Were we to play the game ‘Word Association’, most of you would surely follow ‘sun’ with ‘moon’ and ‘cat’ with ‘dog’. If ‘Komodo’ was the first word chosen, it’s highly likely most of you would say ‘dragon’. This enormous reptile, which takes its name from the island that Westerners first documented it to be on, […]
Tag: cannibalism
“Banishment is basically a death sentence in the Kalahari. It follows a barrage of physical abuse.” Meet the world’s most murderous mammal…
If I asked you to name the world’s most murderous mammal, your answer might be the human male, or perhaps a warring alpha chimpanzee, or even a territorial bull elephant seal. The truth is far more feminine – and cute. The meerkat was unmasked in a scientific study as the most homicidal of over 1,000 mammals. One-in-five […]
“Mothers are known to eat their own newborn babies…” 11 gruesome, grisly cannibal animals that feast on their own kind – you won’t believe number 3
Cannibalism – the act of eating an individual of the same species – is often not a good idea, and not just because of our own human morals. It can lead to the spread of some very nasty diseases, as well as the evolutionary cost of potentially eating your own kin. However, it is not […]
Male blue-lined octopuses inject females with venom during sex to avoid being eaten, study shows
Male blue-lined octopuses inject females with venom during sex, paralysing their larger mates to avoid being eaten, new research has found. The blue-lined octopus is a tiny, highly dangerous cephalopod found commonly in shallow reefs and tide pools. One of the four species of blue-ringed octopus, it uses an extremely potent neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin – […]
‘Bear’s-eye camera’ reveals elusive Andean bear cannibalism and treetop mating
In the mountains of Peru, where ancient cloud forests meet the Amazon Rainforest, an Andean bear made scientific history. For four months, a camera collar captured the wild male’s daily life, revealing behaviors never before documented in the Southern Hemisphere’s only bear species, from treetop mating rituals to unexpected acts of cannibalism. The study, published […]
Male Marsupials Cannibalize To Fuel 14-Hour, Death-Inducing Mating Sessions
Tiny Australian mammals have been observed eating each other during grueling 14-hour mating sessions, that ultimately result in the males’ death. The bizarre behavior was first observed by Sunshine Coast Council employee Elliot Bowerman, who had been on a hike in the New England National Park at the time, an article on The Conversation reported. […]