The World’s Largest Frog Is Teetering on the Brink of Extinction
The Goliath Frog, the largest living frog on Earth, is facing extinction after a 50% decline in population size in the last three generations, mainly due to human activity. The Goliath Frog certainly lives up to its name. Reaching up to 13 inches long (32 cm) from snout to vent, and weighing up to 7.2 […]
Stray Dog Finally Rescued After Living with a Box Stuck on His Head for Almost a Year
Bear, a stray Cane Corso that had been roaming around Alabama’s Gulf Coast for almost a year with a large box stuck on his head was recently caught and freed from his plastic trap. Bear’s story first made news headlines in January of this year, when it was covered by CBS affiliate, WKRG, following multiple […]
Instagram-Famous Feline Looks Like a Real-Life Cartoon Character
Four-year-old Fedya, a gray rescued cat from Russia, has become a social media sensation thanks to his funny permanently startled look. When Fedya’s owner, Natalya Zhdanova, found him in her backyard in 2020, she had no idea he would one day become an Instagram star with over 300,000 followers. At the time, she wasn’t even […]
Frog Smaller Than a Human Fingernail May Be World’s Smallest Vertebrate
The Brazilian flea frog (Brachycephalus pulex) measures only between 7 and 8 millimeters in length, which likely makes it the smallest vertebrate on Earth. In 2011, Mirco Solé, a researcher at the State University of Santa Cruz in Brazil, discovered the tiny Brazilian flea frog, an amphibian so small that it could comfortably fit on […]
Meet Rope Daddy, a Special French Bulldog Specimen Valued at $120,000
Rope Daddy is an exceptional specimen of Big Rope, one of the most sought-after varieties of French Bulldog, whose enviable genetic traits allegedly make him worth around $120,000. According to a study by the American Kennel Club (AKC), the global number of French bulldogs has increased by over 1,000% in the last decade, helping the […]
Scientists Baffled by Mushroom Growing on Live Frog
In what is believed to be the first ever such documented case, researchers in India came across a live frog with a small mushroom growing on the side of its body. The Last of Us, the hit HBO series based on the namesake video game series, has popularized the fictional idea of mushrooms and fungi […]
Belgian Couple Share Their Home with a Wild Boar
Tiffany and Grégory, a couple from Belgium’s Wallonia region, have been sharing their home with Oscar, a rescued wild boar, for more than a year now. It all started about a year ago, during a hunting trip, when Grégory Guiot brought home a 700-gram boar cub that his dogs had found. It was December 6th, […]
Parasitic Worm Manipulates Host into Drowning by Stealing Its Genetic Code
The hairworm might not look like much, but it is a sinister parasite that steals its host’s genetic code to manipulate it into deep water, so it can reproduce and start the cycle all over again. During its larval stage, a hairworm’s first goal is to get eaten by a tadpole or a mosquito. It […]
‘Mickey Ears’ Cosmetic Procedure for Pets Sparks Controversy in China
Chinese media reports that a growing number of pet owners are putting their animals through painful cosmetic procedures in order to give them rounded ears inspired by Mickey Mouse. Most cats and dogs have naturally pointy or droopy ears, but a new disturbing trend sweeping through China these days has pet owners ignoring common sense […]
Prison Replaces Guard Dogs with Flock of Vigilant Geese
A prison in the Brazilian state of Santa Cantarina recently replaced its guard dogs with a flock of geese that supposedly make loud noises when they detect strange noises, like someone trying to escape. In this day and age, prison complexes feature state-of-the-art detection systems that make it very difficult for inmates to escape undetected. […]
Scubadiver Has Been Friends with a 15-Foot-Long Tiger Shark for Over Two Decades
A Florida scuba diver claims he has been best friends with a 15-foot-shark named Emma for almost 23 years now, describing her more like a playful dog than an apex predator. Jim Abernethy and Emma first met in 2001 when he removed a fishing hook from her mouth, and they’ve been inseparable ever since. Every […]
The Picasso Moth Is Truly a Living Work of Art
Baorisa hieroglyphica, also known as the Picasso moth, is a species of moth named after the famous Spanish painter Pablo Picasso because of its unusually artistic wing patterns. First described by British entomologist Frederic Moore in 1882, the Picasso moth is native to Southeast Asia and Northern India. Like most moths, Baorisa hieroglyphica is a nocturnal insect that […]
Scientists Observe Mosquitoes Feeding Exclusively on Frogs’ Nostrils
A team of scientists studying freshwater ponds on an Australian island observed a rather peculiar mosquito behavior – when feeding on frogs, mosquitoes would always go for the nostrils. John Gould and Jose Valdez – the first with the University of Newcastle, in Australia, the other the German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research – spent […]
Canada’s Feral ‘Super Pigs’ Are Virtually Impossible to Eradicate
Northern US states are preparing for an invasion of incredibly intelligent and highly adaptable ‘super pigs’ that threaten to spill over the border from Canada. Feral pigs have been the bane of North America’s flora and fauna for many years now, but a new breed of ‘super pigs’ is threatening to take the problems they […]
Blue-Tongued Lizard Defends Itself by Sticking Its Tongue Out to Predators
The blue-tongued skink, a lizard native to the Australian continent, has a rather bizarre defense mechanism – it sticks its bright-blue tongue out to predators and they actually run away, sometimes. A subspecies of Tiliqua scincoides, the blue-tongued skink is one of only five animals known to have blue tongues, the other being the chow […]