Ocean: Utopia for Eons (The Saga of Ocean: Part 1)

There once was a place where everyone lived in harmony. Dancing in the effervescent waves of Ocean, predator and prey swam side by side. All energy borrowed by the hunters was given back to the hunted in the form of new life. The predators only borrowed enough energy to sustain them, and the prey gave only the energy the predators needed.

Ocean thrived in this balance, as the Circle of Life kept its waters full of majestic creations that continued to evolve. The hunters and the hunted respected one another, and lived their lives to the fullest. One with Ocean, the smallest of fish aided the most fearsome creatures of the deep to keep the seas booming with life. The predators that had borrowed energy from Ocean’s glorious creations returned that energy back as their spirits truly became one with the sea.

And so for eons, Ocean remained a glorious realm of beauty and peace. Life basked in the light of the sun, which warmly embraced Ocean, lighting up the darkest of depths with its brilliant shine. Not a single molecule of the azure waters was left untouched by the magnanimous sun, as it gave life the energy and light it needed to thrive.

Ocean and Sun continued to dance to the same song for what seemed like an eternity, until life gave Land the gift of its presence. Then, a new story began. One that would not be about midnight, moon, and sun.

To be continued…

Shell-Shocked Angler Catches Giant Turtle

An angler was left with a nasty surprise when he caught a giant turtle in a Midlands reservoir.

Huge turtle is now in quarantine

Steve Bellion, 23, was angling for carp when he hooked the 57lb (25kg) reptile at Earlswood Reservoir, near Birmingham.

He eventually hauled the 2ft-long creature on to the bank, and it was identified as an 80-year-old alligator snapping turtle, normally found in the eastern corner of the US.

The catch has solved a long mystery in local fishing circles – tales had abounded for a decade of a giant creature biting through lines and savaging ducks.

The ancient female was transferred by British Waterways to West Midland Safari Park, where it is being kept in quarantine for 30 days and checked by vets.

The turtle – which has yet to be named by its new keepers and can live to 160-years-old – will be housed in a vivarium with a male companion.

Bob Lawrence, director of wildlife at the safari park, said: “It’s looking fine, but so it should be having had half of Britain’s fish stocks at its mercy.

They have been known to attack small domestic pets or children, but I don’t think this one would have drifted too far from the water.
Bob Lawrence, director of wildlife at the safari park

“If it grew any larger it would have been a danger to shipping.”

He said it highlights the danger of introducing alien species into Britain’s waterways, in the same way that American signal crayfish have caused such depletion to fish stocks and the UK’s native crayfish.

And he said the problem is only likely to get worse with global warming.

“Thankfully alligator snapping turtles are a rarity in British waters – they can create havoc for native species,” he told Sky News Online.

“It was probably dumped by its owner after it grew too big or became a nuisance.

“They have been known to attack small domestic pets or children, but I don’t think this one would have drifted too far from the water.

“Because it has no natural predators, it could have lived to a ripe old age and grown to up to 80kg. I just hope there was only one and it didn’t have any offspring.”