Pete Thomas Outdoors

Time to be on lookout for Yellowstone grizzly bears

Spring is just around the corner, and in Yellowstone National Park that means it’s time to be on the lookout for grizzly bears.

If the past few years are an indication, the first sighting of 2022 could occur any day, despite cold temperatures in the park.

In 2019, the first known sighting occurred March 8. The bear was spotted between Canyon Village and the Fishing Bridge. Paw prints from another grizzly bear were discovered days later between Mammoth Hot Springs and Norris Junction.

In 2020, the first sighting was logged March 7 near Grand Prismatic Spring in the Midway Geyser Basin.

“Now that bears are emerging from winter dens, visitors should be excited for the chance to view and photograph them, but they should also treat bears with respect and caution,” Kerry Gunther, the park’s bear management specialist, said after the sighting was announced.

In 2021, the first sighting was logged March 13 by a pilot participating in a wildlife study over an undisclosed location. The bear was interacting with wolves that were feeding on a large animal carcass.

“When bears first emerge from hibernation, they look for carcasses at lower elevations and spring vegetation in thermal meadows and south-facing slopes for nourishment,” Gunther explained.

Male grizzly bears are typically first to emerge from hibernation, beginning in early March. Momma bears with cubs leave their dens in April and early May.

Although wintry weather might persist in and around the park for the next several weeks, visitors are urged to exercise caution.

“Hikers, skiers, and snowshoers should travel in groups of three or more, carry bear spray, and make noise,” Gunther cautioned.

According to Yellowstone National Park, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bear population is an estimated 728 bears. About 150 grizzly bears occupy territory inside or partially inside the park.

–Grizzly bear images are courtesy of Yellowstone National Park

Footballfish? Rarely seen denizen washes ashore at Newport Beach

By Pete Thomas/ForTheWin Outdoors

A man walking on a Southern California beach Friday discovered a well-preserved carcass of a bizarre-looking fish that typically resides at depths of 2,000-plus feet.

The extraordinary discovery of what has since been identified as a female Pacific footballfish, a type of anglerfish, was made by Ben Estes at Crystal Cove State Park in Newport Beach.

Images of the 18-inch anglerfish were captured by Estes and Crystal Cove employees, and shared to Facebook on Saturday by Davey’s Locker Sportfishing & Whale Watching.

It’s been identified as a deep-sea Pacific footballfish, which is a species of anglerfish that normally dwell at depths more than 3,000 ft below the surface,” Davey’s Locker wrote. “It’s one of more than 300 living species of anglerfish from around the world. Though the fish itself is not rare, it is extremely rare to see one this intact along a beach in southern CA.”

ALSO ON FTW OUTDOORS: Boaters swim with giant basking sharks during rare encounter off San Diego

Encounters with anglerfish are exceedingly rare because of the extreme, lightless depths at which they reside.

In 2014, scientists with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute captured ROV footage of an anglerfish swimming 2,000 feet below the surface.

Dr. Bruce Robison of MBARI described the anglerfish as being “among the most rarely seen of all deep-sea fishes.”  Robison described the footage as first of its kind. The 3.5-inch fish was collected for study.

In 1985 a Pacific footballfish was caught in a fisherman’s net in Monterey Bay and collected by the California Academy of Sciences. The Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro also has one on exhibit.

Most species of anglerfish measure less than 12 inches. They’re called anglerfish because first spine of their dorsal fins, called the illicium, extends outward and contains a phosphorescent bulb intended to lure prey.

They snatch up prey, usually small fish or squid, with long, sharp teeth.

While anglerfish fish are rarely observed, many will find them to look familiar based on a scene in the popular animated movie “Finding Nemo,” in which Marlin and Dory are entranced by the glowing light and narrowly escape capture.

The Pacific footballfish discovered Friday was collected by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and it was unclear Saturday where it would end up.

–Images are courtesy of Ben Estes and Crystal Cove State Park

Photographer captures rare image of breaching sea snake

By Pete Thomas

A wildlife photographer this week shared a “super rare” photo showing a large sea snake breaching nearly clear of the surface at the Great Barrier Reef in the Coral Sea.

The eye-catching image caused some of Rachelle Mackintosh’s Instagram followers to look twice while trying to figure out precisely what they were seeing.

But Mackintosh assured in her description that it was an olive sea snake, a venomous reef predator that typically remains hidden by day, breaking the surface in what seemed a bizarre behavior.

Mackintosh, from Sydney, Australia, captured the image in June 2017. The snake measured 6-plus feet.

She was on a multi-day diving expedition at Ribbon Reefs, a remote section of the Great Barrier Reef known for its marine diversity and pristine waters, “to spend a few days swimming with dwarf minke whales.”

“One of the coolest things about them is that their vocalizations sound like Jedi light sabres in action,” Mackintosh joked. “They’re also very friendly and will hang out around the boat for hours on end.”

But for several moments, the olive sea snake stole the spotlight.

“The snake seemed to appear from nowhere and swam on the surface for a couple of seconds, when suddenly it started doing this weird little move where it would slightly lift its head, like it was looking for something,” Mackintosh recalled. “Then it did this full kind of lift out of the water and then splashed down and disappeared again.

“It was super surreal – and one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.” Mackintosh said she was told by a researcher that the snake might have been trying to escape predation by sharks, or merely inspecting its surroundings, or simply engaging in playful behavior.

Olive sea snakes are common along Australia’s northern coast and throughout the Great Barrier Reef. They must surface to breathe but can remain submerged for up to two hours. They typically prey on small fish and crustaceans, primarily at night, and hide in reefs during the day.

While olive sea snakes are not aggressive toward humans, they will bite if threatened or harassed, and bites can be fatal.

–Images courtesy of Rachelle Mackintosh

Humpback whale and newborn calf play role in man falling overboard

By Pete Thomas

A tourist in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, while flying a drone from his hotel balcony, has captured footage of a humpback whale helping to cause a man to fall overboard. Also featured in Lou Boyer's footage is a humpback whale calf born just hours earlier, and turkey vultures going after the drone.

Boyer's footage, captured Nov. 29 from Playa Grande Resort, is wonderfully narrated but here are a few observations:

The whales in question appear at 52 seconds and involve a momma humpback whale and her newborn calf – likely born the same day – and most likely a male “escort” whale.

It’s almost certainly not the father, as mentioned in the footage. Male humpbacks mate with multiple females and do not show loyalty to a single female after mating.

It’s typical for an “escort” to travel with a momma and calf, according to researcher Alisa Schulman-Janiger, as sort of a protector hoping, at some point, for a mating opportunity.

Also, keep an eye on the man, or person, in the pink shirt. As momma whale approaches the boat while supporting the calf on her head, the man lays down at the bow and tries to touch the calf.

As the whales swim beneath the boat toward the stern, the other people move to the port side briefly while the man in the pink shirt walks toward the stern on the starboard side.

The whale seems to be nudging the boat just before the other people rush back to the starboard side, causing the boat to sharply tilt, dumping the man overboard.

So this sudden shift of weight, perhaps more than the nudging of the vessel by the whale, appears to have led to the man falling overboard. (He was safely lifted back aboard.)

At this point, a small patch of blood appears near momma whale’s flukes. As researcher Nico Ransome pointed out via social media, the newborn calf  – note the floppiness of its flukes – and the blood could have spilled from the mother’s birth canal.

An unrelated highlight begins at 2:39, as turkey vultures begin pursuing Boyer’s drone as it’s being retrieved over the rocky landscape. At 3:18 one of the large birds swoops in and is captured on camera at close range.

Boyer, who is from Huntington Beach, Calif., took evasive measures and safely retrieved his device.

Shark helps create ghostly image in school of salmon

By Pete Thomas

Ghost or Grinch? These are just two observations regarding an image captured via drone Friday off Australia’s Bondi Beach, just in time for Halloween.

The image, captured by Drone Shark App and shared via social media, shows two swimmers and what’s described as a grey nurse shark swimming through an immense school of salmon just yards from shore.

The swimmers parted the salmon in the form of two circular clearings, which appear as eyes in a ghost-like face, while the shark cleared an area that might be perceived as a mouth.

The salmon school was so dense that the swimmers and shark seemed oblivious to each other’s presence. The spooky image, therefore, was purely coincidental.

 “Do you see what I see?” Drone Shark App wrote on Facebook. “Tell me what you see?” “Ooooh, it looks like a ghost. Just in time for Halloween,” one commenter wrote. “Grinch,” stated another.

Nurse shark swims through salmon with swimmers nearby. Credit: Drone Shark App

But some comments pertained purely to the subjects. “I see two people who want to be eaten,” a follower chimed in.

Reads another comment: “More reasons to fearfully admire the beautiful ocean and only go in a few feet from shore.”

Schooling salmon are common off Sydney at this time of year, and the fish attract both swimmers and apex predators. In another Facebook post,

Drone Shark App shared the video footage from which the accompanying screen shot was pulled. It shows several swimmers near or within the salmon school, oblivious to two nurse sharks also swimming through the school.

The drone operator, when contacted by Pete Thomas Outdoors, asked only to be identified as Drone Shark App. The group’s social media pages are filled with photos of video clips showing sea life off Australia’s beaches.

Mammoth Lakes black bear slow to grasp meaning of 'Shoo!'

By Pete Thomas

A black bear provided tense moments for a family in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., recently when it removed a window screen and considered breaking into the house.

“We got a visit from one of our neighbors, apparently he is not fond of our front door and doesn’t know what ‘shoo’ means,” Christian Pondella joked on Instagram.

As viewers can see, the light-colored black bear deftly removes the screen and sniffs for several seconds as Pondella and his wife and son try shooing the bruin. At one point the bear seems on the verge of climbing through the window.

Pondella, an adventure photographer, said the bear “eventually left” during last week's encounter, and it has not returned. “No damage except the screen,” Pondella said.

Black bears are abundant in the forest around Mammoth Lakes, and commonly sighted by residents.

–Image courtesy of Christian Pondella

Tiger shark closes in on kayak, angler reacts accordingly

By Pete Thomas

Devin Kanda was fortunate to have been facing the right direction when a large tiger shark surfaced as his feet dangled from his kayak recently off Oahu.

As Hawaii News Now states in the video report posted below, Kanda had just caught an 18-pound ono off Diamond Head when he spotted the approaching shark, enabling a quick response.

“I caught it in my peripheral [vision] … and I looked up,” he said. “And just in time I pulled my leg before it could take a bite of my foot.”

Kanda’s video camera was operating during the July 4 encounter. His footage was picked up by Hawaii-based media outlets over the weekend.

The shark was likely attracted by the scent of fish. Kanda said he was more in awe of the large shark than afraid, but thankful that he wasn’t attacked.

–Image courtesy of Devin Kanda

Juvenile great white shark sprints toward shore at high speed

By Pete Thomas

Great white sharks are not known for their speed, so for Matt Larmand it was surprising to watch a young white shark dash across the surface at perhaps 20 mph.

“He was going at least 20 mph,” Larmand said. “I was going full throttle on the drone trying to catch up to him.”

Larmand, an licensed drone pilot for Dana Wharf Whale Watching, captured the accompanying footage Thursday from his home on Capistrano Beach in Dana Point, Ca.

 

Capo Beach, as the community is referred to by locals, sometimes attracts juvenile white sharks in spring and summer.

The sharks prey on stingrays and other bottom fishes until they become large enough – 12-plus feet – to move offshore to feed on seals and sea lions.

Larmand launched his drone after receiving reports of recent sightings. It was his first sighting of the season and he estimated the shark to measure 8 to 10 feet. “I’m not sure what triggered him to burst into speed like that; I’ve never seen one do that,” he said, adding that the sprint covered about 50 yards.

 

Chris Lowe, Director of the Shark Lab at California State University – Long Beach, said the shark appears to have been spooked by the drone’s shadow.

“Those neonates are pretty skittish,” Lowe said. “Seeing the drone shadow gave it a pretty good scare.”

Lowe added: “I think it brings about the point of one of our hypotheses as to why young white sharks use beach habitats.  We aren’t sure where white sharks give birth, we know they do not exhibit parental care, so babies are completely on their own. 

They probably hang out in shallow water near beaches because that is a safer place with very few large predators, lots of easy to capture prey (stingrays), and the water’s warmer. This response to the shadow of the drone supports one reason why they hang out in shallow waters. They don’t know what is a threat and the safest behavior is to flee when they experience something unknown."

Larmand spotted the same shark later Thursday, cruising at normal speed (see second video).

Mako sharks are the fastest sharks, capable of bursts in excess of 40 mph as they chase prey such as tuna, mackerel, and swordfish.

Great white sharks, which can measure to about 20 feet, become much bulkier as adults and rely on ambush to catch their prey.

 

Yellowstone bison interrupt TV reporter, and it's hilarious

By Pete Thomas

A reporter for NBC Montana has gained social media fame for his hilarious – and wise – reaction during a close bison encounter inside Yellowstone National Park.

“Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh no… I ain’t messing with you,” Deion Broxton says in the accompanying footage, after noticing the advancing herd and before ducking for cover behind the crew vehicle. “Oh no. I’m not messing with you.”

 

Bison do not appear in the footage Broxton tweeted Wednesday, which was later shared to Facebook by NBC News Montana (both clips were widely circulated). But Broxton later tweeted a clip of several bison he caught on video “once I got a safe distance away.”

It’s worth noting that bison, which can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds, are the largest land mammals in North America. They’re not typically aggressive toward humans, but they’re wild and unpredictable, and warrant a wide berth.

The footage was shared to Facebook by Yellowstone National Park, which wrote: “A perfect example of what to do when approached by wildlife! Thanks Deion for putting the Yellowstone pledge into action!”

Part of the pledge, requested of all park visitors, is to treat wild animals with respect by giving them distance and staying out of their way.

Yellowstone, which incorporates portions of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho, has been in the news after announcing that it was closing indefinitely because of COVID-19 pandemic.

–Image showing Deion Broxton is used with the permission of NBC Montana; Yellowstone bison image is via ©Pete Thomas

 

Outfitter recounts Kobe Bryant's shark-diving experience

By Pete Thomas

There’s not much to write about Kobe Bryant that isn’t already known, but how many fans know that the NBA superstar was fascinated by sharks?

He was so curious that in the summer of 2013, while recovering from a torn achilles tendon, Bryant traveled to Mexico’s Guadalupe Island to dive with great white sharks.

Martin Graf of Shark Diver said that the Los Angeles Lakers’ star enjoyed close views of two white sharks while inside the cage, and afterward soaked up the magical atmosphere surrounding the vast and remote volcanic island, 150 miles west of Ensenada.

 

“It was nice having a conversation with him that had nothing to do with basketball or him being famous,” Graf recalled. “Just a couple of guys talking about sharks.”

Graf shared an amusing side note: Bryant’s feet were too big for the wetsuit booties Shark Diver clients use, so he plunged into the cage wearing his Nike shoes (see photo).

This week, the Marine Conservation Science Institute, which maintains a photo-database of 300-plus great white sharks known to frequent Guadalupe waters, announced that it was naming a newly identified shark Kobe Bryant.

Additionally, MCSI has “reallocated” the shark into the No. 24 spot in the catalog, to coincide with the number Bryant wore for much of his 20-year Lakers’ career.

“We did prepare a press release, but then I pulled the plug on that because I did not want any perception that we’re using Kobe’s tragic death as a way to gain publicity,” said Michael Domeier, MCSI’s president and executive director. “I don’t want it to be about that. We’re just showing our respect and honoring him in a small way.”

As most of the world knows, Bryant, 41, died along with eight others, including his 13-year-old daughter, in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26 in Calabasas, California.

The 18-time All-Star played his entire NBA career with the Lakers, winning five championships, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.

–Images are courtesy of Shark Diver