Researchers at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd (NIWA) were at sea surveying one of New Zealand’s commercial fish species when they unexpectedly hauled in a 13-foot giant squid. NIWA researchers say they generally only catch the species once in a decade, so this was quite a rare find. The team reported […] More
Meet the frogmouth, a group of birds with an oddly amphibian resemblance. Frogmouths are nocturnal birds that you might mistake for owls at first glance; however, they’re most closely related to nightjars. These unique-looking birds sport wide, frog-like gapes and are found throughout the forests of India, Southeast Asia, and Australia. 🔥 These Sri Lanka […] More
Viewers on a popular wildlife live cam got quite a show when a crocodile appeared onscreen with a colossal python in its jaws. The encounter was seen on Explore.org‘s “Africam,” a live streaming webcam where observers can watch Africa’s wildlife in real time. This particular croc was patrolling the banks of the Olifants River of […] More
Scientists have gained new insight into the evolutionary development of brain and nervous system tissue, after examining fossilized brain tissue from a Cambrian sea creature that lived in modern-day Greenland half a billion years ago. The extinct species, Kerygmachela kierkegaardi, was a predator with a long, spiny tail and front appendages used to grab prey. At […] More
A baby snake that hatched 99 million years ago on an island in the middle of the Indian Ocean was found encased in amber. The snake, just 4 inches long, was discovered in a chunk of resin in what is now known as Myanmar. It was initially misidentified as a centipede and subsequently sold to […] More
Paper money does exist on Makira, a small island in the eastern Solomon Islands. But the people there don’t always count their fortunes in bills and change; on Makira, bat teeth are more valuable than money, and people hunt the creatures – mostly for food, but often, for their teeth. There are two species of […] 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
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
Years after a massive earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan’s Tōhoku region, we’re still seeing the effects, even here in the United States. Debris displaced by the storm have been washing up on U.S. shores, bringing on board a host of Japanese sea creatures. Nearly 300 species of invertebrates and fish have been turning up on […] More
Florida just can’t catch a break when it comes to potentially dangerous invasive species. One of the latest threats comes from a growing population of rhesus macaques that could pass on a potentially deadly herpes virus to humans who get too close. The saga began more than 80 years ago when a tour boat operator […] More
Watching eagles hunt is always fascinating. These magnificent predators swoop through the air gracefully, grabbing their unsuspecting prey with long, razor-sharp talons and are capable of hauling away shockingly large prey. But even smaller, less grandiose moments can be interesting, too. Recently, a family on safari got to witness one of these encounters when a […] More
