rivers - In Pure Spirit

Watch in awe as piranhas feed in a frenzy

January 16, 2016 by Andrew Leave a Comment

This footage was shot in Brazil. You can see the locals throwing dirty slabs of meat in between those fragile looking boats. The result? Chaos!

With each throw the feeding piranhas get more and more violent. You can see entire fish leaving the water as they flip back and forth in a frenzy while latched on to the meat.

The dangers of piranhas are often over stated but they are dangerous. Anyone can see that getting on to these fishing boats would be a high risk gambit while the shoal was in.

In Pure Spirit

What stories have you heard about piranhas that you believe to be true?

Very weird: Monsterous Kappa rises from the river

January 9, 2015 by Andrew 2 Comments

A Kappa is a Japanese water goblin or demon. It’s name means River-child and a local would describe it as a Yokai.

This Kappa is at home in the pond at Tsujikawayama Park near Fukusaki in Hyogo Prefecture. The head of the beast is important; Kappa’s have power while their hairless patch is filled with water.

Some consider Kappa also to be cryptids. As a cryptid it means there might actually be river-creatures not yet documented by science, that fit the Kappa description, living in Japan.

In Pure Spirit

What Kappa myths and legends do you know? Share them in the comments below and discuss with other readers.

Tempted by a holiday in Japana? Sites like Kuoni offer package deals and Expedia has a range of Tokyo breaks.

(Via Rocket News 24)

Why do rivers have bends in them?

November 21, 2014 by Andrew Leave a Comment

Rivers that run down from mountains tend to run straight so why is it that rivers start to form curves and bend once they hit flat ground?

Is it possible for a river to meet itself as it bends or even get stuck in a loop?

This video from MinuteEarth explores.

In Pure Spirit

Are you a fan of taking holidays by lakes or going for walks along the river? Let us know your favourite rivers and things to do in the comments below.

How wolves in Yellowstone park changed rivers for the better

February 19, 2014 by Andrew Leave a Comment

Wolves have been reintroduced to Yellowstone park in America. It was a controversial move. Not everyone wanted them. As it turns out the return of the wolves triggered some trophic cascades. Trophic cascade is a process that starts at the top of the food chain and reaches down the way.

Wolves hunted the deer. That simple fact started an important and beneficial chain reaction.

In Pure Spirit

Are you surprised at how significant the changes to the animal and plant life have been in response to the return of the wolves.

Does the Yellowstone National park success suggest we should look to return wolves elsewhere? Such as back to Scotland?

Is this video evidence of a weird monster in the Mekong River?

December 2, 2013 by Andrew 1 Comment

Is this the Mekong Monster?

The Mekong is a large river; the 7th-longest in Asia that crawls into Thailand where this video was filmed. The name comes from “Mae Man Khong, a term similar in Thai and Lao, which means mother river or mother water. Only the Amazon has more animals per cubic foot and the river is home to a hugely diverse range of life.

Is this a monster though?

In Pure Spirit

What do you make of the video? Odd? Monster? Or just some local animals and some trash?

Now you’ve seen this video are you tempted to back your bags, grab a flight to Bangkok, forget about the political violence in the news today and enjoy a holiday in Thailand?

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