- [Narrator] Sometimes, we all need a little extra helping hand to get us through the day,
and animals are no different. (upbeat music) Yes, that is a crow helping
a hedgehog to cross the road. I bet you never thought you'd
see that before, did you? But is everything as it seems? Well, you'll just have to
stick around to find out. So, grab the snacks, kick back and relax as we take a look at some
more weird, wonderful and downright amazing things
you'll see for the first time in your life. (logo whooshing) There are plenty of incredible births in the animal kingdom, but there's something
special about watching the very first steps
taken by a baby giraffe. (upbeat music) Watching this little fella trying to find his feet at Aalborg Zoo in Denmark is like watching Bambi on Ice. It may look clumsy, but giraffes are actually some of the
fastest-learning babies in the world. Giraffe moms, also known
as cows, are pregnant for a whopping 15 months. This lengthy gestation
period means that the calves are highly developed in the
safety of their mother's womb before they enter the unforgiving world of the African savanna. In fact, most new-born
calves already weigh a whopping 220 pounds and
stand over six foot tall. Because of the large
size of their offspring, giraffe moms give birth standing up, so they don't damage their
babies' lengthy necks. The shock of the landing
also helps stimulate the little giraffe to
take its first breaths. As soon as they fall to the ground, they waste no time getting to their feet, in fact, they can usually
stand within 30 minutes. When it comes to hitting the
ground running, literally, giraffes have us totally beat. According to neuroscientist
Dr. Jean-Marie Graic from Italy's University of Padova, the calf's nervous
system is ready at birth, like it would be of a
one-year-old human child who is ready to walk. In fact, the average new-born
giraffe starts walking over 10,000 times faster
than the typical human. One reason why humans take so long to walk is because of our huge heads that house our whip-smart brains. But it's more important for
giraffes to be quick than smart because they serve as
prey to various predators. Not so clumsy after all, hey? Giraffes may have a leg up when it comes to standing on their own four feet, but there are plenty of things
we can do that they can't. So why not demonstrate
what makes us so special by smashing those Like
and Subscribe buttons and playing around with
that little bell icon? That way, you'll be the first to know when I upload more amazing content. All done? Let's get back to it. Our bodies do loads of weird things that are hard to explain, but the most irritating
has got to be hiccupping. In case you didn't know, hiccups are caused by
involuntary contractions in your diaphragm, the muscle that separates
your chest from your abdomen and helps with your breathing. When we hiccup, we make
a cute little hic noise, but when cats hiccup, something
even stranger happens. Check it out. (upbeat music) Woah, it looks like this little
dude just saw his future. Cats can hiccup for a number of reasons. Sometimes it happens due
to nerve irritation issues or chowing down on food too quickly and accidentally ingesting
air at the same time. Other times, the contraction
of their diaphragm could be a futile attempt to try and expel or move a hairball that has
collected in their throat, but this only irritates things and prompts a hiccup instead. But why do their pupils
dilate in such a freaky way? This bizarre phenomena is
caused by a tiny release of the substance noradrenaline,
caused by an activation of the sympathetic nervous system, onto the pupillary dilator muscle. Cats nervous systems are set
up to easily dump noradrenaline in response to threats. This explains why cats are
such naturally jumpy animals, because instant reaction to threats equals higher survival rates. Because hiccups are stressful to the body and effectively make us jump, the dilation of the pupils
could be a visual representation of the cat scaring itself. Just when you thought they
couldn't get any more adorable. Here's a question for you, why
did the crow cross the road? To help the hedgehog get
to the other side, duh. (upbeat music) It's not very often you see
such a surprising display of affection between two
unlikely animal friends, which is why one motorist
in the town of Ogre in Latvia knew they had to
whip out their smartphone and capture this moment on film. (upbeat music) To their surprise, the crow seemed to nudge
the hedgehog's butt to tell him to hurry up
and cross the road safely. It might shock you to learn that crows are actually some seriously
intelligent animals, despite having a reputation as pests. They have been observed
exercising self-control, understanding analogies
and fashioning tools as well as socializing with other animals like domestic cats. In fact, recent research has
even shown that crows operate with the same mental capacity
of a seven-year-old child. But that revelation also contributes to a potentially darker side to this seemingly harmless clip. According to some, the crow could actually have been pecking at the hedgehog's butt because it knew the hedgehog would move, showing its head and making
it easier to kill and eat. It would certainly be a
horrifying twist in the tale, but others have also claimed that crows are far too
intelligent to waste their time trying to kill an animal like a hedgehog. What do you guys think is going on in this seemingly cute clip? Is the crow giving the
hedgehog a helping hand, or sizing him up for dinner? Let me know in the comments below. And if you guys have
come across any weird, wonderful or amazing
things online that you feel we need to share with
your fellow netizens, why not get in touch
at clips@beamazed.com, you might even earn yourself
a shoutout if it gets featured in a future episode. Do you believe in ghosts? Well, what about underwater
ghosts like this one? (dramatic music) No matter how much we think
we know about the ocean, there are plenty of weird, wonderful and downright bizarre creatures lurking in the deep blue
that can surprise us. This particularly ghostly creature was filmed over the Pacific
seafloor at around 2,500 feet by deep-sea scientists aboard
the Nautilus research vessel in September 2019. Its appearance is part-plastic
bag and part alien, but what actually is it? This underwater blob is
one of the rarest-seen and least-studied jellyfish in the sea: the Deepstaria jelly. You'll notice that this creature
lacks stinging tentacles like other jellies, but the Deepstaria has
another trick up its sleeve for ensnaring its prey. Instead, it can close the opening of its sack-like body to trap any prey that has unknowingly floated inside. When the researchers zoomed in
on this shape-shifting jelly, they spotted a red blotch
inside its stomach. It turns out the passenger
was a still-living isopod, a type of bottom-feeding crustacean that may have willingly swum into the jelly's open body for protection from fiercer predators. Seems like this little fella may just be the oceans
hide-and-seek champion. The Deepstaria jelly may be strange, but when it comes to marine oddities, the absolutely enormous sunfish
might just come out on top. (upbeat music) It may look like one huge
floating head with fins, but this is actually the
largest bony fish in the world. Sunfish, also known as Mola Mola, spend up to half the
day basking in the sun near the surface of the water to warm their bodies after
deep-water hunting missions. This rare footage was captured
on film by Miguel Pereira off the coast of Portugal in 2013, and as you can see, the
creature totally dwarves the full-grown men swimming around it. In fact, the average
sunfish is 10 feet long and weighs 2,200 pounds, although the largest can
be up to 5000 pounds, that's heavier than a pickup truck. And if you think they look weird already, just wait until you
see one from the front. (upbeat music) Despite their totally derpy appearance, sunfish are actually voracious predators. They usually hang out at
depths of 160 to 650 feet, and can travel several miles per day, gorging themselves on a
diet consisting mostly of the energy-rich parts of
jellyfish, the gonads and arms. Yummy. For years, these ginormous
fish were classified as a type of plankton because of the way they seemed
to drift with the current, but recent research has shown
that they are actually able to move independently. They have also been
respected in ancient cultures for thousands of years. During the 1600s and 1700s, Japanese shoguns even accepted Mola Mola as payment for taxes. Now that has to be the strangest form of currency I've ever heard of. When I say the words magic,
wizardry and quidditch, what springs to mind? The Harry Potter franchise,
penned by J.K Rowling, is one of the most successful
book series of all time, having sold more than 500
million copies worldwide. Even now that the films have wrapped and the actors are all grown up, there are still plenty of
ways for hardcore Potterhead's to get their fix. That's why Kings Cross station in London created a mock platform 9 3/4, complete with a luggage cart
half-way through the wall for fans to take photographs with. For those of you who don't know, Hogwarts students use
this elusive platform by running straight into the wall, but only witches and
wizards can pass through. Seems like this guy
didn't get the memo then. This wannabe wizard, known only as Pascal, thought he'd try his
luck at entering Hogwarts the only way he knew how. As you can see, his plan didn't
seem to work out too well. But the prankster didn't
seem too bothered screaming. - It's closed. - [Narrator] In front
of the bewildered crowd before running off into the distance. If you're a diehard fan,
you'll recognize the reference from when Harry and Ron
Weasley hit the closed wall in the second book of the series. But judging by the faces of
some of the people in line, not everyone saw the funny side. There's no word on what happened to Pascal after the bizarre incident, but I sincerely hope
he's having a great day. What's the weirdest thing you've found washed up at the beach? A shoe, a message in a bottle perhaps? Well, what about this
bulbous, throbbing object? There's no need to be alarmed, people, this isn't quite what you think it is. In December 2019, beachgoers
in Northern California were horrified when thousands of what seemed like disembodied weenies turned up on the shore. In reality, these phallic objects are actually just bizarre marine creatures called fat innkeeper
worms or Urechis caupo. The fat innkeeper worm
is a type of Spoonworm, an order of non-segmented marine worms that can be identified by
a spatula shaped proboscis used for feeding, grasping and swimming. The worms spend most of their time inside a U-shaped burrow
underground which pokes up out of the ground like
a little sand chimney. But how did so many of them end up on Drakes Beach in California? As it turns out, strong storms, like the one that
conveniently hit Drakes Beach in December 2019, are perfectly capable of
laying waste to the sandy homes of fat innkeeper worms, leaving their inhabitants
stranded on the shores. Usually innkeeper worms,
which measure around 10 inches in length, have a lifespan of 25 years, but most of the specimens
in this mass stranding were sadly dead by the
time they were discovered. Believe it or not, some
species of innkeeper worm are even considered a
delicacy in Korea and China and are often eaten raw
with salt and sesame oil. Just remember, ladies, if you're not satisfied at home, there are plenty more fish in the sea. There are some seriously
trippy places in the world that'll have you questioning whether we're actually
living in a simulation. Just take a look at this
giant cartoon Kleenex, poised perfectly on the top of a hill. No matter how hard you
look at these photographs, it's hard to imagine that this is anything other than a work of Photoshop magic. But believe it or not, this is a real-life outdoor sculpture, located in the beautifully
scenic hills of New Zealand. Check it out. (upbeat music) The surreal artwork is titled Horizons and was created by Neil Dawson. To find it, you'll have to visit Gibbs
Farm 29 miles north of Aukland, which is an open-air park
containing the biggest collection of giant outdoor
sculptures in New Zealand. Owner Alan Gibbs bought
the property in 1991 to escape the English winter, and over the past 25 years, he's transformed the 400-hectares
into a picturesque oasis that feels like a surreal dream come true. Dawson's sculpture is made from a welded and painted steel frame, with sections featuring an
interlocking woven pattern that creates the impression
that the sculpture is 3D when viewed from a distance, when, in reality, it's completely flat. Gibbs Park is open to the public on a select few days of the
year, usually once per month, and even then, it's
strictly bookings-only. So, if you're hoping to get a glimpse at this enormous cartoon Kleenex IRL, you'd better clear your schedule and keep your eyes peeled for tickets. Most of us can only
dream of going to space. But for some lucky people, that dream has become a reality, and being a bona fide astronaut certainly comes with
some incredible perks. There's the literally
out-of-this-world views and the endless fun anti-gravity to start, but you can also pull off
mind-blowing feats like this. Back in January 2016, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly marked day 300 of a historic year in space by showing off another fascinating
feature of microgravity, liquid ping pong. It's pretty insane to
watch, but how does it work? Kelly explained that he used two paddles with hydrophobic features, meaning they repel water, which allows him to pass
a floating sphere of H20 back and forth with ease. Kelly is playing with
around a 4 milliliter drop, which, for your information, is over 100 times larger than a raindrop, but as a general rule,
the larger the drop, the less force it takes to break it up. Meaning, smaller drops
can be hit much harder. Do you reckon liquid
ping pong could catch on when humanity eventually
leaves Earth behind? Can you spot the plant in this photograph taken in the mountains
of southwestern China? It might take a while for your eyes to scan through all that rubble, but there's actually a little gray Fritillaria
Delavayi plant right there. It's not just hiding in plain sight, it's trying to hide itself from people. But why? These usually bright-green
plants often stand alone among the jumbled scree that tops the Himalayan and Hengduan
mountains in southwestern China. But their bright appearance
makes them easy pickings for traditional Chinese
medicine herbalists who have ground the
bulbs of wild Fritillaria into cough-treating powder
for over 2000 years. To make just one kilogram of this powder, which is worth a whopping $480, about 3,500 bulbs are needed, so it's no surprise the
plants are trying to hide. Surprisingly, this plant
camouflage seems to have evolved in direct response to
people preying on them. Researchers have reported
that Fritillaria Delavayi from regions that experience
greater harvesting pressure are more camouflaged than those
from less-harvested areas. But all that hiding might
have some disadvantages too as their dull coloring could
hinder photosynthetic activity, and might make it harder for
pollinators to find them. But I guess that's just a compromise the plant has had to make. Evolution is crazy, dudes. Wouldn't it be great if we
could understand animals? If you're feline confident
about kitty communication, then why not take a stab at what these two are having a heated discussion about. (lynx growling) Okay, so these aren't exactly your average domesticated moggies. This pair of lynx, a type
of medium-sized wildcat, were spotted by Nicole Lewis
in May 2018 near Avery Lake, which borders Ontario
in Canada and Michigan. Although lynx are rarely
spotted in Michigan, they are pretty common in the
Dinorwic Region of Ontario, close to where this pair where seen. Of course, Lewis stopped her car and knew she had to get
her camera out to capture this truly bizarre sight on film. The two big cats didn't
seem at all bothered by her presence, and instead stood at the side of the path, facing off against each
other with a series of progressive growls. (lynx growling) - [Man] This is so cool.
Who runs into this? - [Narrator] Anyone else
think they kinda sounded like middle-aged women
pretending to be cats? The strangest part of this clip is that lynx are usually
quite solitary creatures, which only tend to be seen together if it's a mother-daughter pairing. Although there hasn't been much research into lynx vocalizations and
why they sound so bizarre, Mel and Fiona Sunquist, in their book, "Wild Cats of the World", claim that, "Lynx can
mew, spit, hiss, and growl "as well as yowl, chatter,
wah-wah, gurgle and purr." That's a lot of noises
for one animal to make. Scolar Gustav Peters
says, "Lynx mating calls are a series of intense mews." But that doesn't really sound like what's going on here either. (lynx growling) We may never know exactly
what these two cats were having a screaming match about, but some animal biologists have speculated that it was probably a
dispute over territory. Still, I choose to believe
that they were just screaming, "No, you're the weakest lynx." Woodlands and forests
have earned a reputation for being a spooky place
where anything could happen, but they're totally
magical places as well. Don't believe me? Just take a look at this
unbelievable rainbow swamp that Brent Rossen and his
girlfriend stumbled upon while walking at First Landing State Park in Virginia back in 2018. The entrancing beauty
of this strange sight makes it seem like a unicorn is about to emerge from the trees, surrounded by a troupe of
flute-wielding fairies. But this is actually a
totally natural phenomenon, and it's not the first time
it's been spotted either. So, if it's not magic,
what's really going on here? According to Jeff Ripple, a former Florida swamp walk leader, the rainbow sheen you see is actually a thin film
which forms as a result of natural oils released
by decaying vegetation or the biological processes
of anaerobic bacteria reducing iron in the soil. In order for the rainbows to appear, the water needs to be still
for long periods of time, as any movement by current
or wind disturbance could destroy the fragile film. But when the sun hits the oily
film at just the right angle, it's illuminated in all its pastel glory. This has to be the most
attractive swamp I've ever seen. In the window of one bridal
shop in Chihuahua, Mexico, stands a mannequin that
is unlike any other. You may be thinking,
"What could be so unusual "about a shop mannequin? "I see them all the time." Well, the spooky thing
about this mannequin is that she might not be
a mannequin after all. Her name is La Pascualita, and she's become something
of a local legend, as well as a popular tourist attraction. You see, this particular
mannequin, according to some, is actually the long-dead
daughter of the former shop owner. Take one look at La Pascualita, and you'll notice that
she's far more realistic than any other mannequin
you've seen before. Not only is her face
astonishingly expressive with thick lashes and a glassy-eyed gaze, but her hands seem to
have been constructed with painstaking detail, while storekeepers have claimed
that her legs even appear to be lined with varicose veins. As the story goes, the daughter of former shop
owner, Pascuala Esparaza, was preparing to be
married when she was bitten by a black widow spider
and tragically succumbed to its venom on her wedding day. Not long after her death, the mannequin appeared in the shop window, creating the legend that La Pascualita is actually the preserved
corpse of the doomed bride. Customers over the years have claimed that La Pascualita's eyes
follow them around the store, or that they have turned
around to find her in a completely different position. Another variation of the legend claims that she is actually a mannequin, but that a French magician
became so obsessed with her that he would visit her window each night and bring her to life. After dancing with her around the town, he would return her to the
storefront each morning. The details of the mannequin's origins are almost impossible to confirm, but it seems like the story
is good for business at least. When asked about the famous mannequin, the current storeowner
apparently winked and replied, "Is it true? "I really couldn't say." Which one of these amazing
things made your eyes pop out of your head the farthest? Let me know down in the comments below. And why not check out one
of the previous episodes of this series next. And don't forget to get in contact with us at clips@beamazed.com. Thanks for watching. (upbeat music)
