Animals (Like This Jellyfish) Are Loving the Pandemic

Mountain goats, deer, and foxes are also enjoying the lack of human beings
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 22, 2020 6:05 PM CDT

With humans at home, animals are free to roam—and even reclaim places once dominated by people. A serene example is the jellyfish seen gliding through calm waters in Venice, Italy, in the reflection of a grand palace, Time reports. Biologist Andrea Mangoni shot video of the gelatinous creature as it took advantage of a boat-less canal. "I was able to film a jellyfish that was swimming close to the San Marco square, only few inches below the water surface," he tells Reuters. An Italian professor says this species of jellyfish, the rhisostoma pulmo, roams the upper Adriatic and likely entered the canals via tidal flows. Similar images are appearing worldwide amid the coronavirus pandemic, like:

  • Wild mountain goats "running rampant" in a Welsh town and macaque gangs fighting in the empty streets of Lopburi, Thailand, Global News reports.
  • Dogs seen hunting a wild boar in Ajmer, India, and several deer resting on the grass bordering homes in Harold Hill, England.
  • Coyotes, foxes, and deer photographed by Toronto residents in "usually bustling areas of the city," the Toronto Star reports.
  • An odd role reversal at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium. With no visitors around, staff there let penguins check out other species, the Chicago Tribune reported in March. This video of a penguin visiting black-barred silver dollars is worth the click.
(Or read about America's first cases of coronavirus in pets.)

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