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Weird Animals

A male (left) and female (right) Nala lividipes earwig

Half of These Earwigs Use Their Right Penis. The Other Half Use Their Left Penis. Why?

Scientists mated males with females under a microscope to try and understand why some are southpaws and others are righties

The California condor's population stooped dangerously low to 22 individuals in the 1980s, and scientists have been running a captive breeding program since then to save these birds.

California Condors Surprise Scientists With Two ‘Virgin Births’

Genetic data revealed that two females laid fatherless eggs

Mosasaurus was among the largest and last of the sea-dwelling mosasaurs.

Giant Sea Lizards Ruled the Waves While T. Rex Roamed on Land

A new fossil discovery shows marine reptiles called mosasaurs lived up until the asteroid impact that killed non-avian dinosaurs

Spider silk is more than just a web for snaring prey.

Fourteen Ways That Spiders Use Their Silk

From making parachutes to building scuba tanks, the arachnids have come up with some fascinating creations

Hermit crabs are essential scavengers in the ocean. They may crawl into discarded tires looking for food or shelter, and become trapped and die of starvation.

Discarded Tires Are ‘Ghost Fishing’ Hermit Crabs

New research suggests these shell-swapping crustaceans are vulnerable to becoming trapped inside human debris

More than half of koalas admitted to Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital are sick with chlamydia. 

Australia Begins Vaccinating Hundreds of Koalas Against Chlamydia in New Trial

The infection affects at least half of koalas living in southeast Queensland and New South Wales

A green turtle surrounded by glassfish in Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. Green sea turtles, which are classified as endangered, migrate long distances between feeding grounds and the beaches from where they hatched.

See Stunning Undersea Images That Showcase Our Blue Planet

From reef sharks to bioluminescent squid, the Ocean Photography Award highlights the wonders and perils of life in the sea

A researcher holds a banded vampire bat.

Vampire Bats Call Out to Friends to Share Blood Meals

After they prep bite sites to lap the blood out of live cows, females invite their roostmates to join them

Heavy metal-fortified mandibles help leafcutter ants save energy and muscle mass.

Heavy Metals Give Ants a Powerful Bite

A combination of metal atoms and natural proteins is the secret behind the super-strong jaws, claws and stingers of some tiny animals

Musk ducks join an elite group of non-human animals that can mimic speech.

Listen to Ripper the Duck Say ‘You Bloody Fool!’

New research highlights the rare trait of vocal learning among animals with examples of musk ducks imitating human speech and other noises

The researchers retrieved frog foam from the forests of Trinidad and brought it back to their lab after removing the eggs, hatching them and returning the tadpoles to the wild.

Frog Foam May Help Deliver Drugs to Human Skin

A new study suggests the concoction created by mating amphibians may help dispense medicine slowly over time

Tardigrades use their claws like grappling hooks and pull their bodies forward to move.

Scientists Discover Tiny Tardigrades Trot Around Like Insects

The microscopic organism’s gait may have evolved to adapt to unpredictable terrains

Around 20 percent of female white-necked jacobins have evolved to share the vibrant plumage characteristic of males.

Female Hummingbirds Masquerade as Males to Avoid Harassment

One-fifth of female white-necked jacobins sport flashy male-like plumage, which may help them access more food

A spotted skunk does a handstand.

Scientists Identify Seven Species of Spotted Skunks, and They All Do Handstands Before They Spray

Researchers analyzed hundreds of spotted skunk specimens to classify the animals

Female octopuses were far more likely than males to 'throw' objects at others.

Female Octopuses Throw Things at Male Harassers

Scientists observed common Sydney octopuses launching shells and silt at particularly annoying individuals

Asian paper wasp nests take on a new verdant glow under ultraviolet light.

Wasp Nest Glows Green Under UV Light

Silk fibers give the nest its radiant a neon hue

The giant tortoise clumsily stalked and ate a lesser noddy tern chick, raising questions about their herbivorous diet.

Giant Tortoise Stuns Scientists by Eating a Baby Bird

In a first, researchers in the Seychelles document the large reptile stalking and devouring a chick

A new study of western diamondback rattlesnakes reveals that they abruptly shift to a high-frequency rattle as danger approaches.

Rattlesnakes Fool Humans Into Thinking They’re Nearby With This Sound-Warping Trick

A new study reveals the snakes change the speed of their rattles to appear closer than they are

Only two of 18 eggs have hatched so far. Congrats to the gator parents, Snowflake and Blizzard!

Rare Albino Alligators Hatch at Florida Zoo

The pair of white and pink hatchlings lack their species’ usual dark coloration

Olive sea snakes are among the largest marine snake species and sometimes make contact with divers.

Venomous Sea Snakes That Charge Divers May Just Be Looking for Love

A new study suggests apparent attacks are actually fleeting cases of mistaken identity

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