How predators kill their prey is a fascinating subject. Big cats typically either asphyxiate by pressing down on an animal’s trachea with paws and mouth, though lions will also stop its prey from breathing by covering its mouth and nose with their jaws. Jaguars deliver the coup de grace with a bite to the skull. […]
Tag: snakes
This snake’s “outrageous” tail looks exactly like a spider. Scientists just looked inside it and found something odd
For the first time, scientists have been able to study the bone structure of one the more extraordinary serpentine tails in the natural world. The spider-tailed horn viper (Pseudocerastes urarachnoides) is found in the Zagros Mountain range in West Asia and remained unclassified as a singular species until 2006. A specimen found in Iran in 1968 was […]
It clatters like a machine gun, has a deadly prehistoric-looking beak, can live for 25 years and can grow up to a whopping 1.5m tall with a wingspan of 2.6m
This odd-looking bird is a charismatic giant that can live up to 25 years in the wild. It has piercing eyes and and can grow up to 1.5m tall with a wingspan of 2.6m. For some, its cartoon-like charm is magnetic, for others it’s a menacing-looking predator. It is hunted for its meat and eggs and threatened by […]
It’s covered in terrifying quills so, what could possibly eat a porcupine?
Can any animals eat porcupines? Surely not as porcupine quills present an impenetrable thicket to most predators. But these backward-pointing defences are only effective if the rodent can keep its assailant to its rear. What animals can eat porcupines? In North America, pumas and fishers (marten-like mammals) are skilled porcupine predators, outmanoeuvring their quarry to launch their attacks from the […]
“They were bouncing off umbrellas and pavements and hopped off in their hundreds…” 10 times it rained animals
You’ve heard of it raining cats and dogs. Thankfully, it’s just a figure of speech, but did you know that sometimes it really does rain animals? From starfish and shrimp to fish and frogs, sometimes creatures really do fall from the sky. The episodes leave people running for cover and scratching their heads, prompting explanations […]
“This slashing can cause fatal wounds in humans…” 10 deadliest birds on the planet, including one with a highly lethal 12cm claw…
We don’t often think of birds as dangerous, says Dominic Couzens. That’s a mistake, because to their prey species they are, of course, completely deadly. Perhaps surprisingly, a few species can also be a peril to humans, and back in prehistoric times there were probably more. Here we will look both at the birds that […]
Two US men charged for allegedly using snakes, a lemur and a monkey for exotic photoshoots
Two Baltimore, Maryland, men are facing charges for allegedly using exotic animals – including snakes, a lemur and a spider monkey – in photoshoots featuring three semi-clothed models and a ring of fire in a garage beneath a luxury shopping complex. Photographer Vernon Crowfey III, the 32-year-old owner of the company Photogeniks, was arrested in Towson, Maryland, […]
It’s the size of Ireland and home to a whopping 400 million individuals – making it one of the most densely populated places on Earth
Earth is full of incredible wildlife spectacles, with thousands of animals gathering in one place – often putting on an awe-inspiring display. But if you want to find out the largest colony of mammals, you’ll have to turn to the history books. According to the Guinness World Records, zoologist and ecologist C H Merriam discovered […]