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Nature Is Metal

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Gatekeeping Lunch📽 by @big.o14Squirrel saves his friend from snakeAt least that's what it looks like. Even when a video looks cut and dry like this it's hard to pin a bulletproof motive on a wild animal. Still, it's a nice story so we're gonna go with it.That said, animals don’t usually risk it all for random members of their species, so if this is a rescue attempt, that squirrel in the snake's grasp is probably a mating partner or of equal significance to the superman squirrel. The predator also matters, as squirrels are wise to the capabilities of the solitary snake. Once they are coiled around something their focus is on that - which leaves them vulnerable to attack.If this squirrel were attacked by something larger and more capable, like a coyote or a bobcat, the second squirrel would have to consider the fact that it might just be offering itself up to the predator - a two for one deal as it were. The fact is, squirrels and other prey species will tailor different danger responses to different predators. Snakes are on the low end of the danger spectrum, so the squirrel gets to be the hero today.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Nature Is Metal is powered by you!Did you record a wild video that you would like to get featured here?natureismetal.com/submissions is the absolute best place to send it.Our team checks the submission page daily by @natureismetal

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10 hours ago

No Man Steps In The Same River Twice📽 by @mlittle450rEvery year, migration drives thousands of wildebeest, impala, gazelle, and zebra to travel hundreds, even thousands of kilometers in search of better grazing and fresh water. To get where they are going, it is mandatory that they traverse the waterways that separate these lands, and in those rivers lurks a prehistoric predator that might as well have this yearly event marked on its very own crocodile calendar.A not-so-insignificant percentage of Nile crocodiles rely heavily on this migration for most of their annual food intake. These fiercely powerful predators kill everything they can during the migration, as the window to do so is finite.In this instance, the caught zebra was only able to escape by leaving behind a vital part of itself for the crocodile to munch on. Despite the odds now being heavily stacked against it, the zebra has no choice but to keep moving forward, driven by it own resilience and the immediate need to get as far away from this river as fate will allow.No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he is not the same man- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Nature Is Metal is powered by you!Did you record a wild video that you would like to get featured here?natureismetal.com/submissions is the absolute best place to send it.Our team checks the submission page daily by @natureismetal

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a day ago

A Quick Rundown📽 by @megbargsFisher chases down and captures a hareDespite their common name, fishers rarely eat fish. They're omnivorous when it suits their needs, but all other times they are primarily carnivores, preying on snowshoe hares, squirrels, rodents, birds, reptiles. Fishers are among the rare predators capable of successfully hunting and killing porcupines. Where most others just leave them be, viewing them as more work than they are worth, fishers make easy work of them, achieving this feat by attacking the porcupine's face, then flipping it over to consume its underbelly.Fishers are in the same family as martens, wolverines, badgers, weasels, stoats/ermines, ferrets, minks, river otters, and sea otters. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Nature Is Metal is powered by you!Did you record a wild video that you would like to get featured here?natureismetal.com/submissions is the absolute best place to send it.Our team checks the submission page daily by @natureismetal

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2 days ago

Tempting Fate📽 by @temboworldAs you can see, our mother hippo here is massive, quite aggressive, and if need be, capable of inflicting catastrophic injury, especially if she thinks her calf is threatened. In fact, this is just a description I found online, about every hippo. It rings true because it's 100% accurate. This lone male lion has a real chance of being badly wounded or killed in a direct clash with an animal that size, so stalking from a distance can be more about testing for weakness or looking for a window of opportunity than anything else. For example: lets say the mom tripped and fell while she was moving, temporarily hindering her ability to provide protection to her young one. The lion is waiting for something like that to happen.Although hoping for a fortune bounce in his direction, it does not come this time - which is probably for the best. Hippos are hard targets for entire prides, a lone lion would have its work cut out for it and then some, probably best to move on to greener pastures and easier prey.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Nature Is Metal is powered by you!Did you record a wild video that you would like to get featured here?natureismetal.com/submissions is the absolute best place to send it.Our team checks the submission page daily by @natureismetal

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3 days ago

On The Sly📽 by megmcjohnsonFoxes thrive in urban environments due to a combination of successful traits: they are medium-sized, have flexible diets and behavior, use various forms of shelter, and can adjust their activity to avoid humans while still using human-made resources.As generalists, they utilize diverse food sources, including small mammals, birds, eggs, insects, fruit, carrion, and human food waste from bins or discarded meals, making them less dependent on a single source. They are also behaviorally flexible, with urban foxes often being more nocturnal and bolder, which allows them to safely exploit city resources like gardens and unattended pet food, compared to their more wary urban counterparts. Their size, agility, and keen senses make them well-suited for navigating and finding resources in human-made landscapes.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Nature Is Metal is powered by you!Did you record a wild video that you would like to get featured here?natureismetal.com/submissions is the absolute best place to send it.Our team checks the submission page daily by @natureismetal

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4 days ago

Hard To Kill📽 by @kingzfieldEverything went right in this hunt, and the squirrel still managed to escape. Somehow, while on the ground with the hawk imposing itself upon it, the squirrel managed to wriggle itself free of the crushing talons and abscond up the tree where the hawk could not easily re-engage.While the squirrel is not out of the woods by any means, it has staved off its immediate demise. The sharp talons used to pin the squirrel would have almost certainly made their telltale mark, the question becomes what part of the squirrel's body were the wounds sustained.Whatever the outcome, the will to live is strong in that one. Hopefully that escape bought it more than just a moment.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Nature Is Metal is powered by you!Did you record a wild video that you would like to get featured here?natureismetal.com/submissions is the absolute best place to send it.Our team checks the submission page daily by @natureismetal

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5 days ago

Finders Keepers📽 by @elltothemaxAs omnivores, baboons won't turn down a meal, and young impalas are certainly on the menu. While they could easily survive without catching a wobbly newborn, the chance to capitalize on such an opportune moment is often too good to pass up.Animal protein is a highly nutrient-dense food, providing concentrated amino acids, fat, and minerals that are often harder to obtain from plants alone. This richness in essential nutrients and overall density is why many animals, even those primarily herbivorous or frugivorous, will eat meat opportunistically, as it offers not only energy and protein but also essential micronutrients scarce in plant-based diets.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Nature Is Metal is powered by you!Did you record a wild video that you would like to get featured here?natureismetal.com/submissions is the absolute best place to send it.Our team checks the submission page daily by @natureismetal

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6 days ago

Still Got It📽 by @adaminthebushAn old jaguar kills a new caimanNearly two decades of experience means this cat is well-versed in this deadly game, whereas the young caiman was easily outmatched. The dynamic of the young providing sustenance for the old is ancient, though rarely as starkly literal as it plays out in these photos. The experienced know the rules; the naive young are simply easy prey.Patricia is a legendary and instantly recognizable jaguar in the Pantanal. Estimated to be 15 or 16 years old, her weathered face and distinctive clouded blue eye have made her a living icon of the river system. Local guides and researchers believe her blue eye is likely the result of glaucoma and age-related degeneration, rather than an injury from a past conflict.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Nature Is Metal is powered by you!Did you record a wild video that you would like to get featured here?natureismetal.com/submissions is the absolute best place to send it.Our team checks the submission page daily by @natureismetal

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7 days ago

The Most Magical Place On Earth📽 by @tkolich84Great egret giving the young ones a quick lesson in how nature works.These birds eat mostly fish, but they also take frogs and other amphibians, crustaceans, aquatic insects, snakes, small reptiles, small mammals, and occasionally, other birds. Great egrets usually hunt by standing still or slowly wading in shallow water, then stabbing at prey with a fast thrust of the bill, although they will also forage in open fields or manmade greenspaces like this one.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Nature Is Metal is powered by you!Did you record a wild video that you would like to get featured here?natureismetal.com/submissions is the absolute best place to send it.Our team checks the submission page daily by @natureismetal

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12 days ago

Life Is Pane📽 by @raynasageWindows can be a challenge for birds, they obviously have no idea that a hard surface can be nearly invisible to the naked eye. To them, it just looks like a passable corridor and not a head-smashing barrier, plus they are already in motion. What might not be obvious to us non-flyers is that it's kinda hard to slam on the brakes mid-flight.If by chance you have birds smashing into your house on the regular and you did not hit a gypsy with your car recently, there are countermeasures you can implement to prevent this - unless of course you are cool with the occasional crash and bang of a birdie meeting its end when their flightpath and your outer glass meet.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Nature Is Metal is powered by you!Did you record a wild video that you would like to get featured here?natureismetal.com/submissions is the absolute best place to send it.Our team checks the submission page daily by @natureismetal

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14 days ago

Serendipity📽 by @jupiterneilsen Tarantula hawk gets robbed of its victim by an invasive gold dust day gecko. Here's another way of looking at this: the spider (the tarantula hawk's paralyzed victim) is actually being saved by the gecko from a worse fate. The spider wasp was (obviously) robbed in transit, presumably that journey would have ended at the wasps burrow, where she would have laid a single egg on the abdomen of the spider and then stuffed it into a previously prepared chamber, which would then be sealed with the spider and egg inside. When the egg on the abdomen of the spider hatches, it creates a small hole. Through this hole, the wasp larvae enters the spiders body and begins to feed - carefully avoiding the spiders vital organs for as long as possible to prolong the spiders life. The wasp larvae empties out the spiders abdomen completely. When the time comes, the fully grown adult wasp emerges from its morbid cocoon and the cycle begins again. The gecko definitely did that spider a favor- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Nature Is Metal is powered by you!Did you record a wild video that you would like to get featured here?natureismetal.com/submissions is the absolute best place to send it.Our team checks the submission page daily by @natureismetal

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15 days ago

There Goes Macaque📽 by @caseybarrickAmerican alligator chokes down an invasive rhesus macaqueFlorida’s rhesus macaques were introduced in the 1930s around Silver Springs after a small group was released as a tourist attraction, and over time they established a free-ranging population in the surrounding area. They became invasive because rhesus macaques are highly adaptable, reproduce successfully in Florida’s climate, and are strong swimmers, which helped them spread beyond the original release site.Today they are considered a management problem because they are non-native, can affect native wildlife, and may carry Herpes B virus. That matters because Herpes B virus is typically harmless to the monkeys carrying it, but potentially devastating to humansEfforts to control them have included trapping and removal in the past, and more recent management discussions have focused on continued population reduction or sterilization because research suggests the population will keep growing without sustained intervention.It's nice to see the local population of alligators also have a plan to deal with this destructive non-native species.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Nature Is Metal is powered by you!Did you record a wild video that you would like to get featured here?natureismetal.com/submissions is the absolute best place to send it.Our team checks the submission page daily by @natureismetal

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17 days ago