Living Alongside Wildlife
1. Monkeys in the pool
Sometimes, we don’t have to go back much further than our primate ancestry to get some animals in places we wouldn’t expect. Here, we find some of our furry cousins taking a dip in a residential pool. The likely reasons these baboons felt so inclined to take a swim was the oppressive heat of their surroundings.
The species of Old World monkey (as opposed to New World monkeys like the Capuchin) are endemic to places like the arid savanna where temperatures can reach 86 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer months. Because of this, they are often inspired to find a wet place to take a dip. In this instance, that place just so happened to be a person’s pool.
2. Lions on your staircase
Okay, lions on your staircase isn’t exactly something that happens frequently. If you do experience this, it’s likely that you foster the furry beast at your house and it has only ascended the stairs because of your permission. That is, as you may have expected, the case here.
This lion is at least in part domesticated. It did, however, attack a guest of the family that raises it. Having come over for an afternoon tea, the lion jumped up with glee. Unfortunately, the lion’s glee doesn’t necessarily translate to a human’s. This is because the lion bites and claws when it’s happy. Human flesh isn’t necessarily the best recipient of such treatment…
3. Thirsty rats
We’re not entirely sure what this vat contains. While it looks like milk, it very well could be some sort of muck. Whatever it is, the toddler in the photo feels compelled to thrust his hands within the creamy mixture. And it’s gross. The worst part, though, is clearly the rats.
The mixture, fortunately for us, is likely just milk. While we’re not sure why this family is hosting just a disgustingly large vat of the stuff, we know what sorts of creatures find it attractive—our furry little friend the rat. But here, was have more than just one. We have a colony. At least the child is not afraid?
4. Spiders in your shoe
Spiders are one of the worst creatures to have evolved. While some of them are cute and not too poisonous (see the Ogre-Faced Spider as an example), others are just the opposite—poisonous, obnoxious, and sometimes even deadly. The black widow is one of the most notorious examples.
Here, we see the eight-legged arachnid migrating into the sole of someone’s shoe. The spiders like to keep themselves out of harm’s way, and one place for them to safely take refuge is the sole of one of your shoes. Take this as a message: if you’re going to leave your shoes outside in an area where these spiders live, make sure you shake them out before you put them on.
5. Pigs in the Bahamas
There are a few places where you would expect to see a pig: a farm, a stable—but never the Bahamas! In Exuma, however, an island chain in the Bahamas, the pigs roam free, and they roam in style. The place has been subject to all sorts of interesting historical peccadilloes other than pigs, however.
It has, for instance, been the home of the pirate Pablo Escobar. It was also the home of the attempted and drastically failed Fyre Festival. But it was none of these things that brought the island to its current status in the mind’s eye: it was the pigs. Apparently the pigs started with an initial founder population of only five. The rest is now history…
6. Crocodiles in the pool
The pool is a place that attracts many wild beasts. While we’ve already seen this for monkeys like the baboon, it can happen for others too. Some of these other creatures, however, happen to be a little more intimidating. Here, we find one such creature: the crocodile.
The crocodile in this photo is by no means unique, however. Since the animal is by nature amphibious, many of them will find themselves in pools around the world, mistaking the lavish backyard additions for their natural habitat. You’re not the only one who wants to make that refreshing pool a summer getaway. You might want to look before you swim.
7. Monkeys take the wheel
Most people don’t think of our furry primate cousins as terrorists. They should. Here, they try to hijack a car to engage in a heist. We suspect they’re going to rob a bank. While their direct course of action cannot be known, we know their intent is devious: you can just tell by the way they’re looking at the driver.
While monkeys are clearly experts at hiding firearms (where are they?!), they are not the best at reaching the pedals. This is the only reason all of us haven’t been pulled from our cars and hijacked on the freeway. If these furry beasts could drive, they would.
8. Raccoons want your trash
Raccoons are known as tyrants in the animal kingdom. But they’re also known as sleuths. If you turn your back on one, the saying goes, they’ll steal your wallet and all your credit card info. They suck! But they also have an endearingly strong passion for garbage.
This is just great, because they do us the favor of tearing up those pesky bags we put it in. I mean, who wants their garbage in a bag? The only reason we sequester it is so that the feeling of liberation is all the greater once the moment comes. Raccoons just beat us to the punch. And who can blame ’em! Anyway, this little rascal is getting a little friendly in somebody’s clearly clean house.
9. Death from above!
Your house isn’t always safe. Sometimes, you’re just trying to sit down and enjoy some lemonade when all of sudden…wham! You’re attacked by one of these things. And the death is nearly as swift as the attack itself. These furry flying ninjas have talons as sharp as daggers, and you are the pure subject of their will.
Wings provide an advantage in the animal kingdom, and here they show that the appendages create a cold-blooded killing machine. I mean, just look at its eyes! Clearly it has death on the mind. And if it wasn’t trying to kill you, it was likely trying to kill your wife. We’d recommend you watch your back, unless you want to become another victim…
10. Hmm…tree goats?
What are those goats doing in that tree?! Well, clearly they’re plotting our demise. There’s no reason for a goat to enter a tree other than to gain some solitude for some well-thought-out duplicity. Here, you can tell their plans are nuclear fission technology.
This is the most parsimonious explanation for why there are so many: you can only build nuclear technology with numbers—one goat won’t cut it. Some people have tried to hide this fact by suggesting the goats are really just eating tree fruit. We all know this is a lie. These goat-sympathizers are also trying to bring the downfall of civilization. Don’t listen to them…
11. Skate or die
Here we have a cute little animal that’s probably cooler than any of us. Clearly, it can bust out kickflips and bigger spins like it is nothing. If we had to challenge this thing to a duel of the boards, we would probably lose. This would surely be an unpleasant way to go.
In all reality, this dog is probably only marginally good on the board. While the likes of Tony Hawk and co. can probably skate circles around it, it can skate circles around its bed or owner’s couch with unparalleled vigor. We’d like to see Tony Hawk do that. Really, if he’s out there, somebody get it on film.
12. Too much fun
When you put all of your pets together in one giant aggregate mass, you’re going to have a bad time. Here, we have a prime example of this. We have what appears to be a Sheprador, wrapped with a snake/scarf, and, to top it all off, a koala just for fun. Each of these pets create a triumvirate of pure power.
You wouldn’t want to get in the way of this indefatigable trio. It’s clear they have their mind bent on world domination. And with the combined powers of the three of them, they are exceptionally likely to get it. You could get bitten by the dog, poisoned by the snake, or mauled by the koala. Whatever it is, the result would not be fun.
13. You scratch my back…
There’s a saying in the animal kingdom: you scratch my back and I scratch yours. It applies across a broad range of phenomena. Maybe somebody picks up your dry cleaning. To make up for it, maybe you’ll have to help your friend bury a body. Who knows what sort of fun will be in store for you!
Okay, thankfully such chores are not often asked of us. But here, we can’t be too certain. This dog is literally scratching the back of one of his dog compatriots. While it’s very possible that his paws were just placed there, we suspect that that is not the case. Either way, we’re curious what sort of tasks this dog will ask for in return.
14. A Mexican standoff
Here, we have a traditional Mexican standoff. The cat arches its back, ready to act with its set of duel revolvers. And the dog, clearly racked with cowardice, shudders to do the same. While we suspect the cat will come out victorious, we can never know for sure. Only time will tell with the battle between these two titans.
Another reason to think this cat might dominate is that it seems just a tad bit feral. It has, in other words, been around the block a few times. It also, which is very sad to contemplate, looks like it’s lost an eye. What we should be most likely to question here is why somebody was taking a photo of this slowly unfolding duel.
15. Snakes in the shower
Snakes have the tenacious habit of showing up where they’re not wanted. Any time their path tends to coincide with humans’, this tends to be the case. Here, we find an unfortunate snake terrorizing a woman in the shower. While she doesn’t have the wherewithal to run, she does at least try to elevate herself out of the snake’s reach.
We know her attempts are useless, though. Snakes are ruthless killers, and undoubtedly aim to kill her. While the snake doesn’t look to be the size capable of eating her whole, we all know looks can be deceiving. Many snakes, for instance, can unhinge their jaws such that they can consume something many times their body size.
16. Warm your heart
The most heartwarming relationships are those that you least expect. Here, that friendship is between a milk goat and a cat. Actually, it’s between two milk goats and a cat. Yes, we know, this relationship is awesome. What makes it so awesome is what it shows about species with a common goal.
The photo above makes it clear that the animals are warm and trying to find shade (hence their place of refuge in the photo). Because of this, they are having put their differences aside and fit themselves to the shade. We can take note here: to share the finite resources here on Earth, we must work together in solidarity. If we don’t, somebody will be left out of the shade.
17. Snakes on a beach
Normally, there’s a certain type of environment in which we expect to find snakes. Rattlesnakes, for instance, we expect to find in the desert—not necessarily on a beach of fragmented shells. This rattlesnake, however, tends to differ. A natural renegade by nature, this snake likes to live life on the edge. This life happens to be on shells.
This snake clearly doesn’t have a problem taking to the broken shells that line this depot. Perhaps they’re great at absorbing heat. The added warmth would help the cold-blooded animal to regulate its temperature if the climate that surrounds it got a little too cold for comfort.
18. Bats!
There are few creatures that invoke such a shrieking fear as bats. And here, that fear has been squelched by the likes of the home’s most fearsome predator: the cat. This little mix decided that it was time to dox the flying mammalian nuisance from existence. While we’re not sure it was the cat that ended this flying pest, it seems like a safe bet.
Bats, much like mice and other small mammals, are great at finding their way through small spaces. Because of this, they can often end up in houses to terrorize otherwise innocent homeowners. And in this case, that is surely what we have: the bat enters the house, the owners scream, and the cat comes careening to the rescue.
19. Animals in space
Animals don’t really belong in space. Well, at least not in the way we’ve put them there. Both the United States and Russia sent many animals beyond Earth’s escape velocity during the ’60s’ so-called “Space Race.” Here, we see the chimpanzee Enu getting ready for a one-way trip to Mercury.
While it might be utterly depressing that many of these animals were not expected to make it back alive, the idea was that we had to use them in order to ensure that the travel was safe for humans. Nowadays, we don’t have to undergo the same types of testing. We can thank brave ape souls like Enu for this.
20. Animals from the sky
There are many animals that take to the trees to keep a leg up on predators or prey. This ring-tailed coati is no different. The carnivorous mammal makes its home among the trees in places like South America. More specifically, you can find it in places like the Andes, Colombia, and Uruguay.
What this photo offers, then, is an image of a creature that is right where it’s supposed to be: arboreal. But the placement does offer some interesting food for thought: if you’re walking through the Colombian rain forest, you might expect an aerial shock from one of these carnivorous bad boys.
21. What’s in the hole?
There’s a famous scene in the blockbuster movie “Seven” where Brad Pitt questions his partner, Morgan Freeman, by asking, “What’s in the box?!” While we, the audience, know very well what is in that box, Brad Pitt is none the wiser. The anticipation of what he will do once he finds out leaves us in pure suspense.
Anyway, that famous scene relates to this photo for clear reasons. We, those quizzically peering into this hole, want to know—and there’s no telling what we’ll do once we find out. Well, in this case, we’d likely recoil, because this hole houses none other than the trapdoor spider. And, if you’re anything like us, you’ll want to avoid these eight-legged freaks for as long as you possibly can.
22. Monkeys get warm
Monkeys aren’t necessarily those creatures you expect to find in natural hot springs. Yet, in Japan, you can find these snow monkeys bathing away in the Jigokudani Monkey Park. Unfortunately, if these monkeys take to the springs, you had better get out. They are a protected species and hanging with them is prohibited.
But another reason to avoid the furry creatures is their tenacious curiosity; they happen to have the tendency to plunder phones and other human tech. If you’d like to keep possession of your expensive smartphone, then, it might be best to evacuate. Otherwise you might end up with an expensive and inaccessible monkey selfie.
23. Better watch out
Sometimes the toilet harbors something much more foul than you would expect. In this case, it harbors one of the most vehemently despised creatures on all planet Earth: a snake. In this photo, we see an Alabama resident’s worst nightmare: a four-foot-long snake crawling from the bowls of their sewage system.
Fortunately, some people maintain the expertise that affords them the ability to resurrect these irksome beasts from the sewers. Without them, we should surely perish. Clearly the snakes only make their way into the toilets as a ploy to eventually overthrow humanity. Without these harrowing do-gooders, we would certainly be in trouble.
24. Need a tow?
Here, we have a little horse tied to a truck in what appears to be some Siberian tundra. It could also be Asia. It’s difficult to tell. However, what we do know is that this horse is likely not employed to tow the truck. The thing likely weighs a few tons, and despite the horse’s formidable pulling power, it probably couldn’t pull this little truck.
More likely is that the horse was tied just to keep it here. Sometimes there’s a shortage of places to tie your horse. When in such a shortage, nice little trucks like this can help. It’s also possible that the horse was trying to steal berries from a local market, and tying it to this truck was deemed the appropriate punishment.
25. Hungry, hungry goats
Here, we have another goat in a place that you might not have expected. This goat is also hungry. It’s also likely defacing someone’s tree and should be fined. Anyway, why is this goat outside and roaming about? Doesn’t it have an owner? Shouldn’t it be inside?
Whatever person is responsible for this goat, they are clearly out of the picture. And without a human presence, this goat is free to roam about and eat other people’s trees. We should really install a police force specifically endowed with the ability to fine these goats. They really ought to pay for their meals like the rest of us.