Swarms of jellyfish invading the Med, warns top scientist - and some of them could really give you the wobbles

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Nothing to trifle with: Swarms of jellyfish like these pelagias are taking over the Mediterranean and could be a danger to tourists, warn experts Enormous swarms of jellyfish - some of them deadly - are taking over the Mediterranean, a top scientist has warned.The holiday hotspot, a favourite with Brits, has seen a sharp increase in numbers and could turn into an 'ocean of jellyfish'. Now researchers have set up a 'Jellywatch' so the public can report sightings via a website or by using a phone app. Invasion: Blooms of Aurelia jellyfish like this one await sun-seekers heading for a winter break in the Mediterranean.. and...

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Rare pure white humpback whale calf spotted off Great Barrier Reef

By WIL LONGBOTTOM A white spectacle: A rare pure white humpback whale has been spotted off the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. There are only 10 to 15 in the 15,000-strong humpback population along the east coast of Australia A rare white humpback whale calf has been spotted near Australia's Great Barrier Reef.Believed to be just a few weeks old, the 12ft calf was seen at Cid Harbour in the famous reef's Whitsunday Islands area by a family out in the bay in their boat.White whales are highly unusual, with only 10 to 15 believed to exist among up to 15,000 living along Australia's east coast. Has he got a famous dad? This picture shows Migaloo...

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Am I adopted, Mum? Rare monkey gives birth to ginger baby at London Zoo

By Daily Mail ReporterLike mother, like son: First time mum Lu Lu, a rare Francois langur monkey, snuggles up with baby Tango, who was born with ginger fur at London ZooIt's tricky to see a family resemblance between these two but this tiny flame-haired primate, nicknamed Tango, is actually snuggling up to its mother Lu Lu at ZSL London Zoo.And far from going ape when he saw his offspring, Tango's father Neo was gingerly helping the little monkey settle in.Both parents have black fur but as little Tango's mother is a rare Francois' langurs monkey, a flame coloured coat is typical in offspring.Experts say the ginger fur evolved so it is easy for...

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How did a Sei whale get beached in the middle of a field in East Yorkshire?

-Marine experts baffled by discovery in salt marshes -Monster 33ft beast found 800 yards from the seaBy Daily Mail ReporterStranded: The 33ft whale was found beached 800 yards from the shoreline of the Humber EstuaryA rare breed of whale found dead 800 yards from the shoreline in the Humber Estuary has baffled marine experts. The 33ft mammal, thought to be a Sei whale, was discovered in salt marshes on the north bank of the River Humber.It is thought that the whale became stranded in shallow waters, rolled over onto its blowhole and died, before the tide retreated and left it behind, near the village of Skeffling. Mysterious: Experts are baffled...

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That's one helluva halibut! Retired policeman battles for three hours to catch 38 STONE fish

-8ft 3in Atlantic halibut smashed previous world record by 58lb -Would make 1,000 fillet portions and as a good quality fish restaurant can charge £25 for halibut main course, it could have realised a value of £25,000By Lucy BucklandWhat a catch!: Reinhard Wuhrmann caught this halibut in the north of Norway, it took him three hours to pull the fish in A retired policeman battled for three hours to catch a halibut weighing a whopping 38.5 stone to claim a world record.The super flat fish was so big that at one point Reinhard Wuhrmann's rod snapped in two as he was tried to snare the creature off the island of Senja in northern Norway.The 62-year-old...

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I'm big enough to clean my own face, mum! Rare baby Amur tiger looks less than impressed by his mother's attentions

By Sara Nelson Oh mum! Iris gives one of her triplets a loving lick - but he looks less than impressed This seven-week-old tiger cub looks less than impressed as his mother gives him a hearty lick during his first foray into the open air at a Russian zoo. The cub is one of three born to female Amur tiger Iris and her mate Kedr, who have already have seven babies. The latest litter was born at the Royev Ruchey zoo in Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk on August 5 and the trio have been named Kaktus, Jasmin and Narciss. I'll get you back! The tiny cub play fights with his mother as the family makes it's first public appearance at Royev Ruchey...

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Is it a bird? Is it a hamster? Meet the sugar gliders flying around a suburban living room

By Lucy BucklandFlying high: Kayleigh Price playing with her pet sugar glider Gizmo, Ms Price said the creatures don't so much fly as 'fall with grace' Soaring through the air these creatures are often mistaken for flying hamsters or bats with tails.But far from being an oddity, these friendly furry marsupials are in fact a type of possum known as a sugar glider. In the wild these tiny creatures fling themselves from tree to tree but at the Animal Experience in Cambridge the sugar gliders are usually seen flying around the living room.Owner Kayleigh Price, who cares for five of the furry marsupials with her parents Mitch and Hazel, said the adorable...

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Let the dog see the rabbit... sorry, he can't! Greyhound who lost every race turns out to be BLIND

By JESSICA SATHERLEY Plucky Jack: The greyhound was diagnosed with a rare type of blindness after being retired because his owner thought he was a dud. In fact his condition meant he would have been terrified while on the race track When Jack Sprat the greyhound came last in every race in which he competed, his owners thought they had a dud.But in fact, he did well to keep up with the pack at all because it turns out Jack is almost completely blind and couldn’t see the rabbit. The hound, who was born in Ireland, was entered into dog races in Wimbledon, London, last year after he hit speeds of 40mph in training. Lagging behind: Jack, circled,...

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Caught on CCTV: Culprit who stole 39 goldfish from garden pond is unmasked as an OTTER

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER The otter runs around the pond, which is firmly covered with the plastic net, looking for a way in A retired couple who set up CCTV cameras in their garden to catch the mystery predator which was eating their goldfish finally discovered it was a hungry otter.Pensioners Elizabeth and Harry McDougall were devestated to find their collection of 27 goldfish, in two ponds in their garden in Carlisle, had been wiped out. All that remained after the night-time attack were fins and scraps of skin. Sneak thief: The hungry otter, below right, appears by the side of the pond and first sees the plastic meshThe couple restocked the...

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Two women Cotswolds villagers 'organised illegal dogfights and starved their bull terriers to make them bloodthirsty'

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Caged: The dogs were kept in squalid conditions in between fights Members of a dog-fighting ring today admitted starving bull terriers to make them more bloodthirsty.Two women and two men are accused of chaining dogs to treadmills - often in complete darkness - and forcing them to run for hours to lose weight. The dogs were kept in squalid conditions and were so starved of food that one ate its collar to satisfy the hunger pangs, while another ate its own faeces. Defendants: Both Danny Draper, left, and his father Ian have pleaded guilty to multiple charges of animal cruelty Once fighting fit, the dogs were forced into...

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Mother love: The moment a 200lb gorilla cradles her newborn baby seconds after giving birth

By Daily Mail ReporterFurry much in love: Salome cradling her newborn gorilla baby, still wet seconds after being born at Bristol Zoo Gardens yesterday. The baby's father Jock, is also bonding with the new arrivalShe may be huge, but this gorilla mother is just as capable of showing how tenderly she treats a newborn as any other mother.The first picture of the new arrival at Bristol Zoo reveals 200lb gorilla Salome showing her affection for her newborn seconds after giving birth.The tiny western lowland gorilla, still wet only seconds after being born, sleeps in his mother's arms while she looks every bit the adoring mother.Born at lunchtime...

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In the heart of a stampede: Amazing images capture herds of animals as they rampage OVER photographer

By Wil LongbottomWorms' eye view: These images were captured by Chris Weston who dug a 4ft deep trench in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, to capture wildebeest as they stampededThis is the moment a wildlife photographer comes face to face with a stampeding herd of wildebeest as they trample OVER him.This amazing series of images was captured by Chris Weston, who dug a 4ft ditch in the rampaging animals' path in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe.Covering the trench with railway sleepers, he lay underneath for seven hours awaiting the stampede.And when it finally came he had just seconds to get his shots before the stampede passed over him and off...

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Whoops! Kingfisher diving for her lunch misses her minnow and ends up with a pebble

By Sara Nelson Splash! The kingfisher plunges into the stream but just misses her minnow, biting down on a pebble instead Plunging into a stream, this hungry kingfisher had her lunch firmly in her sights - but veered off course at the last moment, missing her minnow by a whisker and grabbing a pebble instead. The orange and turquoise bird was left empty-handed after the speedy fish darted off and evaded capture.But the common kingfisher - thought to be a female less than one-year-old - returned immediately and did get a meal.Photographer Tony Flashman has spent ten hours a week at the stream, near his home in Deal, Kent, for the past 18 months.The...

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On me 'ead son: Four-day-old tortoise is riding high as he hitches a lift with mother

By Chris ParsonsAhead of the game: One of the 5.5cm babies rests in the sunshine on its mother's headWhen you're less than 6cm long and only four days old, you can't be blamed for hitching a ride with your parents.That was certainly the case for this tiny tortoise, which took the chance of a free lift after being placed on its mother's head at Nyiregyhaza Animal Park in Hungary.The adorable African spurred tortoise was one of eight babies born at the park 226km east of Budapest last week.Slowly does it: The mother tortoise starts off with her four-day old youngsters riding on her shellThe 5.5cm baby, Geochelone sulcata, who only weighs 25 grams,...

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