Animal Comedy Club, in Full Swing
You'll see the cute, the ugly and the hilarious ones - all pictures taken in that special moment when animal expressions are the most natural and full of meaning. Also watch for the unique interactions between animals, and animals with humans - often source for a pure comedy gold.
Traditionally, we start with cutest ones
Traditionally, we start with cutest ones
Hail Control Gun
A single hail storm can destroy the year’s harvest. For over 25 years, this gun has been used by vine and fruit growers in France, Spain, Austria and Belgium for one purpose: control nature.
The guns functioning is argued by scientists (it is difficult to prove its results) but already 150 years ago farmers in the Alps used primitive manually controlled versions that worked on carbide. So if it could not make the hail disappear, at least the bang would scare some crows.
With this gun, every five seconds ionizing (high energy) shock waves go up in the air. These reach very fast the high atmosphere, up to 15000m, at -50°C, where the hail is created. A part of the waves will be reverberated by the clouds and the tropopause. These strike against the climbing waves. As a result their speed and energy is enhanced and they transport a large ionizing potential (ionizing means sweeping away electrons). Because the waves move constantly up and down, a mixture of polarities is created in the cloud. They can no longer take on water drops or vapour. They fall down and, during their fall, range over the disturbance area that is created by the shock waves. Consequently, the stones are smashed. Eventually, the hail falls down on the ground in the form of rain or wet snow.
The machine costs approximately 40.000 Euros, which is rather pricy for a scarecrow…
Say cheese! The shocking moment a croc took a snap at a posing fisherman
Teeth flashing and jaws wide open, a 12ft crocodile lunges at fisherman Novon Mashiah and comes crashing down on his boat, inches from its intended prey.
Mr Mashiah - who moments before had been posing for a photograph with the reptile as it approached - decides it was not the brightest of ideas and hits the outboard engine to escape.
The crocodile had swum towards the boat hoping to be fed fish. "I was shocked, the animal clearly wanted to kill me," said 27-year-old Mr Mashiah.
"One minute I was leaning over the boat teasing it for a picture. The next minute it burst out of the water with incredible speed.
"I jumped back and the croc landed on the boat and then slapped into the water. I was shaking."
Mr Mashiah's friend Doron Aviguy, 22, took the photograph from a bigger boat nearby. The two Israelis are working as fishermen on the South Alligator River in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Mr Mashiah said: "They come near the boat all the time, probably because we are fishing. I was laughing, but it wasn't funny in the end. I didn't realise that crocs were so aggressive."
While Mr Mashiah escaped without injury in the attack, he has received a savaging from people who read his story in their local paper.
"What the bloody hell did you expect, then?" asked one writer. "That the croc would jump up, put his arm around your neck and smile for the camera? What a fool you are."
"What an idiot," said another blogger, pointing out that crocs eat things - "especially stupid people who get too close for a happy snap for the holiday album. Play with fire - you will get burnt."
A writer called Darren commented: "What a dimwit. Considering you still have both hands, use one of them to slap yourself!"
Mr Mashiah - who moments before had been posing for a photograph with the reptile as it approached - decides it was not the brightest of ideas and hits the outboard engine to escape.
The crocodile had swum towards the boat hoping to be fed fish. "I was shocked, the animal clearly wanted to kill me," said 27-year-old Mr Mashiah.
"One minute I was leaning over the boat teasing it for a picture. The next minute it burst out of the water with incredible speed.
"I jumped back and the croc landed on the boat and then slapped into the water. I was shaking."
Mr Mashiah's friend Doron Aviguy, 22, took the photograph from a bigger boat nearby. The two Israelis are working as fishermen on the South Alligator River in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Mr Mashiah said: "They come near the boat all the time, probably because we are fishing. I was laughing, but it wasn't funny in the end. I didn't realise that crocs were so aggressive."
While Mr Mashiah escaped without injury in the attack, he has received a savaging from people who read his story in their local paper.
"What the bloody hell did you expect, then?" asked one writer. "That the croc would jump up, put his arm around your neck and smile for the camera? What a fool you are."
"What an idiot," said another blogger, pointing out that crocs eat things - "especially stupid people who get too close for a happy snap for the holiday album. Play with fire - you will get burnt."
A writer called Darren commented: "What a dimwit. Considering you still have both hands, use one of them to slap yourself!"
