When it comes to survival in the animal kingdom, size isn’t always the determining factor. Some creatures possess such incredible strength, cunning or venom that they can take down prey twice their size. Here are 10 formidable animals that can overcome much larger adversaries, from the majestic tiger and remarkable Komodo dragon, to the bat-hunting giant centipede and even a beetle larva that […]
Tag: Grasshoppers
Researchers find ‘remarkable’ hot-pink insect in Panama rainforest
In March 2025, biologist Benito Wainwright and his colleagues were searching for katydids — leaf-mimicking insects related to crickets and grasshoppers — in the rainforest of Barro Colorado Island in Panama, when they came across an unexpected sight: a hot-pink katydid individual of the species Arota festae. The researchers captured the katydid and raised her in […]
‘Exceptionally rare’ pink grasshopper spotted in New Zealand
An “exceptionally rare” pink grasshopper has been spotted basking in the sun alongside a river in New Zealand’s South Island. A group of department of conservation researchers were conducting their annual grasshopper survey near Lake Tekapo in the MacKenzie basin when they came across the dark pink female critter. The species – the robust grasshopper […]
Tabby’s likely ancestor & Earth’s most widespread wildcat is an enigma
The Afro-Asiatic wildcat (Felis lybica) is the world’s most widely distributed wildcat, but experts and information on the species are scarce. The species’ range is immense, stretching across most of Africa, Southwest and Central Asia, India, China and Mongolia. But Arash Ghoddousi, lead author for F. lybica’s 2022 IUCN species conservation assessment, says the study […]
Fascinating Animals of the Serengeti
The Serengeti is renowned for its beautiful landscapes, cinematic backdrops, unique ecosystem, the awe inspiring Great Migration and its expansive plains but most of all for its incredible variety of wild animals. The Serengeti is recognized globally for its diverse mixture of species all of which thrive within its wild lands as well as all […]
Butterfly population in US shrinking by 22% over last 20 years, study shows
Butterflies may be among the most beloved of all creatures, routinely deified in art and verse, but they are in alarming decline in the United States with populations plummeting by a fifth in just the past two decades, according to the most comprehensive study yet of their fortunes. The abundance of butterflies in the US […]
Runaway Roadrunner Dashes into Motorsports Office, Jumps on Monitor, Stares at Owner, Runs Out, Hundreds of Miles North of Home-Range Breaking UT State Record
Provo, Utah — On a July night in the summer of 2024, David Kirkham was watching a documentary on YouTube with his family about the greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) — the fastest running feathered creature on Earth that can also fly. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine one of the lil’ blistering birds […]
Plants Are Becoming Less Nutritious Because of Climate Change, Impacting Herbivores From Insects to Giant Pandas
More than a third of animals on Earth are herbivores, but since plants don’t have a lot of calories it can be hard for grazers to eat enough to meet their energy needs. To add to the problem, climate change is lowering the nutritional value of certain foods that these plant eaters rely on. Fossil […]