This Short-Beaked, Google-Eyed Pigeon Breed Looks Like a Real-Life Bird Caricature
The Budapest Short Faced Tumbler is a rare pigeon breed famous for its odd, almost alien-like appearance, with bulging eyes, a minuscule beak, and a triangular head. When the Poltl brothers, a family of pigeon racing enthusiasts from Budapest, set out to create a new pigeon breed in the early 1900s, they used selective breeding […]
This Portuguese Library Relies on Bats to Preserve Old Books and Manuscripts
The Joanina Library of the University of Coimbra Alta and Sofia is one of two Portuguese libraries to house colonies of bats as natural deterrents for bugs that would otherwise feed on old books and manuscripts. As unusual as having a colony of Common pipistrelle bats living behind the bookshelves of one of the most […]
Falabella – The World’s Smallest Horse Breed
Named after the Argentinian family who developed the breed in the middle of the 19th Century, Falabella is widely regarded as the world’s smallest horse breed, with an average height of just 70cm. The origins of the Falabella breed are shouted in the mists of legend. Some say that their bloodline can be traced back […]
This Small Snake Uses Farts as a Defense Mechanism
The western hook-nosed snake, a small snake endemic to the deserts of the United States and Mexico, is famous for the shape of its snout and for farting to confuse its enemies. Cobras and rattlesnakes have their deadly venom, constrictors like pythons and Boa have their strong musculature, but the western hook-nosed snake doesn’t have […]
The Thriving Parakeets Taking Over London
Ring-necked parakeets are native to the foothills of the Himalayas and temperate regions of North Africa, but for the past century and a half, they’ve also made a home for themselves in London. No one knows exactly when and how London became a home for feral parakeets. In fact, there are so many urban myths […]
Dog Goes to the Beach Every Day to Wait for Fisherman Owner Who Will Never Return
Vaguito, a dog who spends his days on a beach in Punta Negra, Peru, waiting for his fisherman owner to return from his last fishing trip has melted the hearts of millions around the world. Vaguito’s heartbreaking story was made public by Jolie Mejía, a Peruvian woman who happened to be walking on the coast […]
‘Door Head Ants’ Use Their Large Flat Heads as Doors to Shut Down Their Nests
The workers of several ant species have large, flattened, and slightly concave heads that they use as plugs to block entrance to their colonies’ nests. The so-called ‘door head ants’ are soldier ants with armored heads that match both the size and the shape of the entrance to their colonies’ nests almost to perfection. They […]
Animal Lover Has Spent the Last 30 Years Running “World’s Loneliest Zoo”
Luo Yingjiu, an 81-year-old man in China’s Hubei Province, has spent the last three decades of his life taking care of sick and disabled animals at the “world’s loneliest zoo”. It was during the 1980s that Luo Yingjiu started buying animals and taking them home with him. He wasn’t doing it as a pet collector, […]
Meet Yakei, the Macaque “Queen” Who Became the First Female Alpha in Her Pack’s History
Yakei, a 9-year-old female Japanese macaque at the Takasakiyama natural zoological garden, shocked staff by fighting her way through several strong males to become the first female alpha in the troupe’s 70-year history. The story of Yakei’s rise to power sounds like the plot of a Hollywood epic. Born into the 677-strong troupe B at […]
Onagadori – A Japanese Chicken Breed With Majestically Long Tail Feathers
The Onagadori (‘honorable fowl’ in Japanese) is a rare chicken breed known for its exceptionally long tail, which can reach over 10 meters, putting even peacocks to shame. Of the seventeen chicken breeds considered Japanese national treasures, the Onagadori is the only one to have “special” status. Ever since it received this status in 1952, […]
The Perfect Cat House Doesn’t Exis…
A feline lover in California spent several decades and over $100,000 turning his home into the ultimate house for cats. House of Nekko is a 3,000-square-foot home just north of Santa Barbara. It looks pretty ordinary from the outside, so few know that this is probably the world’s most amazing cat house. Featuring over 300 […]
Klee Kai – The Husky Miniature You Probably Didn’t Know Existed
Klee Kai – literally “little dog” in an Alaskan indigenous dialect – is a fairly new dog breed designed as a smaller version of the popular Alaskan Husky. The husky is one of the world’s most beloved dog breeds, but it’s no secret that their medium-to-large frame requires a lot of space, making them less-than-ideal […]
Chinese Border Patrols Rely on Geese to Keep Illegal Immigrants at Bay
For over half a year now, border control points in Longzhou County, along China’s border with Vietnam have been using geese as part of their arsenal of detecting and apprehending illegal immigrants. As part of China’s strategy to prevent the spread of Covid-19, the country has taken a very hard stance on illegal immigration, with […]
Woman Fined for Not Picking Up Dog Poop in Town 400 Miles Away
A Spanish woman got the shock of her life when she received a $570 fine from a town she visited six months ago, for failing to pick up her dog’s poop from a sidewalk. The unnamed woman from Paterna, in Spain’s Valencia region, had all but forgotten about that time when she chose not to […]
The Japanese Bobtail – A Rare Cat With the Tail of a Bunny Rabbit
The Japanese Bobtail is a rare car breed whose distinctive feature is the presence of a short, bunny-like tail, instead of the long, flexible tail of most other felines. No one knows exactly when this unusual cat breed arrived in Japan, but it has been a part of Japanese culture for at least several hundred […]