Mable, a one-year-old hen, from Shrewsbury, Britain, has the impression she is a dog and takes the role of mother for a group of puppies.

Owners Edward and Ros Tate saved Mable from endig up in someone’s cooking pot, when she was hatched, a year ago. They’ve taken her in as a pet, but never noticed her strong maternal instinct, until Nettle, their dog, gave birth to puppies. The chicken observed the dog’s behaviour, and one day, as soon as Nettle left her nest, she hopped into her basket, snuggling up to the puppies, to keep them warm.

To the surprise of the owners and the actual mother, Mable keeps taking over the basket whenever she gets the chance.

via Daily Mail

Thanks to the invention of an animal-loving art student, little Hoppa can easily move around, even without front legs.

Hoppa, a 4-year-old mixed breed dog, from Tel-Aviv, israel, has received a very special gift, created especially for him. This adorable pooch was born without his front legs, and even though his owner, Avi Kuzi, showed him all the care and affection, he had trouble moving around.

But most of his problems were solved by a wheeling device custom made for Hoppa, by an art student, who hopes his invention could ease the life of pets born with abnormalities, or with amputated limbs. This is great, but dogs like Faith – the biped dog don’t need such contraptions.

Photos by REUTERS via CCTV

After a publicity campaign started by his owner and a bunch of fans, George, a Great Dane from Tucson, Arizon received the rightful title of World’s Tallest Dog.

After Gibson, a Great Dane from California and the previous holder of the Guinness World Record for tallest dog past away from bone cancer, George’s owner David Nasser tried to get his dog to be named successor. However, due to errors in paperwork and measurements, the title went to Titan, another Great Dane, from California.

But David Nasser wouldn’t let his beloved pet be deprived of what was rightfully his, and together with Giant George’s fans started a publicity campaign. Their efforts paid off, and after careful measurements it was decided 43-inch-tall George was indeed the world’s tallest dog, and not 42.25-inch Titan.

Giant George weighs 250 lbs, sleeps in his very own king-size bed and can barely fit in the back of his owner’s SUV. He even has his very own website and has become a certified celebrity.

Lolo, a black jaguar, originally from South America, enjoys her first press conference together with her adorable spotted cub. Looking at the first photo, you can see she’s just as surprised as you are.

She’s the mother, so we can’t really pin this abnormality on her being unfaithful. Believe it or not, it’s not the babies spots that are odd, it’s his mother’s pitch-black fur. Most jaguars have brown spots that help them blend better in their environment, but about 6% of them suffer from a genetic condition known as melanism, which causes them to be entirely black.

Lolo and her two-year-old cub live at the Yaduda zoo, in Jordan. The youngster’s father, Falah, was separated, so he wouldn’t hurt the cub. It’s pretty selfish of us humans to keep such extraordinary creatures in depressing conditions, simply for our entertainment.That little beast is adorable, but just thinking about the rest of his life in a zoo, instead of in the jungle, where he belongs, makes me feel depressed.

Photos by REUTERS via Daylife

Every year, the people of Suzdal, a small Russian town north-east of Moscow, gather at the the Museum of Wooden Architecture, for the traditional goose fight.

Locals form a circle that acts as the circle of the fighting ring, and the geese are simply unleashed. Apparently, the colder the winter, the more aggressive the birds. This year the temperatures were way below zero,  so the geese started fighting almost instantly.

Two families are released into the ring, but only two geese take part in the actual confrontation, withe the rest of the parties doing all the cheering. But this isn’t as violent as it my look. Unlike cock fights or ouzel fights, goose fighting is a lot more gentle, resulting in only a few plucked feathers.

via toprn

You might think you have mad mountain-climbing skills, but nature’s got you beat. I don’t know how they do it, but these mountain goats climb on to the most precarious places.

Living in mountainous regions around North America, mountain goats can be found at altitudes of up to 13,000 feet, climbing cliffs all day long, in search of food. Thanks to their cloven hooves, each featuring two widely-spaced toes that provide great balance, mountain goats can challenge any seasoned climber and probably best him.

Their double-layered, thick white coats provide camouflage in snowy settings, but the altitude they can reach provides enough protection from most predators. And if they happen to run into trouble, they can jump 12 feet in one leap, and reach a safe point. Just check out the pics to get an idea of their climbing capabilities.

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Well, it looks like a giant hamster, but it’s actually a capybara, the largest rodent on the planet, and it makes a great pet,apparently.

Melanie Typaldos, from Buda, Texas first came into contact with a capybara on a trip in Venezuela. Her daughter Coral fell in love with them the moment she got to pick one up and hold it in her arms. The moment they returned home, Melanie began searching for a capybara as a pet. She found 11-day-old Caplin Rous on a rare animal farm in Texas and it instantly became a member of their family.

You’re probably wondering what the deal is about the ‘Rous’ part of this capybara’s name, and well you should. ROUS stands for Rodent Of Unusual Size, and it’s apparently pronounced ‘rose’.

Talking about Caplin, owner Melanie Typaldos says it has the most adorable habits of waking her up in the morning. She usually makes a gentle ‘eep’ sound and gradually ‘raises’ her voice until she reaches her goal. Other times the now two-and-a-half year old capybara climbs up to her pillow and taps her on the face until she wakes up.

He loves taking warm baths and swimming in the pool, when the weather allows it, and he accompanies the whole family on outings. He also has his own blog, a MySpace and Twitter account (with 2,900 followers). Caplin Rous is definitely the world’s most famous Capybara.

Photos by Melanie Typaldos

If you’re a cheetah, that is. Otherwise it’s just time consuming and silly, especially if you’re a grown man.

These incredible photos were taken by wildlife photographer Michel Denis-Huot, in Kenya’s Masai-Mara Reserve, and show three grown male cheetah’s playing and cuddling with a young Impala, instead of tearing it apart and eating it, like God intended.

The “deadly” trio were just roaming across the wilderness, when they spotted a pack of Impalas, which they decided to chase. One little antelope wasn’t fast enough and got left behind. When the cheetahs caught up with it, they simply started playing with what supposed to be their food. The three felines started licking the Impala, put their paws on its head, cuddling, but nothing threatening.

Sounds a lot like what a cat does to a mouse, but usually the rodent ends up being eaten. Not in this movie. After a playing session, the Impala ran away unharmed. The only remotely logical explanation is that the three cheetahs were already too full and tired for another kill. Still…AMAZING!

via Daily Mail

Hercules is a 900-pound-heavy, 6-feet-tall and 12-feet-long liger who holds the Guinness World Record for the largest cat.

Born from a lion father and tiger mother, Hercules grew into an impressive creature, able to run at speeds of up to 50 mph and eat 100 pounds of food in one sitting. Ligers have been known to be fat and unhealthy cats, but Hercules is an exceptional specimen that got the best from both feline races.

During a recent photo-shoot, Hercules’ caretakers wanted to show his enormous size by placing him against popular English symbols, like an old double-decker bus or a black cab. He was actually able to climb the bus to receive a tasty treat. It might look like the world’s biggest cat is actually in London, but he’s really quite close to home, at Freestyle Music Park in Myrtle Beach, Southern California.

Despite his gigantic size, Hercules is very tame and Dr. Bhagavan, one of the liger’s caretakers, says looking into his eyes is “like looking into God’s own eyes”.

Above photos by BARCROFT MEDIA via Telegraph.co.uk

Above photos via Daily Mail

I don’t know how they do it, but Thai trainers get elephants to do the most amazing things. After the amazing elephant painters, from the National Elephant Institute, it’s time for the extraordinary basketball-playing elepahnts.

Malie and Toktak are the stars of the Island Safari Center, on Koh Samui Island. After undergoing months of rigorous training, the two pachyderms have mastered the sport of basketball. I know what you’re thinking, Shaquille O’neal finally found someone his own size to play with.

The elephant trainers start by teaching them the basics of basketball control, before they get to the carrying of the ball in their trunk and shooting it to the basket. It takes a few months before they get the basics of the sport, but they’re improving every day. it won’t be long until NBA drafters start checking these two out, mark my words.

Photos by Bronek Kaminiski/BARCROFT INDIA

via Telegraph.co.uk