Animals
World's tiniest frogs found in Papua New Guinea
With voices hardly louder than an insect's buzz, the tiniest frogs ever discovered are smaller than a coin and hop about the rainforest of the tropical island of Papua New Guinea, US scientists said Wednesday.
2,000 sharks slaughtered for fins off Colombia
About 2,000 sharks appear to have been slaughtered for their fins in a Pacific Ocean marine sanctuary off Colombia, the Guardian reports.
HK returns 610 smuggled pig-nosed turtles
As many as 610 pig-nosed turtles (Carettocheilys insculpta) worth Rp 10 billion smuggled to Hong Kong in January have been returned to their habitat in Papua as part of efforts to protect the species.
Hairy, crazy ants invade from Texas to Miss.
It sounds like a horror movie: Biting ants invade by the millions. A camper's metal walls bulge from the pressure of ants nesting behind them. A circle of poison stops them for only a day, and then a fresh horde shows up, bringing babies. Stand in...
Heidi, Germany's Famous Cross-Eyed Opossum, 'Closes Eyes Forever'
Heidi, a cross-eyed opossum who became an internet sensation in Germany, winning three times more Facebook admirers than Chancellor Angela Merkel, is dead, her zoo said Wednesday.
Piranha problem takes bite out of Brazilian beach fun
Authorities in a state in Brazil's northeast are scrambling to take the fright and the bite off the beach after piranhas sunk their teeth into about 100 beachgoers, UOL Noticias reported.
Giant crocodile captured alive in Philippines
Villagers and veteran hunters have captured a one-ton saltwater crocodile which they plan to make the star of a planned ecotourism park in a southern Philippine town, an official said Monday.
90-Year Old Woman In Serious Condition After Alligator Attack
A 90-year old southwest Florida woman remains hospitalized after she lost her leg in an alligator attack.
San Francisco Mulls Goldfish Ban
First kittens, then puppies and hamsters and now goldfish? San Francisco's Animal Control and Welfare Commission is recommending that the City ban the sale of goldfish, tropical fish and guppies in its borders, according to Matier and Ross.
Five Seals Found Shot To Death
Five gray seals have been found shot to death on Cape Cod beaches in recent weeks. According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s Marine Mammal Rescue and Research team, all five seals died from those gunshot wounds.
'Kill a camel' to cut pollution concept in Australia
Australia is considering awarding carbon credits for killing feral camels as a way to tackle climate change.
The green killer: Scores of protected golden eagles dying after colliding with wind turbines
California's attempts to switch to green energy have inadvertently put the survival of the state’s golden eagles at risk. Scores of the protected birds have been dying each year after colliding with the blades of about 5,000 wind turbines.
1,600-plus Florida beachgoers stung by jellyfish, county officials say
More than 1,600 people within a 10-mile stretch of central Florida's Atlantic beaches have been stung in the past week by a distinctive species of jellyfish not indigenous to North America, a rescue official said Tuesday.
Plan to put down stray dogs causes howl in Romania
They cross the street at crosswalks, stroll through parks and occasionally take the bus. Stray dogs are part of daily life in Romania, where plans to put them down have triggered a howling debate.
Deadly Horse Herpes Virus Outbreak Spreads To 4 States, Canada
At least 10 horses in California have tested positive for a deadly horse virus in an outbreak that has hit several Western states and Canada that has spread since a horse competition earlier this month in Utah.
American crocodile apparently attacks couple in a likely first
On a predawn kayak trip to look at the stars, Mike Gregory and Leigha Poulson's world was turned upside down. "All of a sudden, out of nowhere, we got flipped over," said Gregory, 23, a lifetime Upper Keys resident. Their prime suspect in the 3:30...
Japanese risk radiation to rescue stranded dogs
When Etsumi Ogino saw a news photo of a pack of shelties wandering through an abandoned town near Japan's tsunami-damaged nuclear plant, she thought of her own 13-year-old canine Kein and jumped into action.
Scientists see the beginnings of racism in monkeys
Psychologists have long known that many people are prejudiced towards others based on group affiliations, be they racial, ethnic, religious, or even political. However, we know far less about why people are prone to prejudice in the first place. N...
Stink bug epidemic spreads as 33 U.S. states now report infiltrations of the smelly pest
Few of us ever come to terms with the idea of bed bugs infesting their house and home.But now a new threat is on the rise that is arguably worse - stink bugs. Sightings of the brown marmorated stink bug have been reported in 33 states so far this ...
Tweeting Bronx Zoo cobra's wanderings are hissstory
Found: One tweeting Egyptian cobra that slinked out of its cage at the Bronx Zoo a week ago and fascinated more than 210,000 people following its Twitter feed as it traveled around New York.