Hero Shelters Hundreds of Stray Dogs in His House to Protect Them From Hurricane
A Mexican animal rights activist has been praised as a hero by animal lovers around the world after it was reported that he sheltered around 300 stray dogs and many other animals in his home to protect them from a hurricane. On October 7, at around 5:30 in the morning, Hurricane Delta made landfall in […]
Researchers Find Extremely Rare Half-Male, Half-Female Bird Specimen
Researchers at the Powdermill Nature Reserve in Pennsylvania recently came across a “once in a lifetime discovery” – a half-male, half-female rose-breasted grosbeak. Annie Lindsay and her colleagues at Powdermill Nature Reserve were catching and banding birds with identification tags on September 24, when a fellow researcher called her over via walkie-talkie to supposedly see […]
Snake Named After Knife Slices Into Victims to Feed on Their Innards
Small-banded kukri snakes, named after the curved Kukri knives used by Nepalese Gurkha soldiers, apparently use their sharp teeth to slice into certain victims and then proceed to eat them from the inside. Scientists already knew that kukri snakes used their curved teeth to tear into eggs, but a recent study revealed that they sometimes […]
Nekobiyaka – The World’s Only Black Cat Cafe
The Japanese castle town of Himeji is home to the only known black cat café in the world, Nekobiyaka, where you can enjoy a refreshing drink in the company of about a dozen black felines. There are hundreds of cat cafes all over Japan, but only one dedicated exclusively to black cats. Nekobiyaka opened in […]
Chinese Company ‘Hires’ Alpaca to Help Its Human Employees Relax
A Chinese video production startup has been getting a lot of attention on social media because of its adorable office pet – a two year-old llama-alpaca mix. We’ve written about companies bringing pets into the office to help their human staff unwind, but that usually meant cats and small dogs. Now, a Wuxi-based company has […]
Baudet du Poitou – The Donkey That Grows Dreadlocks
Poitou, or Baudet du Poitou is a French donkey breed known primarily for their large size and their distinctive coat which, if left ungroomed for long periods of time, will form dreadlocks. Originally bred in the Poitou region of France, Baudet du Poitou was once highly sought after all over the world, because of its […]
These Moth Caterpillars Build Tiny Log Cabins for Themselves
The caterpillar of the bagworm moth is known as somewhat of a gifted architect, building impressive and durable cocoons out of twigs, leaves, seeds and other organic materials. As larvae, bagworm moths look for a place to settle down and feed, such as a leaf or the branch of a tree. Once they’ve found a […]
Care to Buy a Living, Breathing Wish-Granting Cat for $127,000?
Forget wish-granting goldfish and genies in a bottle, you can now own your very own magical cat and have all your wishes fulfilled for the modest price of 10 million rubles ($127,000). A Novosibirsk woman recently posted a bizarre ad on Russian classified ad platform Avito, asking people to pay a small fortune for her […]
This Mossy Twig Is Actually a Moth Larva in Disguise
A wildlife photographer recently captured one of nature’s most extraordinary camouflage masters on camera – a moth larva that looks like a mossy twig on a moss-covered tree. Over they years we’ve featured a bunch of natural camouflage artists on Oddity Central, from the butterfly that looks like a dead leaf, or the moth with […]
Tiny Assassin Bug Wears the Bodies of Its Victims as Camouflage
The assassin bug is a fascinating insect for many reasons, but the one that really stands out is its gruesome camouflage, which consists of the carcasses of its victims glued to its back. There are around 7,000 known species of assassin bugs in the world, ranging from 4 to 40 mm in length and sharing […]
Thailand’s ‘Pesticide Ducks’ Clean Rice Fields of Pests and Stubble
Every year, flocks of thousands of hungry ducks are released into vast rice paddies to clean the fields of unwanted pests and rice stubble left over from last harvest. Humanity has witnessed unprecedented technological advancements over the last few decades, but in Thailand, the world’s second largest rice exporter, farmers still use a centuries old […]
World’s Most Expensive Sheep Just Sold for Half a Million Dollars
A Texel lamb named Double Diamond and described by many as “genetically perfect” recently became the world’s most expensive sheep, commanding a price of 350,000 guineas ($490,000) at a Scottish auction. Texel sheep, originating from the tiny island of Texel, just off the coast of the Netherlands, routinely command five-figure prices at auctions, thanks to […]
Dog Miraculously Survives 37 Days Trapped Under Landslide Rubble
A dog in China recently made national headlines for being found alive and well after spending over a month trapped under the ruin of his master’s following a landslide. On July 8, the people of Cangbaotian village, in China’s Guizhou Province had to be hastily evacuated before most of their homes succumbed to a terrible […]
German Circus Weathers Pandemic by Selling Jars of Lion Poop
They say money does not smell, but a lucrative venture thought up by a German circus is proof that money can actually stink. The Krone Circus in Munich is in the business of selling lion poop. Circus are forbidden from performing during the pandemic, so many of them have been struggling to stay afloat in […]
The Irresistibly Cute Honduran White Bat
Of the roughly 1,300 known species of bat, very few can be described as cute and cuddly, but the tiny Honduran White Bat is definitely one of these rare exceptions. Also called the Caribbean White Tent-Making Bat, this adorable flying mammal can be found in the tropical forests of Central-American countries like Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa […]