A British wildlife student died after being bitten by a deadly black mamba snake. Nathan Layton, 27, was attacked by the snake as he walked in long grass with a group of teachers and fellow students during a trip to South Africa. His girlfriend, Laura Woolley, was with him and watched in horror as Layton fell into a coma, from which he never recovered.
The black mamba is the world’s second largest venomous snake, capable of reaching 14 feet in length. It’s also one of the deadliest, carrying up to 20 drops of venom in its fangs, but requiring only two drops of venom to kill an adult human.
Sky News
A shark attacked and killed a 16-year-old boy Tuesday while he and a friend were bodyboarding off Australia’s east coast. Peter Edmonds was about 50 yards from shore when the shark attacked. Edmonds suffered two large bites, one to his leg and one to his chest. He died from extreme blood loss while lifeguards and paramedics frantically tried to save him.
It was the first fatal shark attack in Australia in two years. In spite of all the media attention, shark attacks are extremely rare. You are three times more likely to be struck by lightning than to be bitten by a shark, and thousands of times more likely to be killed while driving to the beach. There are an average of 32 shark attacks per year in U.S. waters, with only 11 fatalities between 1990 and 2004.
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The Red Sox-Yankees rivalry is intense, but this is going too far. Once again, "A-Rod" got an unfriendly welcome at Fenway Park. But this time it was 13-year-old Alexa Rodriguez, and not the Yankees All-Star third baseman Alex Rodriguez.
Alexa was touring Fenway Park on a school trip Thursday when she was attacked by a red-tailed hawk living in the upper deck behind home plate. The hawk drew a little blood from her scalp, but Alexa was not seriously injured. The hawk, perched on a railing while the students toured the stadium, swooped with its talons extended right at the girl, scratching her scalp. Wildlife officials removed the hawk’s nest and egg.
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Dinosaurs were the dominant animals on Earth for over 160 million years. Fortunately for humans, the dinosaurs’ reign ended about 65 million years ago in a mass extinction event believed to have been caused by a large asteroid striking the Earth.
Of all the dinosaurs to roam the Earth, the Tyrannosaurus Rex was one of the most deadly. The T-Rex was 40 feet long and stood 20 feet tall, weighed 16,000 pounds, and had bone-crushing jaws that could splinter prey like toothpicks.
See all 7 deadly dinosaurs
British teach Kate Drew, working as a volunteer teacher in Tanzania, was spending a few weeks traveling across Africa on a bus with other backpackers. As part of the trip, they visited a game reserve where lions are bred to be released back into the wild. Tourists can pay £24 to walk with several of the big cats, which are considered tame enough for contact with humans.
Suddenly a lion pounced on Drew from behind and pulled her to the ground, sinking its teeth into the back of her neck. As wardens rushed to help, the 400-pound lion kept Drew firmly in its grip, its jaws just missing her brain stem. Seconds later, Drew was rescued, dripping with blood. The bite wounds left her needing 13 stitches.
Recalling the attack, Drew said she assumed she was a “goner” after the lion pounced. As it held her on the ground, she was even more terrified to see two more lions running her way. Wardens believe the lion only intended to “play” with her after being attracted by her mane-like long blonde hair.
More at the Daily Mail
In spite of all our differences, the one thing that binds all living creatures is that we each have an expiration date. This finality to our existence is what makes life special, something to be cherished and protected. But occasionally things can go terribly wrong…
