Everybody loves elephants. The biggest living land animals in the world, they are beautiful creatures that are revered worldwide. Although generally thought of as gentle animals, they are actually incredibly dangerous — which can be mostly attributed to their impressive size — although there are times when elephants can be frighteningly aggressive too. And I mean aggressive. […] More
Some rivers are more dangerous than others… In Africa, Nile crocodiles are extremely dangerous and are estimated to be responsible for 275 to 745 attacks per year, which is more than any other crocodile species combined. Yet, crocodiles are not the most dangerous animals in Africa; That title goes to the hippopotamus. Hippos are the most […] More
After extensive research, scientists have concluded that octopus DNA is surprisingly out of this world. While the researchers aren’t suggesting that cephalopods are actually from another planet, they do say that what they’ve found has never been seen in any other animal species on earth. The study found that while humans have an estimated 20,500 […] More
Researchers have just confirmed that while cephalopods (octopus, cuttlefish and squid) are experts at camouflaging themselves, they’re completely colorblind. Professor Justin Marshall and Dr Wen-Sung Chung of the Queensland Brain Institute studied octopus and cuttlefish retinas extensively to make the determination. Their findings were published in The Royal Society. Professor Marshall said, “These engaging and charismatic animals can display […] More
Anacondas are four species of giant snakes native to South America, but the snake most commonly referred to as an “anaconda” is the green anaconda, which at 17.1 feet (5.21 meters) and 215 pounds (97.5 kilograms) is the largest and heaviest snake species and among the longest of all snakes. So, with that in mind, […] More
If you have a bird-feeder at home, you might want to keep an eye out for praying mantises. It turns out they not only eat pesky insects and bugs, but they sometimes target birds too. These bold-faced badasses linger near bird feeders and gardens, where they sit perfectly still and lay in wait for their […] More
A brave dog was captured on video holding its ground against a pack of wolves. The footage, documented by Abruzzo local Paolo Forconi in southern Italy, shows three tenacious wolves nipping at the pup’s heels as it looks for an escape along a barbed wire fence. The canine — likely a livestock guardian or working […] More
It turns out falcons in Morocco could be the ultimate bad guys. On the Essaouira archipelago, researchers witnessed a species of bird called the Eleonora’s falcon capturing smaller birds and holding them captive for days before killing them. In Alauda, a French ornithology journal, Abdeljebbar Qninba of Mohammed V University reported the predatory behavior he […] More
DNA tests have confirmed that three crocodiles found in Florida over the past 5 years are “man-eating” Nile crocodiles that are actually native to Africa. And there are almost certainly more out there. A manager at the Florida Museum of Natural History stated, “The odds that the few of us who study Florida reptiles have […] More
Researchers believe it was a crime of passion. But whatever the motivation, this is hard to stomach. Marine biologists at OrcaLab off the coast of Vancouver witnessed a horrifying scene: a mother-son pair teaming up to target and kill a newborn calf in the first documented case of infanticide among killer whales. Responding to strange calls […] More
At first glance, it looks like there was some sort of horrendous massacre on this glacier. Fear not, this aptly-named “Blood Falls” is actually an outflow of saltwater tainted with iron oxide. The salt water is mixed with the iron from the bedrock below, and tiny fissures in the glaciers sporadically spout this iron-rich water, leaving […] More
This sea of garbage floating off the coast of an island in Honduras is just the latest visual example of how plastic is polluting the world’s oceans. Caroline Power, an underwater photographer and conservationist who lives on the Honduran island of Roatan, posted shocking images of the floating trash pile on Facebook. Stretching across miles […] More
