Sammy is a wildlife-loving Environmental Scientist and Conservationist, traveler, photographer, and adventure seeker. She's been all over the US and across the world to study and work with wildlife. She wants to save the world.
Believe it or not, there are insects here on earth that outweigh the average small rodent. Giant wetas (from the genus Deinacrida) are colossal cricket-like creatures that have roamed the planet since before the dinosaurs. Native to New Zealand, these unique insects resemble something of an over-sized horned grasshopper with enlarged hind legs. They’re not the […] More
Superb Bird-of-Paradise males are known for their ostentatious displays and mating dances. A bird-of-paradise species was identified just last year by its smooth dance moves on the undisturbed island of New Guinea. The species, dubbed the Vogelkop Superb Bird-of-Paradise, looks almost identical to its now famous dancing “smiley face” cousin, the Greater Superb Bird-of-Paradise – […] More
A Minnesota mushroom hunter happened upon quite a rare find: a stillborn two-headed fawn. This is a first — before this, the only known case of conjoined fawns had been observed in utero (inside the mother’s womb). “It’s amazing and extremely rare,” University of Georgia scientist Gino D’Angelo said in a statement. “We can’t […] More
Male brown widow spiders seem to have a death wish: they prefer mating partners that are more likely to cannibalize them, an unusual study recently revealed. When given the choice, males gravitate towards older, less fertile females who are 50 percent more likely than younger females to eat them after mating. What’s even more baffling […] More
Bowhead whales may be the most versatile and creative singers in the sea, according to a recent study. Researchers out of the University of Washington recorded vocalizations of the 60-foot arctic behemoths over a span of four years, revealing a repertoire of more than 180 completely unique songs. Until now, it was assumed that bowheads […] 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
Millions of donkeys across the world are being killed to fuel the demand for a traditional remedy in China. The donkey skin remedy, named ejiao, is produced by boiling down the skin to obtain gelatin, which many of its buyers believe can treat blood conditions and promote general health. When not used to remedy blood disorders, […] More
The controversial practice of hunting and killing animals for sport has long outraged conservationists and animal lovers. But a ban on commercial hunting may do more harm than good, says one activist. Speaking at a TEDx Copenhagen event, conservationist Mikkel Legerth who co-created the Modisa Wildlife Project in Botswana, claimed that the country’s ban on […] More
Despite the fact that most of the earth’s surface (71%) is covered by water, what lies beneath is still largely a mystery. Humans have explored less than 5% of the world’s oceans, which hold nearly all of the water on our planet. Yet even with our limited underwater expeditions, we have already discovered some amazing […] More
Few creatures on Earth inspire wonder the way a Komodo dragon does. The largest lizards in the world, they can be ten feet long, and their fierce appearance and hunting skills are awe-inspiring, to say the least. They look a bit like a dragon or even a mini-dinosaur, but their looks are not the strangest thing […] More
Twenty-five percent of primates in Uganda’s Kibale National Park have a severe physical deformity of some kind, and researchers believe pesticides are to blame. Researchers working in the northern area of the park noticed that chimpanzees and baboons in the region had flattened noses, cleft lip, abnormal or absent nostrils, patchy fur, and concave faces. […] More
This rare beauty was pulled from a lobster trap off the coast of Maine. The lobsterman, being a responsible ocean steward, threw the animal back after realizing it was an egg-producing female. The lobsterman, Alex Todd, is a 10th-generation commercial fisherman from Chebeague Island. Todd shared the picture with the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association. They explained: “A normal […] More
