Body-Snatching Parasite Turns Male Crabs into Females
Sacculina carcini is a common species of barnacle that not only attaches itself to various species of crab, forcefully castrating males and turning them into females willing to care for and release their eggs. Most barnacles spend their entire existence attaching themselves to underwater rocks or the bottoms of ships and just filtering food from water, […]
How a Popular Anime Caused Japan’s Raccoon Infestation
Raccoons are not native to Japan, yet in the last few decades, the furry critters have become naturalized in 44 of the country’s 47 prefectures, causing all sorts of problems for humans and other animal species. And to think it all started with a cute anime series… In 1963, American writer Sterling North launched his […]
Labrador Becomes First Dog to Be Treated for Canine Alcohol Addiction
Vets in Plymouth, UK, scrambled to save the life of an alcoholic labrador retriever that had become addicted to booze because its late owner kept leaving his drinks outside overnight. Coco, a two-year-old Labrador cross, almost lost his life and spent a month in intensive care after becoming addicted to alcohol. Staff at the Woodside […]
Wild Duck Lives With Knife Stuck in Its Neck
Animal rescuers in Brittany, France were stunned by a wild duck that seemed to lead a perfectly normal life despite having a knife stuck in its neck. Nicknamed Donald the Duck by the members of the Pinocchio et Sauvageons association, the mallard with a red knife handle sticking out of the left side of his […]
This Bird’s Mating Song Sounds Like a Combination of Cow Moos and Chainsaw Noise
The capuchinbird, an exotic bird found in the jungles of South America, is famous for having one of the most bizarre-sounding mating songs in the entire animal kingdom. Capuchinbirds have a rather peculiar look. They have light brown plumage that becomes bright orange on the belly, and a bald vulture-like head covered in blue skin. […]
Wild Crane Refuses to Leave the Side of Man Who Saved Its Life
An Indian man has become somewhat of a celebrity in his home state of Uttar Pradesh thanks to his unusual best friend, a wild crane that follows him everywhere he goes. 30-year-old Mohammed Arif, a harvester operator from Mandka village, in Uttar Pradesh, was working in a field in February of last year, when he […]
This Species of Fish Has Neon Blue Flesh And No One Knows Why
The Lingcod, a fish native to the North American west coast, usually has brown-red or even greyish skin and white flesh, but about 1 in 5 specimens are actually neon blue both inside and out, and no one really knows why. Popular both among recreational fishermen and seafood lovers for its delicious meat, the lingcod […]
Fat Cat Becomes Polish City’s Top Rated Tourist Attraction
With a nearly perfect 4.9/5.0 stars out of thousands of Google reviews, Gacek, an overweight black-and-white street cat, is the top-rated tourist attraction in the Polish city of Szczecin. Szczecin, a medieval city in northwestern Poland, close to the border with Germany, has plenty to offer visitors. The Pomeranian Duke’s Castle and Kasprowicza Park are […]
Move Over Sniffer Dogs, Drug-Detecting Squirrels Are Here
Police in the Chinese city of Chongqing has begun using specially-trained squirrels in their war against drug traffickers. The Police Dog Brigade of the Criminal Police Detachment in Hechuan District, Chongqing has successfully bred the first batch of drug-sniffing squirrels in China. The breakthrough was part of the country’s national key research and development project, […]
Dog Abandoned in Nevada Desert as a Pup Gets Adopted by Coyote Pack
A young dog believed to have been abandoned in the Nevada Desert as a puppy was recently rescued after spending at least six months as part of a coyote pack. The people of Inspirada, a suburban neighborhood of Henderson, Nevada are used to seeing packs of coyotes running through the streets at night, but for […]
Zoo Director Allegedly Cooks Four of Its Ten Pigmy Goats for New Year’s Feast
A former zoo director in the Mexican city of Chilpancingo has been officially accused of a series of wrongdoings during his time in office, including cooking pigmy goats for a staff party. José Rubén Nava Noriega is probably a prime candidate for the title of the world’s worst zoo director. During his time managing the […]
Busy Woodpecker Stores 700 Lbs of Acorns in California House Walls
A California pest control company recently reported one of the most unusual cases it has ever worked on – a woodpecker filling the walls of a house with over 700 lbs (317 kg) of acorns. Nick Castro of Nick’s Extreme Pest Control, a pest control company in California, thought he had seen it all in […]
Bolivian State Airline Hires “Interspecies Communicator” to Find Passenger’s Missing Cat
Bolivia’s state airline has become the target of ridicule after hiring an “interspecies communicator” to track down a passenger’s missing pet cat. The disappearance of Tito the cat has been a matter of state business in Bolivia for about a month, ever since the feline was lost by staff of Bolivia’s state-owned airline. Tito’s owner, […]
The World’s Smallest Rabbit Breed Fits in the Palm of Your Hand
The Columbia Basin Pigmy Rabbit is the smallest and perhaps the rarest rabbit breed in the world. It is native to just one part of the Washington State Area, and weighs under 500 grams. There are plenty of tiny domestic rabbit breeds to choose from if you’re looking for an adorable pet rabbit, but the […]
Michigan Oils Slick Turns Out to Be Record-Setting Duck Gathering
What looked like a growing oil spill in Michigan’s Mackinac Straits area turned out to be a massive gathering of tens of thousands of ducks and other aquatic birds. On December 21 of last year, the Mackinac Bridge Authority started receiving calls from concerned divers regarding a possible oil spill in the area. With each […]