Jhaneel is a travel-obsessed blogger and content writer based in New York City.
Most people have heard of woolly mammoths. But another group of giant animals called Megatherium once roamed the earth even before the Ice Age. Meet the giant ground sloth. Megatherium (which translates quite aptly to “great beast”) is one of the largest known land-based mammals, eclipsed only by mammoths and an ancient species of rhinoceros […] More
If you have a cat or have ever gotten sucked into cat videos on YouTube, then you know that beneath their fluffy exterior, often lies a heart of steel. It may come as no surprise, then, that a tiny, adorable wild cat is one of the world’s deadliest killers. Weighing about 3 to 4 points […] More
If insects terrify you, then a group of giant centipedes that can kill and eat prey 15 times their size may just be your worst nightmare. With their potent venom and abundance of legs, regular-sized centipedes are already pretty scary. But species from the genus Scolopendra are capable of reaching incredibly large sizes—and they’ve got […] 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
Some monkeys are actually physically capable of producing human speech. But their brains just aren’t wired to do so, according to research published in Science Advances. Researchers recorded X-ray of a long-tailed macaque’s vocal and facial movements as he made different sounds, like coos, grunts, yawns and lip smacks. Then, they used a computer model to simulate possible […] More
Instantly recognizable by the horrified, woeful expression on their upturned faces, stargazers are among the most fascinating (and frightening) fish in the ocean — capable of vacuuming up, electrocuting and delivering deadly venom to their enemies. The fish, named for the upward-facing eyes and gaping mouths located strategically at the top of their heads, are […] More
City-dwelling birds have found an innovative way to ward off parasites: they line their nests with the discarded cigarette butts they find on the streets. It’s not unusual for birds to build their nests with plants that repel pests like ticks and mites, but cigarettes are a clever modern adaptation. The nicotine in the cigarettes […] More
Human activities have threatened jaguars for decades, drastically reducing their original habitat across every continent where the animals appear. But in one region of South America, human intervention may actually be helping to save the largest jaguar on the planet. Stretching through Brazil and parts of Paraguay and Bolivia, the Pantanal region is considered the […] More
If you know anything about honey badgers, you’ll know that they are absolutely fearless. These daring little creatures regularly go up against some of the most fearsome predators, including lions, wild dogs, hyenas and now, a leopard. In this video, a mother honey badger doesn’t hesitate to take on a hungry leopard when it goes […] More
If you’ve watched enough wildlife encounters, you probably know that, despite their reputation in popular culture, hippos are NOT gentle giants. When bothered, these massive creatures are extremely aggressive and highly dangerous. But apparently, they can be deadly even when they’re not angry. In fact, any animal who inadvertently enters their territory risks not making […] More
Being caught between a pride of lions and a crocodile almost certainly means impending doom. But thanks to help from some friends, this lucky buffalo managed to escape the jaws of death, proving that Cape buffalo may be the toughest animals on the African continent. The encounter started out normally enough. The lions had been […] More
After an excruciatingly long wait, justice has been served for conservationists and animal lovers. A gang of poachers in South Africa recently received a series of hefty sentences, wrapping up a court case that stretched nearly three years. Three men from the so-called “Ndlovu Gang” were sentenced to a total of 500 years in prison […] More
