When caterpillars begin to change into butterflies, they usually aren’t much to look at. But some species create fancy chrome digs that look more like decoration than a transforming pupa. These shiny, metallic-looking chrysalises are thought to help protect the growing butterfly by fooling potential predators. When light reflects off the chrome-like pupae, other insects […] More
Meet the largest crab in the world. Weighing up to 40 pounds and reaching up to 18 feet from claw to claw, it can grow to triple the size of the average man! The Japanese spider crab (Macrocheira kaempferi) is actually the largest known arthropod, a group which includes crustaceans, spiders, and insects. It’s usually […] More
We can’t decide if this is fascinating or horrifying. Your opinion would probably depend on whether or not you’re a fan of spiders. A strange phenomenon sometimes occurs where certain species of spiders “rain down” on entire towns. Watch the video below to see one such sighting caught on camera: This behavior was recorded in San Antonio […] 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
In the animal kingdom, there are many, many penises. But the biggest penis of all belongs to the largest animal that has ever lived, the blue whale. The average length of a blue whale penis is 8 feet (2.4 meters) to 10 feet (3 meters), but the average diameter is only 12 inches (300 mm) […] 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
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
Believe it or not, Americans once considered importing hippos from Africa so we could raise them for meat. The idea was proposed back in 1910, while the United States was in the middle of a serious meat shortage. A massive population explosion combined with overgrazed farmland resulted in skyrocketing beef prices as farmers scrambled to […] More
Sharks are often seen as the top predators in the ocean, but these killer whales are reminding us why they’re a creature to be reckoned with. In a video captured by Slater Moore Photography and posted to Monteray Bay Whale Watch, offshore killer whales are seen feeding on what the company believed to be a sevengill shark. […] More
The word “yeti” conjures up a specific image in the folklore of Nepal and Tibet — a massive, shaggy, distinctly ape-like beast that wanders the frigid and desolate Himalayan snowscape. It certainly doesn’t evoke anything that looks like it’s about to impart wisdom about stopping forest fires. But, according to a recent study published in […] More
Every year, this South American salt flat turns into the world’s largest mirror. Known as Salar de Uyuni, this 4,086 square mile expanse stretches across much of southwestern Bolivia, and is in the record books as the planet’s biggest salt flat. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nature (@national.earth) The entire region is […] More
Image: Wikimedia Commons Little is known about this giant serpentine fish, which is shrouded in myth and legends. But one thing is clear, the oarfish is weirdly fascinating! Silver in color with a prominent dorsal fin running the entire length of their body, these long eel-like fish are often called the “king of herrings” or “ribbonfish.” […] More
