Check your calendars, folks – it’s February 14, and you know what that means! That’s right, it’s time for yet another installment of WFN’s Top Catches!!
This is a story that defies the very laws of nature and science – in other words, it’s perfect for this article! Zebdee, a zebra shark that lives in an aquarium in Dubai, has been giving birth consistently over the last four years. This in itself isn’t unique, of course, but what is unique is the fact that Zebdee has had no contact with males over that time period. In other words, she’s been giving birth without mating. This is known as parthenogenesis, and if this carries over to Zebdee’s offspring, it could change everything that we previously thought we knew about the zebra shark. Zounds!
An ice fisherman in Montana recently had the ride of his life, thanks to a particularly strong gust of wind. While camping out in his ice shanty, he was suddenly propelled across the ice at an extremely high rate of speed after the wind ripped the shanty free of its moorings. Miraculously, he escaped the situation unscathed, although his equipment was strewn across the ice. All in all, he slid nearly two miles from his original position. Now that’s a strong wind!
Singing sensation Shakira had a scary scene with a sinister sea lion recently - or so she says. Alliteration aside, the Colombian pop star was on vacation when she decided that it would be a good idea to climb down onto some rocks and get close to some frolicking sea lions and seals. Before she knew it, a sea lion had jumped onto the rock next to her, where it “roared in fury” and tried to bite her. Before it could do any damage, her brother pulled her to safety.
Here’s a chilly cautionary tale; don’t fall asleep on a canal in sub-zero temperatures. A seagull in Duisburg, Germany found this out the hard way when he decided to take a nap while sitting on a canal. As temperatures dropped, ice began to form, and eventually the gull was encased in a block of ice up to its neck. The “river police” were called, and the gull was cut loose without suffering any injuries or long-term damage. Its feathers were probably a bit ruffled, though.
Apparently, this giant catfish angered the wrong people. Police in Unieux, a village in south-central France, received a call that a body wrapped in a sheet had been dumped into the Loire River. Fearing that a murder had taken place, several officers went to investigate, only to find that the body was that of a catfish. It’s really no wonder that they thought it was a human body, as the massive fish was over seven feet long. Maybe the codfather had something to do with it…
