Nature Is Metal

Pick Up The Blitz 📽 by @mhgoeswild Lions and zebras know each other very well. Their ancestors have coexisted on the African continent for over 20 million years, and the modern day versions of both have 2 to 3 million years of experience dealing with the ins and outs of survival on the same field of battle. The stripes know that the young one is a target. If a chase ensues, the lions will be looking to pick off the slowest, most inexperienced member of the group, and the baby zebra is the odd one out. If not for the heroics of what I assume to be the mother zebra, the youngster would be lunch meat. She put her body on the line to box out the predatory advances of the lion, and thwarted her plan for an easy meal. This isn’t always the case, which is what makes this video even cooler. Had the math been different, like facing multiple lions instead of just one, the mother might have had to leave her foal to fend for itself. Evolution forces this harsh choice because her survival ensures future offspring. With a single lion, she can risk defending her young, but against a pride, fleeing maximizes her chance to reproduce again. While this might seem heartless, it is a strategy honed over millions of years of predator-prey conflict. Lucky for the foal, mom didn’t have to make that decision. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Nature Is Metal is powered by you! Did you record a wild video that you would like to get featured here? natureismetal.com/submissions is the absolute best place to send it. Our team checks the submission page daily 

Australia

Known for the signature blue-hue that mists above our eucalypts, the Blue Mountains are home to truly spectacular nature trails 🥾 This gem is the Grand Canyon Track - a 6.3km loop starting just a 1.5 hour drive from Warrane (@sydney). Spend around three hours hiking past waterfalls, over creeks and through soft green ferns, admiring views of the mountains and valleys along the way. 🎥 : @_wherestheway 📍: Grand Canyon Track, @visitbluemountains, @visitnsw #SeeAustralia #ComeAndSayGday #FeelNSW #BlueMountains ID: Text over video reads “Is this the best hike in the Blue Mountains?” with a person hiking through lush green rainforest, along steps over creeks and past waterfalls. 

Hubble Space Telescope

At 230 million light-years away, the galaxy NGC 1706 might look lonely. But it's actually part of a "galaxy group," which means it's gravitationally bound to nearby galaxies. Around half of the galaxies we know of in the universe belong to some kind of group, making them incredibly common cosmic structures. Our home galaxy, the Milky Way, belongs to the Local Group, which also contains the Andromeda Galaxy, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, and the Triangulum Galaxy. Groups are the smallest of galactic gatherings; others are clusters, which can comprise hundreds of thousands of galaxies bound loosely together by gravity, and subsequent superclusters, which bring together numerous clusters into a single entity. Image description: A hazy spiral galaxy fills the image. The glowing yellow-white center has faint spiral arms whirling outward, shining against black space dotted with stars and more distant galaxies. Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Bellini et al. #NASA #Hubble #HubbleClassic #galaxy #space #science #stars #astronomy #telescope #universe 

Nature

Short eared owls are known for being able to travel extremely long distances, sometimes over entire oceans! They are one of only two species of owl living on the Hawai’ian islands. The owls arrived naturally, believed to have arrived from Alaska! One short eared owl was recorded landing on a boat in the Pacific 653 miles from any land 😱🦉 Incredible shots by @turnipian Information from Buffalo Bill Center of the West 

Discovery

One body, two minds…. zero coordination. This CatDog soapbox couldn’t keep it together - literally. ➡️ New #RedBullSoapboxRace TONIGHT 9p on Discovery 

Discovery

Watching from afar 🐾 📸: Javier Fernández Sánchez #TigerTuesday #tiger #wildlife 

Wonderful Places

@bazevents 🙌🏼😍💫 Which color speaks to your soul? Purple, white, blue or pink — 4 weddings, 4 dreams, 1 Baz Events signature. Tell us your favorite in the comments! 😍🫶 

EarthPix 🌎 Travel

@kisakova_v did you know? 

BEAUTIFUL DESTINATIONS

@selin.semerci shows what happens when you leave the busy streets of Amsterdam and step into a real-life fairytale... Welcome to Giethoorn! 🇳🇱🌷 Known as the "Venice of the North," Giethoorn is a peaceful village where canals replace roads and boats glide quietly past thatched-roof cottages. 🚤🌿 No cars, no noise, just footpaths, bike trails, and slow, scenic boat rides through a maze of waterways. Located about 90 minutes from Amsterdam, it’s the perfect day trip if you’re craving quiet beauty and a slower pace. 🍃🏡 Rent a "whisper boat," explore the charming bridges, and don’t miss cozy cafés lining the canals. Would you add this magical spot to your next Dutch adventure? 🌸✨ 📽️ @selin.semerci 📍Giethoorn, Netherlands