A general lack of goings-on not relating to death or severe injury has seen news media demand for amateur pictures of lenticular clouds – colloquially known as might be aliens – dramatically increase this week.

One News has reported a “significant” uptick in its use of quaint photographs of lenticular clouds in the last two weeks, and is urging any viewers who have nothing better to do with their personal photography than send it to news outlets, to please make sure there aren’t any pictures of “puffy UFO clouds” they have not yet forwarded.

“As you can see, looks a bit like a flying saucer,” remarked One News meteorologist Daniel Corbett – who himself appears not to be terrestrial – on one picture of a lenticular cloud that appeared on last night’s weather.

“Update us if you get any information about little green men,” joked anchor Simon Dallow.

Corbett laughed. Dallow laughed. Corbett laughed again.

One woman, who sent her own picture of a lenticular cloud to TVNZ, said it wasn’t funny, and that what she saw “probably was” from outer space.

Clouds are formed via the process of evaporation, which is suspicious.