Things don’t look good for the Sehuencas water frog. Years of habitat loss, climate change, pollution, and a deadly disease have taken their toll on this aquatic frog native to Bolivia. Romeo—a male who was taken into captivity ten years ago—is the last known of his kind. Now, scientists are turning to online dating in […] More
Scientists have long known that crows are exceedingly intelligent animals, but new evidence shows they may be getting smarter and evolving right before our eyes. Researchers at University of St. Andrews and University in Edinburgh in the UK tested a group of New Caledonian crows on their ability to make and use tools to acquire […] More
Well, we know who we’re inviting to our next rave. A recent study found that chameleon bones glow under UV light, in the first known instance of bone-based fluorescence in a vertebrate. A team of German researchers tested the UV light on 31 species of Calumma chameleons, which are native to Madagascar. They observed a bright blue glow […] More
Snow leopards are no longer officially an endangered species — but that doesn’t mean the cat is out of the woods yet. Scientists at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which maintains a “red list” of endangered species around the globe, recently reclassified the leopard species as “vulnerable,” because there are actually more snow […] More
And you thought raising human newborns was tough! Across Europe, Africa and Asia, Stegodyphus spiders reproduce in large nests that are home to a number of spider families. Among them, one species native to South Africa, Stegodyphus dumicola, feed their young in a pretty gruesome way. As females take longer to mature than males, only about 40 percent of the females reproduce. […] More
Pet allergies are pretty common, but if your fluffy house cat leaves you sneezing and dabbing your watery eyes, does that mean you’d also be allergic to big cats in the wild? It’s more than likely. While there’s not a lot of research on this, there is evidence that big cats like lions, tigers, and […] More
Elephants and humans have long lived side by side in Southeast Asia, but as the human population continues to grow in the region, conflicts between man and animal are increasing. The problem has perhaps never been clearer than in this photo showing a female elephant and her calf fleeing desperately after being set on fire […] More
Ravens may be smarter than apes and even toddlers — no offense to your adorable two-year-old. Birds from the corvid family, which includes ravens, crows, jays, and magpies, have long been recognized for their superior intelligence. Studies have shown that crows can remember human faces and ravens hold grudges against people who treat them unfairly, […] More
This sea of garbage floating off the coast of an island in Honduras is just the latest visual example of how plastic is polluting the world’s oceans. Caroline Power, an underwater photographer and conservationist who lives on the Honduran island of Roatan, posted shocking images of the floating trash pile on Facebook. Stretching across miles […] More
More than 100 hippopotamuses have mysteriously died in Bwabwata National Park in the northeastern region of Namibia. Shocking footage from the scene shows the upturned bodies of the dead hippos floating in water, in some cases surrounded by vultures. Park authorities are investigating the situation, but they believe an anthrax outbreak may be to blame […] More
Crocodiles are not to be messed with, and in case you forgot, here’s a video of a huge saltwater crocodile dragging a cow down a river in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Justin Lorrimer, a Queensland resident was out fishing when he witnessed the croc hauling the cow from the river bank and quickly […] More
Scientists have discovered a new giant rat species in the Solomon Islands that weighs more than two pounds, and according to locals, can crack open coconuts with its teeth. It would be terrifying if it weren’t so darn adorable. Called “Vika” by locals, the newly-discovered creature has brown fur, a smooth tail and wide back […] More
