50 Fascinating Posts From The Instagram Account ‘The Weird Unknown’

Nikolai the walrus received a fish cake for his birthday from a zookeeper. This was his reaction.

An incredible natural spectacle! 64,000 green sea turtles gather near Raine Island, Australia’s largest nesting site, in a breathtaking display of marine life. Nature at its finest.

What started as a routine cleaning job turned into a once-in-a-lifetime discovery for Jennifer Dowker, a boat captain and scuba instructor in Cheboygan, Michigan. While cleaning the hull of her glass-bottom tour boat, she spotted a small green bottle resting on the riverbed. Curious, she dove down and retrieved it—only to find a delicate, handwritten note inside. To her surprise, the message dated back to November 1926 and read: “Will the person who finds this bottle return this paper to George Morrow, Cheboygan, Michigan, and tell where it was found?”

Moved by the century-old message in a bottle, Dowker posted photos of it on her company’s Facebook page, hoping to find George Morrow’s family. The story quickly went viral, and soon, Morrow’s daughter saw the post and confirmed it was her father’s handwriting. She shared that he had a habit of leaving little notes and surprises—making this discovery all the more personal. For Dowker, it wasn’t just about finding an old letter—it was about connecting the past with the present in a way that brought joy to people across generations.

The Pacific Ocean is the biggest and deepest body of water on the planet, spanning more than 63 million square miles—roughly one-third of Earth’s surface. Its immense size makes it larger than all of Earth’s land combined. Yet, it’s often underrepresented in satellite images of Earth. Most widely shared photos focus on the Atlantic side, where major continents and population centers are located. Because of this, the Pacific—an ocean so vast it stretches almost uninterrupted by land—is frequently overlooked, despite dominating our planet’s geography.

New research is reshaping how we understand fish—and how we treat them. Studies show that fish can endure up to 22 minutes of intense pain after being removed from water. Once exposed to air, they experience suffocation-like trauma, with their gills damaged and oxygen supply cut off. During this time, fish display clear signs of distress: gasping, erratic thrashing, and neurological responses that closely mirror pain in other animals. These findings challenge long-standing assumptions that fish don’t feel pain and raise ethical questions about fishing and handling practices. As the science deepens, it pushes for a reevaluation of how we interact with marine life, both in commercial and recreational settings.

Meet the northern right whale dolphin, a rare species instantly recognizable for its lack of a dorsal fin—one of only two dolphins in the world without one. Its smooth, torpedo-like body helps it slice through the water with minimal resistance, giving it a sleek, almost whale-like profile. These dolphins are famous for their aerial displays, often leaping, spinning, and performing synchronized maneuvers in massive groups called superpods that can number up to 3,000. They frequently travel with Pacific white-sided dolphins, diving deep to chase schools of squid and small fish. Agile, social, and acrobatic, they remain one of the most fascinating and elusive marine mammals of the Pacific.

Seals have a unique way of resting in the ocean, often using kelp forests as their natural hammocks. The swaying fronds provide a secure and sheltered spot, helping them stay anchored while they enter a light sleep state. Unlike humans, seals can hold their breath for extended periods, allowing them to nap underwater without surfacing frequently. This behavior highlights the adaptability of marine mammals and the crucial role kelp forests play in ocean ecosystems. These underwater forests not only offer protection from currents and predators but also serve as essential habitats for a wide variety of marine life.

The pistol shrimp snaps its claw with such speed that it creates a bubble reaching temperatures around 4,700°C—as hot as the surface of the sun. This rapid snap generates a shockwave powerful enough to stun or k**l prey instantly. As the bubble collapses, it produces a tiny flash of light, making the pistol shrimp one of the few creatures capable of creating plasma underwater.