Elephant Kills Woman, Tramples Corpse At Funeral: Craziest Animals Of 2022

The entire crocodile was found in terrifying images on the Burmese Python

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From dead elephants crashing through doors to mysterious species washing up on beaches and sheep running in circles, 2022 has been a big year for animals.

As 2022 comes to a close, Newsweek takes a look at the best animal stories of the year.

The mystery of deep sea sharks with bulging eyes and teeth caught by fishermen

A cropped version of a photo of a basking shark taken by Facebook user and fisherman Trapman Bermagui on September 12, 2022. The photo has sparked discussions about shark species. TRAPMAN BERMAGUI/FACEBOOK

© TRAPMAN BERMAGUI/FACEBOOK Cropped photo of a basking shark taken by Facebook user and fisherman Trapman Bermagui on September 12, 2022. The photo has sparked debate about shark species. TRAPMAN BERMAGUI/FACEBOOK

A mysterious deep-sea shark with bulging teeth and big eyes was caught by fishermen off Australia in September. At the time, no one knew what species it was.

Sydney fisherman Trapman Bermagui posted a photo of the creature on his Facebook page on September 12. At the time, he said he had a "deep sea shark face" that was caught 2,133 meters underwater.

The shark has a distinctive appearance with rough skin, a sharp nose, large eyes and a row of sharp, prominent teeth. Facebook users say the creature looks very prehistoric.

Bermagui told Newsweek that he thinks it's a rough-skinned shark, also known as a type of shark.

The mystery of the sheep that roamed China for 12 days may be solved

File image showing a row of sheep. In November, a flock of sheep was filmed walking in circles non-stop for 12 days. photo Getty

In November, the internet was abuzz with reports of a herd of sheep in China running in circles non-stop for 12 days. Images of sheep on a farm in Inner Mongolia were shared by the state-run People's Daily.

While sheep are known to instinctively imitate others in the herd, it is highly unusual for them to move in sync for so long. It is not clear whether people stopped to drink and eat.

Some experts theorize that the strange circular movement is the result of a bacterial disease known as listeriosis, which can cause them to run in circles.

However, Matt Bell, a professor and director of the Department of Agriculture at Hartpury University in Gloucester, England, told Newsweek that the behavior could be the result of long-term cooperation.

"This can lead to stereotyped behavior, with a repeated cycle of frustration that they are caged and limited [where they can go]," she says. "That's not good. Then they get joined by other sheep because they're herd animals and join or join their friends."

Hundreds of whales stranded on Naas Island surrounded by sharks

File photo shows a stranded pilot whale. Hundreds of people have been stranded on an island off the coast of New Zealand. Stephen Barnes/Getty

In October, hundreds of whales washed up on a remote New Zealand island surrounded by sharks.

As many as 250 pilot whales may have been involved in the Chatham Islands stranding near Pitt Island, stranded whale rescue organization Project Jonah said at the time.

The closure came on the heels of a massive stranding on northwestern Chatham Island that killed 215 pilot whales. The second closure brought the number of whales stranded in the area to 500 within days.

Wildlife officers were dispatched to the area to begin rescue efforts, but many whales were euthanized. The remoteness of the country and the abundance of sharks surrounding the island made rescue dangerous and difficult.

The Chatham Islands are a "hot spot" for whales, with nearly half of New Zealand's whale strandings occurring here.

School of crab-like creatures found in river 1,600 meters beneath Antarctic ice

One image shows the descent into the estuary where the camera is below. Scientists have discovered a thriving ecosystem at the bottom of the well. NIWA/Craig Stevens

In July, swarms of crab-like creatures were found in a river 1,600 meters below the ice in Antarctica.

The discovery shocked the New Zealand research team. I'm in Antarctica studying a river hundreds of miles from the edge of the Ross ice to see how it affects climate change.

But when the scientists drilled their cameras into the river, they suddenly found swarms of tiny amphipods, creatures in the same family as crabs, mites and lobsters.

Professor Craig Stevens, a NIWA ocean physics specialist who took part in the expedition, said in a press release that it was a "big surprise".

"For a moment we thought there was something wrong with the camera, but when we zoomed in, we saw a swarm of arthropods about 5mm in diameter," he said.

The elephant kills the woman, then returns to the cemetery and tramples the body

The file photo shows an Asian elephant raising its trunk. An elephant killed a woman in India and then trampled on her corpse at her funeral. APeriam/Getty Photography

An elephant killed a woman in India in June, then returned to her funeral and trampled her body.

Maya Murmu, 70, was attacked by a wild elephant as she went to fetch water in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district, Indian newspaper The Print reported at the time.

After the elephant attacked Murmu, he was taken to hospital but succumbed to his injuries , Lopamudra Nayak, an inspector at Rasgovindpur police station, told The Print.

But later, when family members gathered for his funeral, the wild fungus reappeared.

He went to the bar and grabbed her body, The Print reported. The elephant then stepped on his body again and threw him forward before running away.

The entire crocodile was found in terrifying images on the Burmese Python

In November, an entire alligator was found in the stomach of a Burmese python in Florida. The gruesome discovery was captured in a video posted on Instagram.

An 18-foot Burmese python captured by field workers in Florida's Everglades National Park. After field workers saw the invasive reptile, they euthanized it on the spot.

But when the reptile was autopsied, scientists found an intact 5-foot alligator inside its stomach.

Video of the discovery, captured by geoscientist Rosie Moore, shows scientists examining the bulge in the python's stomach before cutting it open. The scientists were later seen removing the entire alligator from its stomach.

Black River Jet The beast caught by Texas fishermen

The image shows the creature writhing in the water. Very rare species Lotus Guide Service

In May, a very rare black river animal was caught by fishermen in Texas. Anglers Justin Jordan and Terrell Maguire were fishing in a swamp in southeast Texas when they came across the animal.

Jordan, who is a fishing guide for the Lotus Guide Service, told Newsweek that the creature was an "extremely rare" melanistic alligator.

Maguire was the person "behind the stick" when he was caught. Jordan estimated that it was about five feet long, but the species can grow to large sizes.

A giant 22-foot python reportedly swallowed the grandmother whole

File photo shows a webbing python. One was swallowed whole by a grandmother in Indonesia. Mark Riggins/Getty

A 22-foot python was found to have swallowed a grandmother whole in Indonesia.

The 54-year-old woman, named Jahrah, disappeared from her home in Jambi province on the western island of Sumatra on October 21, Mail Online reported.

After a search, local residents found a large python with a bloated belly in the forest. They opened it and found the woman's entire body inside, the media reported.

"There seem to be some cases of reticulated pythons eating people," Graham Alexander, a professor of herpetology at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, told Newsweek .

Dolphin attack on trainer at Miami Sea Aquarium caught on chilling footage

File photo shows a captive dolphin being touched by a visitor. A dolphin was filmed attacking a trainer at the Miami Aquarium. dmbaker/Getty

In April, the moment a dolphin attacked a trainer in the Miami Sea in Florida was filmed.

The incident happened during the aquarium's Flipper Dolphin show on April 9.

It was filmed by photographer Shannon Carpenter, who was at the event with her family at the time. Carpenter later posted it on TikTok.

In the footage seen here, a trainer in the water suddenly appears to be struggling to stay afloat. Then he seemed to be violently pushed forward. He then tried to get out of the pool but disappeared under the water.

When the carriage reappeared, he headed for the pier. After getting out of the pool, he bent over and looked scared. Another trainer drops to his knees and examines him.

The dolphin then surfaces in the same place in the water and swims away. The third coach continues the performance.

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