillars turn into butterflies. That’s not nearly as scary though.
These Mammatus Clouds Following a Tornado Look Photoshopped
Mammatus clouds, also known as mammary clouds, get their name for their resemblance to udders. These strange clouds are formed when cold air is pushed down and forms pockets within the warm air. A man named Wiliam Clement Ley was the first person to record this phenomenon in the late 1890s.
You are most likely to see them following a thunderstorm or tornado. This photo was taken in Nevada after the latter.
Spot The Wrap-Around Spider
Spiders are already pretty scary on their own, but some of nature's creepiest spiders are the ones who can camouflage seamlessly. The wrap-around spider is known for being able to flatten its body to lay flat around tree limbs. These spiders are native to Australia (obviously, because everything scary lives there).
Just imagine, somewhere out there is a tree entirely covered with these terrifying spiders and you won’t realize it until it’s too late.
Newsflash: Scallops Have Eyes AND Teeth
If you thought scallops were just soft, delicious piece of seafood that weren't intimidating at all, you were wrong. Unbeknownst to most of us, scallops are must more metal than anyone thought. They not only have eyes, which are those beady little blue things all along the shell, but teeth too!
It makes sense, since they are a living organism in the sea but this is still shocking evidence that nature is terrifying.
Leopard Seals Are Actually Terrifying
We know what you're thinking: seals are nice, they do tricks in aquariums, what could be so scary about them? Well, leopard seals are a different story. It’s the second-largest seal in Antarctica and it’s only predator in the wild is the killer wale.
If you’re still not convinced it’s terrifying, just watch the scene in Happy Feet when a leopard seal chases Mumble. The seals feed on penguins in real life too.
Geese Aren't As Innocent As You’d Think
Everything nice you ever thought about geese is history. This photo changes everything about the animal. We had accepted the fact that geese have teeth on their beak. It makes sense so they can eat fish.
But then we saw this photo and realize they also have teeth on their tongue. With this revelation, normal geese just moved up a few notches on the scary scale alongside their Canadian Goose partners.
Don't Go Chasing Lavafalls
Don't go chasing lavafalls, just still to the volcanos and the ash that you’re used to. TLC warned us about this but we didn’t expect to see it in real life. This looks like the final battle scene in Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith. If we zoom in we’re expecting to see Anakin fighting Obi-Wan.
In reality, this is just proof that nature is terrifying and you don’t have to be in a sci-fi movie to see a scene like this.
Let's Make Spiders Even Scarier
If we haven't already shown you that tarantulas are terrifying, here’s another example. This tarantula is infected with cordycipitaceae, which is a parasitic fungi. The fungi is known for being brightly colored and growing upwards to the right.
Normally, the fungi will infect plants but it is possible to infect animals. While it won’t kill this tarantula, it will terrifying the living daylights out of anyone who comes across it.
Just A Casual 20 Ft. Jump
It's not enough for killer whales to be some of the most intelligent animals on the planet and be fierce ocean predators: they also have to be able to jump unreasonably high out of the water.
Free Willy is starting to make a lot more sense.
Don't Try To Box With A Polar Bear
Polar bears are actually known for being the largest land carnivores in the world, growing up to 2.8 m long and weighing close to 1800 lbs. Compared to other bear species who tend to live on a mixture of fruits/nuts and other animals, polar bears are strictly carnivorous.
Something that also separates them from other bear species is that most others will avoid attacking humans unless threatened, but polar bears will attack unprompted.
Bet You Didn't Know Amphibians Could Be This Big
This man is holding a giant Chinese salamander, the largest amphibian species in the world. Despite their size, these animals are very peaceful, but currently are considered an endangered species due to hunting and poaching.
Strangely, these large salamanders have been said to make noises similar to a crying toddler.
