Antlers have been considered prized possessions by hunters for centuries. But to deer and others in the Cervidea family, antlers are merely seasonal decorations used to seek a mate and defend against competition. That’s why deer shed their antlers each year, as we see captured here in the trail cam video below. While it’s shocking […] More
Frogs have the incredible ability to entirely freeze their bodies during cold conditions and when it gets warm, thaw back to life and go on their way — without missing a hop. While all wild animals have means of managing the winter season, few perform a feat quite like the frog. Instead of migrating to […] More
In the popular Alien sci-fi film franchise, the titular species—known as the “xenomorph”—targets hapless humans, often horrifically implanting their bodies with its own eggs. When the eggs hatch, the young emerge explosively from their unwilling incubator, with invariably fatal results for the human host. The jarring life cycle seems like something cooked up entirely in […] More
Grizzly bears are making a comeback. Are you ready to coexist? Grizzlies once roamed the United States as far west as San Francisco, all the way east into the Great Plains, and south out of the states into Mexico. After years of ruthless hunting and habitat loss, only an estimated 1,500 remain, occupying just 2% […] 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
Meet the giant short-faced bear, a massive beast that roamed North and South America and dominated all sorts of other large predators until it went extinct about 11,000 years ago. View post on imgur.com Standing at 6 ft tall on all fours and weighing about 2,500 pounds, the short-faced bear was the largest carnivorous predator […] More
When cicada nymphs emerge from the ground, a certain percentage of them—between 2 and 5 percent—will acquire a fungal infection. The parasite rapidly grows inside these unlucky insects, eventually destroying whole sections of their body. But while the fungus has been known to science for a century, recent research published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports […] More
With their arresting size, cunning, and athleticism, Africa’s big cats—like lions, leopards, and cheetahs—get plenty of attention as avatars of carnivory. But the swiftest death on the sun-baked savanna comes from an animal that doesn’t look all that different from the lovable mutt snoring on your couch. African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) are among the […] More
As our planet gets warmer, more species are being brought closer together than ever as climate bands shift polewards and key resources move along with them. When the species are closely related, the increased interaction can result in cross-breeding—as is the case between polar bears and grizzlies. But the opposite response can also be true. […] More
In the frozen wastes of the Northern Hemisphere, bears and wolves are often considered a serious threat to hikers, hunters, and other humans wandering through their territory. But, they aren’t the most dangerous animals to wander the northern latitudes. Nope, that would be moose, which attack and injure more people than bears and wolves combined. […] More
The coldest time of year can be a bitter inconvenience for humans, but for many species, surviving winter temperatures means wielding evolved biological tricks that appear to cheat Death itself — all of which make grumbling about donning a hat and extra layers a little trivial, in retrospect. From frozen frogs to butt-breathing turtles, here […] More
A water buffalo moves slowly through a shaded woodland on Rinca Island. It’s the dry season, so the grass rustles with each footfall, and it’s oppressively hot. Without warning, a massive reptile—the size of a full-grown man—bursts through the shrubbery. It’s a Komodo dragon, and before the buffalo can react, it lands a deep, gouging […] More
