14 DAY TRIAL // Extreme temperatures have been freezing everything in sight and keeping people indoors on good reasons, they don't want to end up frozen like this large group of fish on the coast of Lovund, a small island off of Norway.
The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) released some amazing photos of the water off the coast of the small island, capturing a large group of fish, unfortunate enough to freeze while swimming in the nearby area. The temperature was around -7.8C (18F), but a sharp eastern wind was more than enough to dress everything in a thick coast of ice, including the fish.
According to the translation Yahoo News made to the original article from the Havforsknings Instituttet, the Marine research institute is inclined to believe that the fish were most likely chased by a predator and sought refuge by grouping together close to the coast, exactly when the strong winds hit.
Ingolf Kristiansen, one of the people who happened to be at the scene and saw the whole bank of fish frozen in the iced water, admitted that even if now the fish were easy prey, no birds could enjoy the lunch because of the thick layer of ice.
The large group of fish frozen off the coast of Lovund is the second reported case of animals frozen solid in Norwegian waters this winter. Just a few days ago, a moose was encountered stuck and frozen in a lake. The animal was found by some skaters in the middle of the lake near Bodo in the Northern part of the country.
Apparently, the moose was attempting to cross the lake when the ice cracked beneath it and fell in, leaving just the top of his body visible. The frozen moose's body became a local attraction with people travelling to the lake just to see the frozen carcass. It is quite common for these animals to die in this particular way, but not more common than hunting, trafficking and bear fights.