This is the golden poison frog. Setting aside the name, it seems harmless enough, right? Just look at those adorable, beady little eyes. It’s just like a slimy gerbil! Well, don’t get your hopes up. This tiny creature would NOT make a good pet. If poison dart frogs aren’t already dangerous enough, the golden poison […] More
Female elk have the capacity to learn how to avoid hunters as they age — and they learn from each other’s mistakes, it turns out. While female elk (Cervus elaphus) tend to live longer than their male counterparts simply because they are less targeted by predators, age also seems to correlate with predation rates. Cows over […] More
Freshwater snails cause more than 200,000 deaths on an annual basis — more than any predatory mammal. Freshwater snails are found in a wide variety of habitats, ranging from small pools to large lakes. These gastropod mollusks feed on algae, detritus, and suspended matter found in the water. They are parasitic animals responsible for the transmission of schistosomiasis, which has […] More
Gorillas don’t always take kindly to trespassers in their territory. Lions have traditionally been dubbed “king of the jungle”, yet they don’t actually live in jungles. Gorillas do. And they have no problem asserting their authority. In a previous article, we demonstrated why you shouldn’t beat your chest in front of a gorilla, especially a […] More
This creature is commonly regarded as the “demon fish” and boasts teeth longer than steak knives. Everyone’s heard of piranhas due to their insatiable hunger and shoaling behavior. Can you imagine falling into a river full of starved piranhas? They’d clean your flesh to the bone in minutes. Now, imagine a piranha that’s five times […] More
These fascinating frogs are peculiar — but absolutely real. Hairy frogs (Trichobatrachus robustus), also known as wolverine frogs or “horror frogs”, are unique amphibians native to Central Africa. As their name suggests, the male frogs are quite “hairy”, although the “hairs” are not actually hairs — they’re dermal papillae, which are physical extensions of the skin that […] More
Before we had cameras, satellites, scuba gear, submarines, the internet, and a plethora of other modern amenities, sailors at sea worried about more than just seasickness and rogue waves. Throughout history, we have told tales of enormous sea monsters lurking in the deepest reaches of the ocean, and none are more captivating than the tentacled […] More
What happens when you combine a coyote with a wolf? Well, you get a coywolf, of course! Half coyote and half wolf, this canid has the overall appearance and adaptive nature of a coyote and the size and pack mentality of a wolf. While “coywolf” may sound like some ridiculous, fictional creature, coywolfs are actually […] More
It’s official: humpback whales are the superheroes of the sea. Scientists have recorded 115 separate cases of humpback whales intervening in orca hunts to save various marine animals. Robert Pitman from the US National Marine Fisheries Service wrote in one published paper, “Anecdotes have been passed down for centuries about dolphins at sea coming to the […] More
Coyotes and wolves are both pretty much the same, right? Wrong. While coyotes and wolves are both canines, they split paths on the evolutionary tree thousands of years ago, and they have diverged ever since. Coyotes are smaller, weaker, and more ancient and, as a result, are no match for the bigger, stronger, and more […] More
Africa has a reputation for containing many dangerous animals. In fact, we ranked sub-Saharan Africa as #1 in The 5 Most Dangerous Places on Earth to See Wild Animals. From lions to black mambas to crocodiles, Africa has a disproportionate share of deadly wildlife. Yet, while lions, leopards, crocodiles, and other big predators get all […] More
Scientists in China have revealed that one species of spider nourishes its newborns with “milk” — a behavior typically only observed in mammals. Toxeus magnus, an ant-mimicking jumping spider native to southeast Asia, secretes a highly nutritious milk-like fluid containing sugars, fats, and proteins to keep its young alive. The substance contains four times the […] More
