SIDELINES...

NATURAL FLAPPERS

Seals’ well-known habit of clapping their flippers to make a noise has been shown to be a natural behaviour rather than a trick taught to captive animals. Newcastle University researchers filmed a male grey seal underwater, clapping loudly. It is thought to be a means of attracting mates and a warning to rivals, and was previously thought to have been a vocal sound. D.Mail, 3 Feb 2020.

MASTER CRIMINAL

A burglar was found fast asleep next to a half-eaten cheesecake in the bar he had broken into. Police discovered Mark Cooper, 41, curled up on the floor of 808 Bar & Kitchen, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear, “spooning Henry the Hoover with the cheesecake by his side”. Video footage from an officer’s body camera shows the thief looking bewildered and shouting “Whoa, whoa, whoa” to the police, who tell him to “Wake up”. When Cooper asked what was happening, he was told: “You broke into a bar, man.” Independent, 29 Oct 2020.

SUPER TROOPER

Nevada Highway Patrol state trooper Britta Foesch was returning from a Hallowe’en party in a Star Wars Stormtrooper costume when she spotted a vehicle trying to enter Interstate I-15 in the wrong direction. A Highway Patrol spokesperson said the suspect was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, driving without a valid driver’s license, and two traffic violations, and added: “Trooper Foesch no doubt intervened and stopped a potentially deadly situation. The FORCE is strong in Trooper Foesch.” yahoonews.com, 1 Nov 2020.

WINSTON SMITH REDUX

A New York City man waiting for a bus in the Bronx fell into a sinkhole full of rats when the sidewalk concrete cracked open. Leonard Shoulders, 33, broke an arm and a leg when he plummeted into the rodent-filled cavity. His brother told journalists: “He couldn’t move, and the rats were crawling all over him. He didn’t scream, because he didn’t want the rats going into his mouth.”Firefighters extricated him after half an hour. Guardian, 29 Oct 2020.