Sometimes nature is the perfect escape. Spending more time in nature is associated with positive feelings of well-being and calm. That’s not always the case, however. Sometimes nature is truly horrifying and you should run far, far away from it.
Of course, nothing is as convincing of this as seeing the proof with your own eyes. With that said, here are 50 of the creepiest, most fascinating images of nature this side of the internet.
Found in a Harpy Eagle’s nest
Harpy Eagles are some of the largest and scariest birds of prey in nature. Their talons are as big as bear claws. It’s not surprising, but still frightening, that these bones were all found in one of their nests.
Inside a leatherback turtle’s mouth
Turtles don’t look this frightening with their mouths closed. Star Wars fans might assume this is a Sarlacc at first glance.
Glowing orange alligator eyes
Doesn’t this look like a nice place to go for a swim? And a nice place to get eaten while you go for that swim?
Wait, what? Why are you here?
The person taking this photo must have thought he found a glitch in the Matrix. “Why am I seeing monkeys while scuba diving?”
Forest person in the water
The name Orangutan is Malay for “Forest Person.” They are basically hairy people who live in the forest. Human and orangutan DNA is 97% similar.
You are what you eat and what you eat eats
There are two fish being eaten in this photo, one by a crocodile and the other by the fish that is being eaten by that crocodile.
Giant wolf eel
The wolf eel in this photo is a perfect reason to never go in the water ever again.
Wolf eel from natureismetal
Flying snake and bird battle
Imagine looking out of your window and seeing this? There are many reasons to want to live in Australia but this is not one of them.
If cats learn to use knives
If cats figure out tool use, specifically weapon use, many humans are in big, big trouble. Those of us who give out treats should be safe, however.
Don’t tell me this guy doesn’t work out
In case you were feeling bad about your level of physical fitness, this silverback gorilla carved out his physique without weights, a gym, or even advanced tool use.
Mt. Edna eruption
No, this isn’t another dramatic and dangerous gender reveal party, it’s just the Earth spewing lava to the surface.
Sabre-toothed viper fish
Any species with a name like “Sabre-toothed viper fish” has to be terrifying.
That’s quite the spider
If you run into this guy, there’s no clearing it away or its web. Just move. Don’t ever go back to that spot. It’s the spider’s now.
Snake vs Eagle
Snake and eagle are sharing a glance here that makes you wonder what each is thinking. The snake might be thinking they made a poor choice.
That’s too many spiders
To some people, even one spider is too many. Those people would not enjoy being in this room.
This shark is waiting but we don’t know for what
This shark is biding its time, waiting for something. What that is, they might not even know.
Who is giving lions steroids???
Lions are dangerous and scary enough without having this kind of muscle definition. We need drug-testing for safari animals now!
Hidden under dead ants
This insect hiding under a pile of dead ants would be a scary sight for a human but imagine if you were an ant.
Acanthaspis petax is a type of assassin bug that stacks dead ant bodies on its back to confuse predators from ALLTHEBUGS
Don’t mess with eagles
Humans and eagles rarely come into direct conflict with one another and we’d like it to stay that way.
That’s a horrifying snake mouth
Snakes can be scary even when we aren’t looking at their fangs. This is just disturbing.
Tree got tired of people leaning on it
Sometimes even trees can be dangerous. You might not want to lean up against this one.
Butterflies aren’t as innocent as you think…
They might look pretty but when given the chance, butterflies are just as disgusting and cruel as the rest of nature.
Butterflies often feed from decaying animals, rotten fruits, blood, animal feces and urine. from natureismetal
Messy eater
Polar bears have yet to introduce napkins into their society. It must be difficult to keep those white coats clean.
The o’l blood squirting out of the eye trick
Did you know there are lizards that shoot blood out of their eyes? Well, now you do.
You’re going to need a bigger boat
The ocean is not for people. The ocean is for scary monsters like this.
Hunger from DamnNatureYouScary
Not dangerous, but deeply disturbing
This googly-eyed creature might not be any threat to you but it will haunt your dreams.
Telescopefish are small, deep-sea aulopiform fish. Though rarely captured, they are found in cold, deep tropical waters worldwide. from interestingasfuck
Goldfish are bigger than you thought
This goldfish is considerably bigger than the cracker versions.
Just in case you thought spiders weren’t scary enough
This rather colorful character is a popsus mormon jumping spider. It’s not your friend.
Whale spine on the beach
It’s not every day you take your dog for a walk and discover a whale spine on the beach.
An upset leopard
Do you know why this leopard is so scary? It’s not that they’re mad, it’s not that they’re angry, they are disappointed.
Didn’t know manatees would do this, did you?
Manatees aren’t exactly terrifying creatures but if you had one of them pulling you down into the ocean, you would be a little concerned.
Lions that work together
Do you know what’s scarier than a pack of lions? A pack of lions that work together in complete unison.
Salmon stand no chance
One of the most lopsided relationships in nature is between bear and salmon.
Beware the mantis
The mantis is craftier than you think. Not only are they intelligent, but they also have a great sense of rhythm and style.
Let go! No, you let go!
Here we see a bird and snake fighting over the same fish. That pretty much sums up how dangerous things can be for fish.
Trees have thorns that can straight-up kill you
This is not the type of tree anyone wants to hug, no matter how much you appreciate their ecological function.
honey locust tree thorns – found a few larger than this that had little thorns growing out of the larger thorns. from natureismetal
Jaguar up close
If you ever see this sight but it’s not on a screen, you are just about to die.
Beautiful camouflage
Snow leopards are truly an amazing species. Unfortunately, they are listed as a “vulnerable” species by WWF.
“Hey, don’t worry about it, buddy”
As evidenced by these two, birds appear to be developing emotional intelligence. They are now offering up moral support to one another.
Is Thor coming?
The sky is angry today, my friends, the sky is angry. It almost looks like a portal to some other dimension is about to open up and Marvel characters are about to pour out of it.
Bald eagles are sinister beings
Look at this creepy Mr. Burns-looking Bald Eagle. They have some evil plan they are concocting.
Double protection
What is better protection than having a shell on your back? Having another turtle and its shell on your back.
Badass from natureismetal
After dinner family time
A family that kills and eats together, stays together.
The Australian peacock spider
Why is the Australian peacock spider equal parts terrifying and psychedelic? Because Australia.
Hoarding
If this bird was a human, they would be one of the ones buying up all the toilet paper at the start of a pandemic.
Nature right outside your window
One of the many amazing things about this photo is that someone’s window is right there. Imagine looking out of your window and seeing this.
Big meal from natureismetal
Tigers are now performing musicals
Tigers are evolving. They now have a thriving musical theater industry within their society.
This thing lives on Earth
At this very moment, scientists are looking for signs of life on other planets. Meanwhile, this horrific being lives on the same planet we do.
Nobody said the hunt was going to be easy
Just because your a lion doesn’t mean your prey isn’t going to kick you in the face some days.
Meet the sun spider
Finally, here is the horrifying sun spider up close. They can grow up to 2 inches.
This is a Sun Spider, or Solifugae, up close. They can run up to 9.9 miles per hour. from natureismetal
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