Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Share The Little-Known Warnings That Can Totally Save Your Life

People Share The Little-Known Warnings That Can Totally Save Your Life
Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

Listen to the warnings. Pay attention to the signs and the red flags.

Too many people die just because they don't give enough time, like seconds, to care for a hot second.

Life, the universe, sends messages, and all we have to do is listen. You don't have to even be that attentive, a mere try would be enough.

Redditor u/dbzcat wanted everyone to get a list together about ways to survive by asking:

What is a little known warning from nature that can save your life?

We can all sense danger. Let's be real. We all have that gut feeling. Nine time out of ten we ignore it. Why? There is a universal gut feeling. Nature knows things. Let's see how much...

RUNNNNNN!!!

Run Away GIFGiphy

"If the animals gtfo, you should too."

- Mertzehia

"Whenever I see someone running it makes me want to run. I recently realized this might actually be a safety instinctual thing when someone else said they want to run when they see runners, too."

- Kasaurus96

Parallels...

"If you are at swimming at the beach or a coastal inlet & see an unusually calm area of water, get away from it, it could be a rip tide. On that note. If you get stuck in a rip, don't swim against it, you will tire & drown, swim parallel to the coast till you swim out of the rip."

- Dyingforsomelove

"Squirrels will sometimes watch you from a distance while making alarm calls. The sound varies by species but it's generally a sort of squawking bark. If you hear them barking, and they aren't yelling at you, then there may be something else around they think is a predator. It's worth paying attention."

- Cargo_Vroom

Smells while hiking...

"Oh! I can answer this! If you're hiking and suddenly smell something very musky, almost reminiscent of a faint country manure, keep your freaking eyes open."

I" was hiking on the Appalachian Trail today, up in Maryland. The wind shifted and the smell changed to something like I described above. Caught me off guard, but I kept hiking. About a quarter mile later, I turned around and began to head to my car since I was already 6 miles into a 2.5 mile hike."

"Right around where the smell changed, I heard a sudden crashing sound and saw a black bear just freakin busting it's way away from the trail into the woods. I had walked past it, and then came back upon it when I turned around."

T"L;DR: if you're hiking and the ambient scent changes suddenly, you're probably close to an animal."

- Tchrspest

The Storm

Storm Hurricane GIFGiphy

"Of you see waves come in to shore with a square pattern or if the tide recedes very fast, evacuate asap. It means a tsunami is coming."

- Harmaroo8

Having lived in the South I always know when a storm is a comin'. That is an easy one. Which begs the question... why aren't more people prepared?

And always listen to squirrels. They know things. Shall we contine?

Flooded

Fire This Is Fine GIF by MOODMANGiphy

"Surprised the flash flood sign hasn't been posted yet. If you're walking near water and if turns dirty and dirty with debris in it, get to high ground."

- VanGoJourney

New Year's Eve

"If a tornado looks like it's not moving, chances are that it is either coming right at you, or it's moving away from you. Always assume it's coming towards you and seek shelter right away."

- tadadesae

"Not sure about this one. Tornados do a lot of weird stuff. El Reno did a full 180 if I remember right. No expert here but I've lived in Missouri my whole life."


"New Year's Eve, a tornado tore down a house and the neighbor's house about 15 feet away still had its Christmas lights up. Another one jumped over our house that's on the peak of a valley and then take out a garage and barn at the base of the valley. Never try and predict what a tornado will do IMO."

- AChikenSamich

Trust Yourself

"Your own senses. If you feel like something is wrong, there is a good chance it is. In your peripheral you may have seen something or gotten a vibe from someone that made your hair stand. Don't just dismiss the feeling. Our subconscious is very attuned to hostile body language in people capable of violence."

"Edit:. If you have anxiety disorder and you subconscious goes more haywire than usual, it's time to leave the situation anyway. Even if benign you are likely to have a panic attack which is not fun either. It's harder to feel the difference since your baseline anxiety is always up there, but if you feel an increase, it's a good idea to move away. You might be wrong half the time but the point is it's never worth the risk."

"Also, trusting your instincts, even if they are wrong will reduce your anxiety because you have done what your most base brain has asked you to. You will start to realize that you can soothe that anxious part of yourself because it will know it can get out of a bad situation when it happens. That control and predictably will reduce anxiety and give your senses a rest so they can be more attuned to actual danger."

- ihaveasandwitch

When in Australia

"If a tree is hot to touch get the hell out. I don't know if this is common in other countries, but here in Australia we have what's called "widowmakers", basically eucalypt trees are extremely flammable and its possible for the tree to be on fire internally, but not visible on the outside, and can literally explode at any given moment."

- Amber-Dragon

Brightness...

The Original Series GIF by Star TrekGiphy

"If an animal is brightly coloured and/or distinctly patterned and easy to see, that's a warning not to mess with it."

- Pseudonymico

I've made a survival list. I love when I learn things from Reddit. There are hidden gems abound. Don't be ashamed, fight for your life.

Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Angela Bassett
Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

Angela Bassett Revives 'Black Panther' Character For Vogue World 2025—And Marvel Fans Are Losing It

Actor Angela Bassett had Marvel fans freaking out after she made a surprise appearance strutting down the runway at the fourth annual Vogue World: Hollywood fashion event in the original outfit worn by her character Queen Ramonda from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

The purple gown, designed by celebrated costume designer Ruth E. Carter, is the same one Bassett wore for a scene in which her character delivers a speech before the United Nations.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Leaked Memo Lays Out Republican Effort To Elect Trump For A Third Term

Podcaster Brian Allen, who tweets using the handle @allenanalysis, shared a memo that argues for "reconsidering presidential term limits" so President Donald Trump can receive a third term, citing "unfinished business" and "continuity" as reasons why.

The memo, from the Third Term Project, is for a Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) event that was held on February 20, 2025, just one month after Trump took office again.

Keep ReadingShow less
Man carrying a box of belongings out of the office
Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Career Mistakes People Don't Realize They're Making Until It's Too Late

We all make mistakes, and fortunately, they're often reparable if we're willing to put in the effort.

But sometimes, the mistakes we make are too extreme and too lasting for us to overcome. And that is devastating when that kind of mistake is made while you're navigating your career path.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gavin Newsom; Donald Trump
Patrick J. Fallon/Getty Images; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Gavin Newsom Fires Back At Trump Over His Bonkers Misspelled Medical Advice

California Governor Gavin Newsom hit back at President Donald Trump after Trump wrote a rambling Truth Social post in which he warned pregnant women against taking Tylenol and advised when to get certain vaccines.

Trump—who is by no means a medical expert of any kind—published the post at 4:19 a.m. local time on an overseas trip in Malaysia. While ranting, he somehow also managed to misspell the word "hepatitis" as "hepatitas" in reference to the disease characterized by the inflammation of the liver.

Keep ReadingShow less
Amazon driver and TikToker @garrettpxyz
@garrettpxyz/TikTok

Driver's lie shames homophobic family

When will MAGA folks finally learn to mind their business?

Apparently not today, Satan, because one delivery driver just delivered more than a package: he dropped off a masterclass in petty improvisation.

Keep ReadingShow less