Interesting & funny news from around the world, Интересные и забавные новости со всего мира

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Newborn right whale calves make rare visit to Florida coast

Wildlife officials in Florida said a group of endangered right whales made a rare appearance off the coast of Ponte Bedra Beach, and they included two new calves.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute said two females named Caterpillar and Blackheart were spotted near the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve on Dec. 30.

Each whale was accompanied by a newborn calf.

Researchers said both whale moms are 20 years old. Caterpillar is a first-time mother, while Blackheart had one calf previously.

"Right whales have been sighted all along the Eastern Seaboard in recent weeks," researchers wrote. "Low visibility and windy conditions can hamper research efforts locally, sometimes for extended periods of time."

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Montana man unofficially breaks world record for kettleball swings

A Montana man unofficially broke a Guinness World Record by completing 5,148 pounds worth of kettleball swings in one minute.

Ray Hibnes, of Butte, selected a 132-pound kettleball at his local gym, Kinetic Fitness, and completed 38 swings in 60 seconds to attempt the world record for the most weight lifted by kettlebell swing in one minute.

Hibnes lifted the equivalent of 5,148 pounds, smashing the previous record of 4,815 pounds set by Swiss man Stefan Schwitter in 2023.

His attempt must now be reviewed by Guinness World Records to become official.

Hibnes said he foresees more world record attempts in his future.

"This is part of a bigger goal that hopefully I can use something that I am relatively good at to work with people who know how to raise money for charitable events and tie that in and hopefully we can do more than just swing a piece of steel around," he told KXLF-TV.

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Chinese man throws playing cards to slice cucumbers, light matches

A Chinese man with a unique skill set broke a pair of Guinness World Records by using hand-thrown playing cards to slice cucumbers and light matches.

Zhang Yazhou, aka NengLiangJun on social media, told Guinness World Records he cultivated his marksmanship skills by playing with slingshots and skipping stones as a child.

He started throwing cards in college, and soon the videos he posted of his skills online became his full-time career.

Yazhou spent months training to take his skills to the next level and become a Guinness World Record-holder.

He broke his first record by using his playing cards to slice through 41 cucumbers in 60 seconds. Moments later, he earned his second title by lighting 29 matches with his thrown cards.

Yazhou said he is experimenting with new techniques to increase the distance of his throws and is hoping to take on more challenging records in the future.

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Cow traverses highway, river before being caught on railroad tracks

A cow that escaped by vaulting over a 5-foot fence was captured on the railroad tracks near an Oregon highway after fleeing pursuit for several days and crossing a river.

The Oregon State Police said the 4-H cow had jumped over a 5-foot fence and a 3-foot barbed wire fence to escape a property in Washington and headed toward Oregon.

The cow eluded pursuit for several days, and was spotted emerging from the Columbia River on Jan. 1.

The bovine ended up on Interstate 84, near Hood River, where an OSP trooper joined in the pursuit.

"Unfortunately, the cow jumped the median into the eastbound lane of I-84. It continued heading west along the eastbound shoulder before heading toward railroad tracks. The cow walked several miles along the tracks and through a tunnel," the OSP said on social media.

The chase came to an unusual end when a young woman attempted to block the cow's path on the railroad tracks.

"The cow stopped, stared at the young woman, and then collapsed from exhaustion. The cow was loaded into a horse trailer for transport to a nearby property until he could be reunited with his owners," the post said.

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Christmas gift from 1978 found behind wall of Illinois home

Christmas came about 46 years late for an Illinois man who was performing renovations at his childhood home when he found a present that had fallen behind a wall in 1978.

Tim King, 53, owner of T.King Construction Services in Lombard, said he was renovating the bathroom at his parents' house when he found something inside the wall.

"We took out a medicine cabinet before we drywalled and I thought, 'I'd better just look in there to make sure nothing's back there,'" King told People.com. "And then there it was!"

King discovered a wrapped Christmas gift that had been intended for him to open on Christmas in 1978. He said his parents used to hide gifts in the home's attic, and this one must have fallen into a crawlspace without anyone noticing.

King opened the gift in front of his parents, revealing a set of now-vintage Matchbox toy airplanes that his mother had no memory of buying.

"So I have one sister, and my mom has always been very picky about getting us the exact same amount of gifts," he said, "So we've been joking that I've been screwed out of one present for 46 years."

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Snowstorm helps red pandas escape from zoo enclosure

A zoo in Switzerland said winter storms allowed two red pandas to escape their enclosure and one of the animals wandered all the way into nearby woodlands.

The Walter Zoo in Gossau said heavy snowfall caused branches to break in the red panda enclosure, giving a path for female red pandas Li and Yen to climb to freedom.

Li traveled only a few yards away and was found munching on branches with the zoo's vicuñas — South American relatives of camels — but Yen "was more adventurous," the zoo said on social media.

"Her tracks led us outside the zoo into the forest," the post said.

Zookeepers, aided by a helpful pedestrian and a tracking K9, located Yen "taking a leisurely stroll in the forest."

"After a short sprint, our animal keepers were able to catch her safely with a net and bring her back to the zoo," officials wrote.

The red pandas were checked over by a veterinarian and determined to be uninjured. They were returned to their enclosure once their escape path was cleared.

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Diver walks 370 feet underwater on a single breath

An Australian freediver went for a 370-foot, 2-inch stroll at the bottom of a pool to break the Guinness World Record for the longest underwater walk with one breath (female).

Amber Bourke, 35, who has been freediving for over 10 years, spent weeks training in and out of the pool to break her own personal record of 334 feet, 7 inches, as well as the Guinness World Record of 357 feet, 7 inches.

"I wanted to do this both for my own sense of achievement — it has always been a dream of mine to hold a Guinness World Records title — and also to raise money for the Australian Marine Conservation Society in the process," Bourke told Guinness World Records.

Bourke's underwater walking technique involved bending at her hips so her torso was at a 90-degree angle, in a swimming-like position, while her feet were planted on the floor of the pool.

Bourke already holds 17 Australian freediving records and one International Association for the Development of Apnea world record for swimming underwater.

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Designer creates world's largest sandal in Nigeria

A British-Nigerian fashion designer took aim at a Guinness World Record by creating a massive sandal measuring 10 feet, 4.2 inches wide and 26 feet, 8.8 inches long.

Liz Sanya spent 72 hours constructing the giant clog-style sandal at Pixel Park in Lekki, Lagos, finishing her shoe on Jan. 4.

Sanya's finished clog has been submitted to Guinness World Records as the world's largest sandal.

The record is currently held by a team of artisans from Municipio De Sahauyo, Mexico, who created a traditional sandal measuring 10 feet, 1.65 inches wide and 24 feet, 5.31 inches long.

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Unusual 911 calls of 2024: 'Mean' cat, broken washing machine, locked phone

Police in Saskatchewan, Canada, released a list of the "top ten reasons not to call 911" based on incidents from 2024, including a person who didn't want to clean their room and a resident's "mean" cat.

The Saskatchewan RCMP posted a video to Facebook featuring operators from its Divisional Operational Communications Center giving a rundown of the top 10 most unusual non-emergency calls that came in through the 911 emergency number in 2024.

The No. 10 spot on the list had to do with a not-so-tech-savvy individual who "called 911 to advise that they didn't recognize someone on their social media friend list."

Another caller told operators their parents were forcing them to clean their room, and the No. 8 caller reported a fox was "wandering the neighborhood and scaring a local cat."

The No. 7 caller reported bees inside their house, the No. 6 caller asked for police help to unlock their cellphone and the No. 5 caller told operators someone had thrown their ice cream on the ground.

The No. 4 call involved an individual who reported their cat was being "mean" and asked for a police officer to "come and help with the situation."

Caller No. 3 asked for help with a malfunctioning washing machine and the No. 2 caller requested help with a math problem, "as they didn't want to fail their test in the morning."

The No. 1 call on the list came from a resident who reported someone had apparently taken their tambourine during a party.

"Whether you're frustrated with your washing machine, trying to unlock your phone or suspicious of a fox — calling 911 must be reserved for emergencies and crimes in progress," the RCMP said.

Misuse of 911 can carry a fine of up to $1,400 in Saskatchewan.

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Florida museum gathers 468 people in dinosaur costumes

A Florida museum gathered 468 people in dinosaur costumes to break a Guinness World Record.

The Cox Science Center and Aquarium teamed up with the City of West Palm Beach to take on the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people dressed as dinosaurs at West Palm Beach's Screen on the Green.

The record to beat stood at 252 people, and was set in Los Angeles in 2019.

A Guinness World Records adjudicator confirmed the Florida attempt took the title with 468 participants.

"WE DID IT," the museum said on social media. "Thank you so much to everyone who helped make this possible. Especially the City of West Palm Beach and each one of you who came out to make history with us! We couldn't have done it without you all."

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