Fish cocaine and chips, anyone? Recently published research revealed that juvenile salmon caught in Puget Sound contained more than 80 different drugs including cocaine, valium, oxycontin, zoloft, prozac, and metformin (treatment for type-2 diabetes). In addition, compounds found in detergents, paints, pesticides, personal care products, and plastics were reported. Puget Sound water is not as pristine as it […] More
Nature continues to amaze us. It appears to be straight out of a Disney movie: The Julia butterfly, a beautiful creature of the Amazon, was photographed drinking turtle tears. It sounds a bit fantastical, but this is evolution at its finest, folks. These butterflies, along with many other species, seek out the tears of various animals (including […] More
A deformed bottlenose dolphin was taken in as part of a family of sperm whales, and the rare alliance was caught on video! Researchers spent eight days observing the group off the coast of Lisbon, Portugal. Such an interaction had never been witnessed before. The adult male bottlenose dolphin has a severe spinal deformity, which […] More
Image: Valerie This unique bear has an unusually long tongue that is uses to feed on honey and insects. The tongue, measuring an average of 8-9 inches, is especially impressive when we consider that the average human tongue is less than half that length (averaging around 3.8 inches) and the World Record for the longest dog […] More
If you think rats were merely mindless pests, you might want to reconsider. According to a study, rats feel empathy and will go out of their way to get others out of a bad situation. The report published in Animal Cognition demonstrated that when rats saw their cagemates in a dire situation, in this case an unsafe area with water, […] More
The critically endangered creature is one of the most uniquely adorable animals on the planet, and yet most people don’t even know that it exists. This is a sad reality considering this species is on the brink of extinction. Meet the saiga antelope. Characterized by its bulbous flexible and inflatable nose (used as a filter and an […] More
We couldn’t make this stuff up. According to a report in a local paper in Daugavpils, Latvia, a seemingly irate beaver repeatedly attacked a man as he walked through the city late one evening. Sergei, the attack victim, reported that the beaver came out of the shadows and bit his leg. He tried to fight off […] More
Who knew one of the most grotesque mouths in the animal kingdom would belong to such a gentle giant? Surprisingly, this mouth belongs to the world’s largest sea turtle, the docile leatherback. What’s going on inside that mouth? Leatherbacks have a series of sharp, backward-pointed spines called “papillae.” The papillae help the turtles hold on […] More
An unfortunate truth has been revealed about an internationally recognized sanctuary and popular tourist destination in Costa Rica. The Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica is marketed as a rescue facility for lost, sick, or injured sloths. However, two veterinarians, both former employees of the facility, say that the welfare and conservation mission is a blatant […] More
A shark conservationist was filmed swimming with one of the ocean’s most feared predators, a great white shark. Ocean Ramsey, a Honolulu-based scientist and owner of the marine conservation website Water Inspired, said she created the video in hopes of changing minds and protecting sharks. She has every right to do so: Humans kill an estimated […] More
Image: Wade Lehmann On May 9, President Obama signed the National Bison Legacy Act, which names the American bison as the national mammal of the United States. American bison were nearly wiped off the face of the planet by hunters in the 1800s. Thankfully for this species, a small group of ranchers gathered individuals from the […] More
What would you do if a 1,000 pound leopard seal attempted to feed you dead penguins? While it sounds highly improbable, this actually happened to a National Geographic photographer while on assignment in Antarctica. Scroll down to watch… Paul Nicklen, a seasoned underwater photographer, wanted to capture seemingly vicious leopard seals in a different light. […] More
