Weird Animals

After peanut butter failed to attract the giant rats, researchers turned to sesame oil.

See the First-Ever Photographs of a Rare Giant Rat That Lives Only on One Pacific Island

The elusive and critically endangered Vangunu giant rats are at least twice the size of common rats

Researchers at the Ohio State University collected 9,287 Asian longhorned ticks in just 90 minutes using lint rollers.

An Invasive Tick That Can Clone Itself Is Spreading Across the U.S., Threatening Livestock

Researchers documented three cows in Ohio killed by Asian longhorned ticks, which can lay up to 2,000 eggs without needing to mate

When erect, the penises of male serotine bats are seven times longer than female bats' vaginas and seven times wider than the females' vaginal openings.

This Bat Uses Its Extra Long Penis Like an Arm While Mating

Serotine bats are the first mammals known to mate without penetration, new research suggests

Castoreum, an edible, sweet-smelling substance, is found in the castor sacs of beavers.

Does Vanilla Flavoring Actually Come From Beaver Butts?

Despite internet claims, castoreum—a substance found in beaver glands—is rarely used today as a food flavoring

The Australasian crested grebe, or pūteketeke, won New Zealand's Bird of the Century contest with 290,000 votes.

Puking Bird Wins New Zealand's Bird of the Century Contest After John Oliver Campaign

The comedian launched an “alarmingly aggressive” global effort on behalf of the pūteketeke to shore up its victory in the annual popularity competition

Attenborough's long-beaked echidna, photographed by a camera trap

Scientists Find 'Lost' Echidna Species for the First Time in 60 Years

An expedition team in Indonesia spotted the elusive, egg-laying mammal, which is named after David Attenborough and had not been documented since 1961

The female Pacific footballfish measured about 14 inches long.

Rare Deep-Sea Anglerfish Washes Up on a California Beach

The finding marks the second time in three years that an elusive Pacific footballfish has been found on the sand at Crystal Cove State Park

Caecilian mothers grow a fatty layer of skin that their babies tear off with specialized teeth and eat.

This Worm-Like Amphibian Eats Its Mother's Skin to Get Microbes

Caecilians are the only known amphibians to pass microbes from one generation to the next, according to a new study

A silky anteater, small enough to sit comfortably in your palm, rests in the canopy of a mangrove forest in Brazil’s Parnaíba Delta.

This Fluffy Little Anteater May Be a New Species

The animals eke out a living in a pocket of mangroves on Brazil’s Atlantic coast

Chilobrachys natanicharum, the electric blue tarantula

See the New 'Enchanting' Electric Blue Tarantula Discovered in Thailand

Blue is one of the rarest colors in nature, but this arachnid achieves the bright hue through special structures in its hair

Box jellyfish are about the size of a grape.

Brainless Jellyfish Are Capable of Learning, Study Suggests

Scientists provide evidence that tiny Caribbean box jellyfish—which lack a central nervous system—can learn to navigate through mangrove roots

The rare all-brown giraffe was born in July.

See the Rare Spotless Giraffe Born at a Tennessee Zoo

The baby might be the only all-brown giraffe on the planet, as the last one on record was born in 1972

Hugh Gray's famous 1933 photo of a creature he believed to be Nessie

Loch Ness Monster Lovers Come Together for Biggest Hunt in 50 Years

Volunteers will convene in the Scottish Highlands armed with drones, hydrophones and other technologies

The snake's new enclosure is specially designed to help the creature avoid hurting itself.

A Rare Two-Headed Snake Is Back on Exhibit at a Texas Zoo

Pancho and Lefty, as the western rat snake is known, has now healed from an injury it suffered more than two years ago

The young swell shark glows under a blacklight. The swell shark's eyes have adapted to filter out other wavelengths of light so they can better see other sharks.

See the Baby Glow-in-the-Dark Shark Hatched at the Tennessee Aquarium

In coastal waters, swell sharks appear a glowing green color to other members of their species due to a special eye adaptation

The Los Angeles thread millipede (Illacme socal)

New 486-Legged Millipede Species Found Near Los Angeles

The discovery by two naturalists demonstrates that unknown creatures can lie "right below our feet"

A variety of saber-toothed animals have evolved to fill different niches.

Eight Menacing Saber-Toothed Creatures That Stalked the Earth Long Ago

From before the dinosaurs to the Ice Age, several mammals and their forerunners sported the iconic, curved teeth

Nihohae matakoi swam in waters off the coast of New Zealand around 25 million years ago.

These Prehistoric Dolphins Had Tusk-Like Teeth

The animals likely thrashed their heads back and forth to injure or stun prey with their unusual, horizontal teeth

The goal of naming different species is to make sure scientific names are uniform across different fields and research labs.

Why Some Scientists Want to Stop Naming Organisms After People

An international team of researchers wants to stop using eponyms. But the naming authorities won’t budge.

Brazilian reef octopuses, like other types of cephalopods, defend themselves against predators by inking and extending their mantles. 

Octopuses May Have Vivid Nightmares, Video Suggests

Costello, a male Brazilian reef octopus, had "bizarre" defensive outbursts while sleeping in a lab

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