Hyenas Are As Bright As Primates

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They were depicted as slobbering, slow-witted beasts by Disney in the hit movie The Lion King, but hyenas are far more intelligent than they have been given credit for. New research has revealed the African carnivores are adept at solving problems and can even 'count.' Scientists now believe the animals may have intelligence levels that match some primates.

Hyenas, which are highly social, have been found to assess the size of a competing pack which is invading their territory, by listening to their calls. They will only confront the intruders if the 'count' shows they have a numerical advantage.

Cat Crib: A Space-Saving Cat Hammock

The Cat Crib is a space-saving hammock your feline will love. You treasure your kitty, but the pet furniture you buy makes your living room unsightly and disorderly. Your options are limited and cleaning around your cat's furnishings is difficult. With the Cat Crib cat hammock you can eliminate that clutter while keeping your furry family member happy.

(thanks Cora)

The Exotic Beauty Of Hummingbird Clearwing Moths

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Have you ever done a double take when you're out in the garden admiring your honeysuckles and a quick-flying creature came up to suck the nectar? If it was too small to be a hummingbird and had tell-tale antennae, you may have seen a common clearwing moth.

Common clearwing moths (Hemaris thysbe) are both beautiful and bird-like, but despite all appearances to the contrary, they are bugs. These unusual moths are about 1.5 inches long, and they can be found in gardens and nectar-bearing bushes from central and eastern USA, all the way up to Alaska.

World's 100 Most Endangered Species Listed

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The spoon-billed sandpiper (photo above), a small, dull-coloured bird that breeds in Russia and migrates to south-east Asia is an endangered species, one of 100 threatened species placed on a list by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

10 Bizarre Medical Treatments Involving Animals

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Humans have long depended on the natural world as the source of our most powerful treatments, from the use of sheep-gut thread to sew wounds up in ancient times, to the bacteria-killing properties of penicillin discovered in the first half of the 20th century. Yet, whether everyday or downright disgusting, some of these remedies can be pretty surprising to Western eyes.

In Cambodia, for instance, cattle are sacred animals, and it's apparently considered quite healthy to drink cow urine. And, unbelievably enough, the techniques used for modern heart and lung transplants were partly inspired by Soviet experiments in creating two-headed dogs during the 1950s. Here's a list of the top 10 strangest medical treatments involving animals.

(thanks Karl)

Funny Barking Parrot

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(thanks Miss Rare)

Hermit Crab Migration

This video by Steve Simonsen shows an amazing migration of hermit crabs on St. John in the Virgin Islands.



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(thanks Cora)

Catroulette

Catroulette is Chatroulette for cat adoption. The site bases its user interface on Chatroulette's nexting model. The website allows you to skip through videos of adorable cats and kittens that need homes until you find one that you would like to adopt.

Unlike traditional adoption agencies, Catroulette allows you to see exactly how many people have skipped over a particular kitty. Hairball heartbreak one click at a time.

(thanks Cora)

Pyrenean Desman: On The Trail Of Europe's Weirdest Beast

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The Pyrenean desman (Galemys pyrenaicus) is a small semiaquatic mammal that lives in the Pyrenees to the Iberian Peninsula. It inhabits mountain streams and has been described as 'Europe's weirdest beast.'

The Pyrenean desman was once thought to be widespread across mountain ranges in France, Spain and Portugal. But now Catalonia's Alt Pirineu Natural Park is one of the last strongholds for this species. It's about the size of a hamster, with a glossy grey coat. It has a huge nose framed with long whiskers and beady little eyes. Its front paws are tiny, but its back feet are huge - and webbed. It's topped off by a thick, scaly tail.

I Hate Kitties

Everyone loves kitties, right? Well, not everyone. A short - and strange - movie by Pamela Reed and Matthew Rader. With Samantha Ypma.



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(via Everlasting Blort)

This Ugly Little Creature May Hold The Key To The Fountain Of Youth

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Why do humans live so long? The African naked mole rat might have the answer. Something is keeping us alive, and we do not know what it is. Now, a real Methuselah of the mammals is beginning to hint at what it takes to make a century. The African naked mole rat, whose name describes its charming appearance, has a pair of fearsome front teeth.

It lives in burrows in which one aggressive female prevents all the others from mating and forces them to look after her own offspring. The animal is about the same size as a mouse, but it lives eight times as long, with plenty getting to 30 or so.

The Beautiful Golden Tortoise Beetle

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The Golden Tortoise Beetle is a widely distributed North American insect with a typical size of 5 -7 mm. Recognizable by their golden colour, they have the ability to change colours when disturbed. This color change is accomplished by microscopic valves controlling the moisture levels under the shell. Their preferred food are Morning Glory leaves.

Here's a gallery of the Golden Tortoise Beetle.

(thanks Miss Rare)

What Is Ambergris?

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You may have heard the story about eight-year-old Charlie Naysmith from Dorset, UK, who was walking along the beach with his dad and found what looked to be a very odd rock. He and his dad used Google to help identify it as ambergris. Weighing more than a pound, it is said to be worth up to U.S. $63,000.

Ambergris is a solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull gray or blackish color produced in the digestive system of and regurgitated or secreted by sperm whales. But why does it have such a high value?

Elephants Play Soccer And Enter Beauty Pageant In Nepal

Each year in Nepal, people gather to watch an elephant race, an elephant beauty pageant and even an elephant soccer game. In the beauty pageant, the elephants were judged on movement, physique, health, cleanliness, sense and capabilities and the decorations that their owners painted on them.

The elephants who played soccer gave it their all, and they used all four feet and even their trunks to score goals. Apparently they are trained to hit the ball when someone yells 'kick.' The elephants were even treated to a special meal of rice and sugar wrapped in grass.

First Footage Of Rare Anglerfish

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A rare species of anglerfish has been filmed for the first time by US scientists. The deep-dwelling fish was first described in 1899 from a dead specimen but has not previously been seen alive. Using a remote-operated vehicle, biologists observed the fish 'walking' with its fins and using its namesake lure. Scientists suggest the footage also shows that the fish change colour as they age.

The Burrowing Owl - The Smallest Species Of Owl

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There are a number of things which separate the burrowing owl from other species. The first clue is in the name. Another is that they are the smallest species of owl on the planet and usually they are not more than half a pound in weight and reach around ten inches in height. They also come out in the day time, unlike most other owls.

Clever Bird Goes Fishing

This Green Heron shows some real learning behavior. It actually feeds bread to fish to catch it. The method succeeds, a true testimony to bird cognition. The most amazing is, it seems to be hungry but does not eat the bread like the surrounding Ibises do.



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(thanks Cora)

20 Incredible Migrating Monarch Butterfly Pictures

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They look like delicate leaves or flower petals, decorating a tree in dramatic shades of orange and black. But in fact these are Monarch butterflies, one of the best known and most interesting of North America's butterfly species. The Monarch is famous for its southward migration and northward return in summer from Canada to Mexico and Baja California which spans the life of three to four generations of the butterfly.

Apex Predators

Short video by Sarosh Jacob of gray reef sharks, shot in Nassau, Bahamas. The sharks hang around a shipwreck called the Ray of Hope.



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(thanks Cora)

The Ten Weirdest-Named Shark Species

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Sharks often have weird names. For example: the Starry Smooth-Hound, the Tasseled Wobbegong ot the Scalloped Bonnethead. Those are real animals. But the weirdest of all is the porbeagle, which doesn't sound like a fish at all. Here are the 10 weirdest-named shark species.