Jackals are members of the canid family with a reputation for cunning, opportunism and haunting twilight calls. Found across parts of Africa, Europe and Asia, they can occupy a range of ecological niches, hunting, scavenging and foraging on whatever is available. Long overshadowed by their showier cousins, such as wolves and wild dogs, these highly adaptable […]
Tag: rodents
‘No one believed it’: how a YouTube video accidentally proved Libya’s sand cat really does exist
When wildlife photographer Mohammed Almuntasir uploaded 18 seconds of footage to YouTube, he thought little more about the small, pale cat seen digging a hollow in the sand in the remote dunes of south-west Libya. The video, however, posted in 2017, turned out to be the first material evidence that the sand cat (Felis margarita), the world’s only […]
It might look like a rabbit and act like a rabbit, but this is no rabbit – OR even a hare, instead it’s something far more peculiar…
With dainty forelimbs tucked against their fluffy belly and a wonderfully solemn expression on their whiskered face, the sight of a sunbathing mountain viscacha is sure to raise a smile. This Andean rodent is perplexing and endearing in equal measure, looking as if someone has assembled it from spare parts, with rabbit ears, a squirrel […]
Defying drought and invasives, a feisty Australian marsupial makes a comeback
The ampurta, a blond or brown guinea pig-sized marsupial, is distinctive for its short, fat tail that becomes a black mohawk at the tip. This micro-predator, also known as the crest-tailed mulgara, was once abundant in the arid, sandy landscapes of Central Australia as well as Western Australia. But by 1994, it had been listed […]
The world’s deadliest rat that’s poisonous enough to kill an elephant, a mouse that hunts venomous scorpions – The 9 weirdest rodents on the planet
Some rodents are enormous – like the cat-sized Indian giant squirrel – while others have impressive adaptations, from star-shaped tentacled noses to webbed feet. One even holds the title for the most mating sessions in the animal kingdom. Whether they fly, swim or even defy ageing itself, these unusual rodents are anything but ordinary. Weirdest rodents […]
The mind-controlling zombie that makes our closest cousins seek out their own killers… and it could affect humans too
In 2016 scientists found a parasite is able to manipulate the behaviour of its chimpanzee hosts, making them morbidly attracted to the odour of their only natural predator. Toxoplasma gondii is a tiny single-celled cat parasite that also infects a range of other mammals and birds as intermediate hosts, forming cysts in their brains and other […]
“Their real super-power is their ability to shoot blood from their eyes.” The 23 weirdest, strangest animals on the planet – including the striped pyjama squid
With over 8.7 million species of animals in the world, it’s perhaps no surprise that evolution has produced some particularly peculiar-looking ones. Ugly as some of them may be, these so-called weird animals often become some of the most loved and well know (especially in the age of the internet meme – looking at you blobfish!). There will […]
It looks like a squat, cuddly little bear, chirps like a bird and has webbed feet for swimming – meet the very rare and bizarre wild dog that’s like no other
The bush dog (Speothos venaticus) is an elusive species. These small and stocky canines have an extensive range in Central and South America yet are so rarely seen in the wild that most of what we know about them is gleaned from studying captive individuals. Its closest relative is thought to be the maned wolf or the African […]