Animals Are Beautiful People

Tiger and Dog Are Best Friends

2012-01-29T21:56:00.003+08:00

Panjo the Tiger was adopted by the Fernandez family when he was just a cub. Without a mother to look after him, the family's Jack Russell dogs took over parenting duties - now Tiger and Dog are best friends!

Brutus, the pet grizzly bear

2012-01-29T21:53:00.002+08:00

Brutus, an 800 pounds grizzly bear, is Casey Anderson's best friend. Casey, a naturalist, and Brutus are inseparable from the day Brutus was a 2 weeks old cub. Casey saved the bear from an overpopulated wildlife park, and raised him with lot of attention, love and respect. Brutus is living in a sanctuary that Casey built so he can freely live a life which a grizzly bear is supposed to live. Being around Brutus is not dangerous because he is comfortable around people, but Casey is still not letting anybody have physical contact with Brutus but himself. He is not afraid that the bear will ever attack him because he knows and predicts his every movement.

Cleaning the cobra pit

2012-01-19T23:00:00.001+08:00

Siku the Baby Polar Bear

2012-01-18T03:16:00.000+08:00

Last seen on ZooBorns at age 32 days, Siku, which means “Sea ice” in Greenlandic language, is proving to be quite a star, having had another photo session at the ripe old age of 52 days. Siku lives at the Scandinavian Wildlife Park of Djursland.

Dog & Cat

2012-01-17T01:17:00.002+08:00

Smiling Seal Pup

2012-01-14T11:52:00.004+08:00

Source

THIS Harp Seal pup is a natural in front of the camera and is melting hearts with its adorable grin.

Wildlife photographer, Keren Su, crawled across the ice on his stomach to snap this beaming face.

A Harp Seal smiles for the camera at Iles de la Madeleine in East Canada. Picture: Keren Su / Lonely Planet / Caters News

Mr Su, 60, travelled by helicopter to the remote Iles de la Madeleine in East Canada to spend time with the seals.

"I was only allowed a limited time with the seals and in order to get the pictures I wanted I had to crawl on the ice so the pups wouldn't be afraid of a huge stranger," he said.

A Harp Seal snoozes in the snow at Iles de la Madeleine in East Canada. Picture: Keren Su / Lonely Planet / Caters News

"After they had gotten used to my smell I could get closer and closer until my camera was right in front of them.

"When they became relaxed they would behave in the cutest ways imaginable."

Harp Seal pups only stay white for a short window of 10 days.

Mr Su has dedicated years to taking the ideal picture and his most recent work also includes snapping Emperor penguins in its natural habitat of Antarctica.

Creepy Cat 2

2012-01-13T14:41:00.000+08:00

It Begins... Chimp Lights Fire

2012-01-03T00:56:00.002+08:00

Puss in Boots

2012-01-02T23:06:00.002+08:00

Cat & Cushion

2011-12-31T19:39:00.002+08:00

Flying Rays

2011-12-31T12:07:00.001+08:00

Friendship Between Man And Pride Of Lions And Even A Hyena

2011-12-22T15:06:00.003+08:00

Amazing Encounter With Silverback Gorillas

2011-12-22T15:05:00.002+08:00

Baby Plays with Puppy

2011-12-18T09:40:00.000+08:00

Ambam, Gorilla Who Walks Upright

2011-12-18T00:16:00.000+08:00

Reminds me of the old bigfoot footage

Crazy Man

2011-12-17T14:49:00.001+08:00

RIP Poncho

2011-12-15T15:14:00.006+08:00

Source

The sudden death by natural causes of the famous tamed Crocodile "Pocho" brought tears to Costa Ricans and other fans around the world. Our deepest sympathies to Chito for the loss of his good friend. May Pocho Rest in Peace!!
See funeral procession here:

For the history of the famous Pocho and Chito, read on.....

BROUGHT BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!! At least once a month someone asks me about "Chito", better known as "Tico Tarzan", so I thought I would repeat this post!

Imagine upon moving to a foreign country one of the first persons you meet is fondly known by all as ¨Tico Tarzan¨! Officially named Gilberto Shedden, this 50 year old Costa Rica native fisherman, better known to his friends as "Chito", has gained this nickname by training and playing with his good friend “Pocho”. I know you’re thinking it’s a cute little monkey or chimp, thus the title ¨Tarzan¨, but you would be VERY mistaken. Pocho is Chito´s fully grown, pet American Crocodile! Rolling the large reptile on its back, pushing his head of razor sharp teeth under and above the water, as well as tenderly kissing Pocho right on the nose, this is no average Tarzan by any means! Even for Chito, who grew up in the jungles of Costa Rica, their games are much more than a planned tourist trap spectacle, it is a clear demonstration of an unusual friendship established over time between a normally dangerous crocodile and an anything but normal human who saw one of God’s creatures in need.

The unusual friendship with Pocho began more than 17 years ago when Chito found the then two meter American Crocodile adrift in theParismina River. Located deep in the many miles of winding and remote natural and artificial canals of Tortuguero on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, the hapless crocodile had received a bullet in the head and was in bad shape and unlikely to live. Chito, a character that truly defies description, who is well known for the soft spot in his heart for any and all animals, took the injured crocodile into his humble home and nursed him back to health over the next several months. Feeding him small pieces of chicken and gently stroking him and doctoring his wounds, Pocho was amazingly receptive to the attention and over the next several months a special bond was created between the two.

I’ll never forget the first time we went to Chito´s house to have a few ¨cervezas¨ and Chito wanted to introduce us to his new friend. With Chito, you never knew what to expect, but nonetheless, I was a bit taken aback when he opened a door and there was Pocho! As a ¨newbie¨ to Costa Rica and this small Caribbean Village on theAtlantic side of Costa Rica, I kept thinking to myself, ¨Can this be normal?¨ Happily, it is not, but as one gets to know the eccentric Chito, it just really did not seem that odd either, as he always had a menagerie of wild animals that he was in the process of nursing back from the dead, with the hope of returning them to the wild!

Living in such a remote location, and being of humble means, a veterinarian was not in the cards for Chito or Pocho, so the entire care and recuperation of the crocodile fell on Chito himself. When it was thought Pocho had recovered sufficiently to survive on his own once again, Chito left his beloved Crocodile pet in a small nearby pond to carry out the many years he would hopefully have left in his life. But even to Chito´s surprise, the reptile chose to leave the water, following Chito back to his house and instead choosing to live in the canal in front of Chito´s property. Realizing that Pocho and he had apparently cemented a unique new friendship, daily visits and swimming sessions became part of their incredible bonding process and a source of much entertainment for the locals. Much to the dismay of family and friends, Chito continued to swim and play with the rapidly growing crocodile, teaching him a series of commands, including death rolls, tail slaps, back floats, belly rubs, swims and skims and even closing his eyes on cue!

As word spread of the crazy antics of Chito and Pocho, the entrepreneurial light bulb went off in Chito´s head. People began to naturally seek these two characters in the remote village of Barra de Parismina to see for themselves this incredible phenomenon, but this proved difficult due
to the remote location of this small village. Now relocated to a small lake on Chito´s other farm on the outskirts of the town of Siquirres, this unlikely duo attracts multitudes of people, both National and International travelers weekly to experience for themselves the ¨Tico Tarzan Show¨. Dressed only in well worn shorts and his customary sweat band in place on his forehead, Chito enters the water with absolutely no safety equipment or even ambulance drivers on call, where he leads Pocho, and at times Pocho leads Chito, through a series of acrobatic stunts and amazing tricks, including the lifting and slapping of his enormous tail with great force on the water, as visitors look on at the gigantic reptile in amazement from the safety of the railing of the ¨typical¨ style lakeside restaurant or ¨soda¨.

It is estimated that Pocho is around 50 years old, weighs approximately 990 pounds and measures in the area of 4.5 meters. The American Crocodile is a species of crocodilian found primarily in Central America. It is the most widespread of the four species of crocodiles found on the entire American Continent. Populations occur from the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of southern Mexico to South America and stretching as far as Peru and even Venezuela. There is a remnant population of about 2000 in Florida, United States. The habitat of the American crocodile consists largely of coastal areas, though they are quite common in canals and other inlets, so caution should be exercised when in these areas. The American crocodile is larger than some other crocodile species, with some males reaching lengths of 6.1 metres (20 ft) in Central and South America. Full grown adult males of this species have no natural predators and are capable of preying on virtually any animal unfortunate enough to be at the waters edge. It is estimated they can live up to 70 years in captivity, so Chito and Pocho may continue to entertain us for many years to come, barring any accidents that is!

Wojtek the soldier bear

2011-12-08T01:16:00.003+08:00

"Teddy Bear," the porcupine, doesn't like to share

2011-11-30T11:46:00.001+08:00

Pet Owls

2011-11-20T23:18:00.001+08:00

Baby Pygmy Hippo

2011-11-07T23:45:00.001+08:00

Massive murmuration

2011-11-07T23:02:00.001+08:00

Woman has pet hippo

2011-11-06T21:48:00.000+08:00

Vaulting Dogs

2011-11-02T15:58:00.000+08:00

Albino Animals

2011-10-28T21:04:00.002+08:00

lion

crocodile

gorilla

monkey

rhino

turtle

lobster

whale

moose

skunk

black bear

dolphin

cobra

penguin

shark

deer

Baby Bear Grappling Kid

2011-10-28T20:53:00.002+08:00

Cat Adopts Rabbit

2011-10-25T22:19:00.001+08:00

World's Worst Cat

2011-10-21T19:10:00.003+08:00

Reminds me of this

Monkey Rescuing Puppy in Thailand Floods

2011-10-20T15:47:00.002+08:00

Dog Sculpting

2011-10-13T20:29:00.002+08:00

Cat Costumes

2011-10-13T20:23:00.003+08:00

Best Dog Costumes

2011-10-13T20:20:00.002+08:00

Nonono Cat

2011-10-05T19:38:00.000+08:00

Polar bears and dogs playing

2011-09-25T20:33:00.001+08:00

Ninja Polar Bear

2011-09-25T20:32:00.000+08:00

I giggled around the 2:13 mark

Cat tries to wake up dead friend

2011-09-20T00:46:00.000+08:00

Cat tries to wake up his friend who just died. Antalya, Turkey

What the most don't know about this epic video, is that the cat was doing that 2 hours long. not just 4min. this clip was edited from a 2 hour clip to a 4 minute clip

Dolphin play bubble rings

2011-09-16T00:17:00.001+08:00

Talking Chimp

2011-09-15T18:54:00.001+08:00

Hey Master, When Can I Eat?

2011-09-11T23:06:00.001+08:00

Don't Wanna

2011-09-09T20:48:00.000+08:00

Giant crocodile captured alive in Philippines

2011-09-06T13:54:00.003+08:00

Source

In this photo taken Sunday, Sept. 4, 2011, Mayor Cox Elorde of Bunawan township, Agusan del Sur Province, pretends to measure a huge crocodile which was captured by residents and crocodile farm staff along a creek in Bunawan late Saturday in southern Philippines. Elorde said Monday that dozens of villagers and experts ensnared the 21-foot (6.4-meter) male crocodile along a creek in his township after a three-week hunt. It was one of the largest crocodiles to be captured alive in the Philippines in recent years. (AP Photo)

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — 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.

Mayor Edwin Cox Elorde said dozens of villagers and experts ensnared the 21-foot (6.4-meter) male crocodile along a creek in Bunawan township in Agusan del Sur province after a three-week hunt. It could be one of the largest crocodiles to be captured alive in recent years, he said, quoting local crocodile experts.

Elorde said the crocodile killed a water buffalo in an attack witnessed by villagers last month and was also suspected of having attacked a fisherman who went missing in July.

He said he sought the help of experts at a crocodile farm in western Palawan province.

"We were nervous but it's our duty to deal with a threat to the villagers," Elorde told The Associated Press by telephone. "When I finally stood before it, I couldn't believe my eyes."

After initial sightings at a creek, the hunters set four traps, which the crocodile destroyed. They then used sturdier traps using steel cables, one of which finally caught the enormous reptile late Saturday, he said.

About 100 people had to pull the crocodile, which weighs about 2,370 pounds (1,075 kilograms), from the creek to a clearing where a crane lifted it into a truck, he said.

The crocodile was placed in a fenced cage in an area where the town plans to build an ecotourism park for species found in a vast marshland in Agusan, an impoverished region about 515 miles (830 kilometers) southeast of Manila, Elorde said.

"It will be the biggest star of the park," Elorde said, adding that villagers were happy that they would be able to turn the dangerous crocodile "from a threat into an asset."

Despite the catch, villagers remain wary because several crocodiles still roam the outskirts of the farming town of about 37,000 people.

They have been told to avoid venturing into marshy areas alone at night, Elorde said.

7 Terrifying Prehistoric Creatures (That Are Still Around)

2011-08-30T13:53:00.002+08:00

Source

The history of our planet is like a carnival of screams. Looking back through the fossil record, we've had everything from carnivorous swimming tanks to giant flesh eating goats. Fortunately, nature has seen fit to kill most of history's monsters with evolution and extinction events. So we're in the clear, right?

Sure, as long as you stay on land. It turns out that the "kill all monsters" message didn't travel so well underwater, and many of these prehistoric horrors are still waiting down there to eat your head and snack on your soul.

#7.

Goblin Shark

Look, sharks are terrifying enough already, but at least mankind was lucky enough not to have suffered through God's Cubist period, during which He designed, among other things, a shark with a circular saw for a face.

Source.

Those might be long dead, but you know what is very, horribly alive? This:

Goblin sharks are hideous, pink, 11-foot long servants of evil, which Wikipedia describes as having an electrosensitive, trowel-shaped, beak-like rostrum and protrusible jaws. That is science-talk for: "Oh God, God no."

They've been around since the Middle Eocene, which means they survived alongside Megalodons. For context, the Megalodon was a great white shark the size of a bus, one of the largest and most terrifying marine predators ever to exist. It did not survive. The goblin shark did.

Jesus! Where Do They Live?!

The bad (worse?) news is that they have been found in most of the world's oceans, so it's possible that you're never far from one, though it can be argued that there is no such thing as being far enough away from goblin sharks. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they were originally discovered off the coast of Japan.

No shit.

Since then, they've been cropping up all over the place, so it is possible that in the depths of the ocean, there has been a population explosion of monstrous terror-sharks from the past. It may be time to start investing in real-estate around Denver.

#6.

Giant River stingray

Stingrays have already solidified their place in the annals of terror by doing what so many bigger and more venomous animals had failed to do in the past: kill Steve Irwin. But there is one out there that probably would have kept the Crocodile Hunter out of the water altogether.

We're sorry to inform you that that is in no way Photoshopped or modified, and is, in fact, a 16-foot long stingray. It seems Mother Nature was both lazy and malicious when she sculpted what is basically a king-sized bedsheet, and and then put a 15-inch serrated poison spike on its ass. That barb, by the way, has been known to impale body parts, sometimes skewering them completely and even penetrating bone.

The giant river stingray is an abomination faxed directly to us from the Jurassic era, 100 million years ago. See? We don't need a team of God-playing scientists to bring horrors back from the Jurassic, they are already here.

Jesus! Where Do They Live?!

Thailand, New Guinea, Borneo and, surprise surprise, Australia. They live exclusively in rivers in a part of the world where rivers are uniformly murky, making these giant poisonous fish invisible as well. As if you really needed another reason to avoid the Southern Hemisphere.

This one was 770 pounds, making it the largest freshwater fish in the world,
and caused the world's third largest pants-shitting.

#5.

Frilled Shark

It's official: We as a species have no business in the ocean. You win, we're done. The frilled shark has been terrorizing the oceans for at least 95 million years, looking something like a dragon that was bitten by an eel that was also a zombie for some reason.

They usually live in the deep sea, but apparently they occasionally rise to the surface purely to remind human beings that only terror awaits us in the briny depths.

They have upwards of 300 three-pronged teeth, which one unnecessarily foreboding scientist described as "providing almost a thousand sharp hooks on which to trap struggling prey." They can also open their mouths extremely wide and can swallow something up to one and a half times their length. In case you're wondering, that means they could have swallowed Andre the Giant and the midget he was, for whatever reason, giving an ocean-bottom piggy back ride to in one horrifying gulp. Basically, they're just giant floating stomachs with a chainsaw at one end.

Jesus! Where Do They Live?!

Everywhere, deep under the waves. We don't know much about them because their natural habitat is so far below the ocean and, frankly, there are enough horrors in the known world that we don't need to go out of our way in search of more.

#4.

Alligator Gar

Disney's The Princess and the Frog would have us believe that bayous and swamps are home to adorable amphibians and cowardly reptiles with a love of jazz. Oh, how cute of you to believe that. Let's bring you back to reality for a moment:

As ancient as they are ugly, alligator gars have been around for 100 million years, and strike fear in the heart of anything that is afraid of large animals with hundreds of sharp teeth. Double-rows of sharp teeth, because back in ancient times you needed all the teeth you could get in order to combat all the tyrannofrogs and velociturtles that shared the swamp with you.

They also have pointed scales that are big enough to be used as arrowheads, and hard enough that they cause sparks when struck with an axe. They also have primitive lungs, so they can live for hours out of the water, which is exactly what you do not want in your oversized armored toothy demon fish.

Jesus! Where Do They Live?!

All over the Southern U.S., in rivers along the Gulf Coast. Their tendency to feed on valuable game fish and your children means that fishermen kind of hate them. So much, in fact, that in the 30s in Texas, a man named Colonel J.G. Burr rigged up an "Electric Gar Destroyer" to electrocute the shit out of the swamps in order to kill them off, which just goes to show you that what nature has failed to kill off for millions of years can still be beaten by a dipshit with a ridiculous weapon.

#3.

Giant Chinese Salamander

Coming in at a tie with the panda bear in the list of real animals most resembling Pokemon, giant salamanders have been plodding around for about 30 million years, which means they survived giant bears and hyenas as big as cows.

Fortunately for us, they are the one creature on this list least likely to devour you and everyone you care about, being nearly blind and feeding mainly on smaller salamanders, worms and crayfish. Although they do get aggressive around mating season, when the males fight over the holes they have dug in the mud, often killing each other in the process. We're scratching our heads over how something this stupid could survive long enough to be a living fossil.

Jesus! Where Do They Live?!

China, the the land that eats monsters. We're still a little nervous about this, because on the one hand, we think they're kind of cute. On the other hand, that's probably just how they sucker you in. After all, something killed all those dinosaurs.

"Dear god, why China? They ate Godzilla's mom! What chance do I have?"

#2.

Triops

Quick, is that the name of a prehistoric, three-eyed, hell-shrimp, or a He-Man villain? If you guessed hell-shrimp, you were correct.

Incidentally, every time we watch a horror movie about genetically engineered parasites that escape the lab, there is at least one scene where a human body bursts like a pinata and releases three hundred of these into the world:

Triops have been haunting our waterways and nightmares since the Triassic period, about 200 million years ago, meaning they sent some of the first dinosaurs screaming out of the ponds. Their eggs are damn near indestructible, and if the conditions aren't right, they can just go into suspended animation, lying dormant and unhatched for decades like the alien conspiracy from The X-Files.

Jesus! Where Do They Live?!

Basically everywhere, including your living room, because you can order them online. For those of you whose idea of the perfect pet is "like sea monkeys, but evil."

We're pretty sure Dio songs echo from the tank 24/7.

#1.

Lamprey

There's really no way to ease you slowly into the following analogy, so we're just going to go ahead and say it: condoms full of teeth.

If you're thinking those are tiny little worms you might find sucking on the side of your aquarium, think again. These bastards grow to about three and a half feet long, and feed by literally eating their way into the sides of fish until their guts come out the hole.

Lampreys are so old, evolutionarily speaking, that they are barely considered vertebrates, and hardly even fish. The closest thing we have to genuine Lovecraftian elder gods, Lampreys are upwards of 360-million-years old, and are basically the missing link between fish and whatever came before fish. We're guessing devils.

Jesus! Where Do They Live?!

Coasts and freshwater around the world. In the great lakes, they have become a disgusting plague feeding off of other fish, mostly the delicious ones like trout. On the other hand, countries like Finland, South Korea and Sweden consider the blood-sucking spineless worm-fish a delicacy.

But don't worry, lampreys are unlikely to try to eat humans. Unless they are starving.

6 Animals That Kill Nature's Scariest Creatures For Fun

2011-08-30T13:24:00.005+08:00

Source

We have made it our mission to celebrate the underrated badasses of the animal kingdom because in general, Hollywood has taught us to be afraid of the wrong creatures.

For instance, for every animal you'd be terrified to run across in the wild, the odds are there is at least one other beast who sees it as a tasty snack. And often it's what you'd least expect. Like ...

#6. The Wasp That Eats Tarantulas

The Terror:

So you are a tarantula, the hairy giant of the arachnid world and the absolute worst nightmare of, oh, about 99 percent of humanity. You hunt in the trees and prowl the ground in a manner that leaves little doubt of your absolute, all-consuming terribleness.

Photos.com
Your favorite hangouts include cradles, wood sheds and the bottom of sleeping bags.

As you roam the landscape looking for a late night snack, you spot a potential prey: a silly-looking insect buzzing clumsily around. Raising yourself in the attack position, you confidently prepare for a kill ...

... only to wake up hours later, unable to move, and with a nasty writhing feeling inside you.

Eaten By:

Via Wikipedia

A wasp isn't anyone's favorite insect to find flying around in their house, but nobody is going to call 911 if they get stung by one. And when it comes down to wasp vs. tarantula, you'd expect to see the former in the nest of the latter, getting slowly eaten.

But there is a spider wasp called the tarantula hawk that is the boogeyman that small spider children are scared of. To us humans, it looks surreal rather than scary -- like something you'd find in Guillermo del Toro's personal petting zoo.

Via Bugman123.com
Seriously, that's Pan's Labyrinth stuff right there.

Of course, there is a reason this kind of bug is called a spider wasp -- its sole mission in life is to transform the world into a never-ending horror movie for its arachnid prey. In this case, the movie is Aliens. The tarantula gets to play the victim; the wasp is the face-hugger. The tarantula hawk will capture, sting and paralyze the tarantula. Then, much as the Alien would, it plants an egg inside the spider's ... ahem, abdomen. Like this:

And, to finish the circle of movie-referencing terror, after growing big and strong on a steady diet of the freaked-out spider's internal organs, the baby tarantula hawk outgrows its home. Yes, this happens exactly as you would expect.

#5. The Pink Dolphin That Eats Piranhas

Via Hazima.wordpress.com

The Terror:

You're having a regular field day with your school of piranhas, munching on the legs of hapless river-crossing explorers, reducing whole cows to skeletons and generally enjoying your reputation as the most badass flesh-eating freshwater fish in existence.

Via Shocktillyoudrop.com
"Fear my mighty underbite!"

Your day keeps getting better, as a new meal swims into sight. Frankly, the thing looks ridiculous -- you vaguely recognize it as one of those "dolphin" things the bikini girls you had for supper had tattooed on their ankles. This one, however, is completely pink. Ha, that thing swam out of a cartoon!

Then it opens its mouth. Wait ... shit ... no! It's not supposed to go this way. Mommy!

Eaten By:

Via Unique-Southamerica-Travel-Experience.com
"Pink is the new black."

The Amazon river dolphin, known throughout local fight clubs by the punchier name of "boto," is a freshwater dolphin that any My Little Pony fan would be proud to be reincarnated as. It possesses a brain 40 percent larger than a human's and is rumored to be quite the devil with local ladies. Also, it's pink. Really, really, really pink.

Via Icariaourearth.blogspot.com
"I look sort of like a dick, if you squint."

But while on the surface this pink Cadillac of Amazonia appears as harmless as it is adorable, it is a skilled hunter and possesses a particular taste for piranha flesh.

The boto's uniquely flexible body and neck enables it to maneuver through the intricate labyrinth of branches and tree trunks beneath the Amazon. This is bad news for the piranhas, to the point where it has been suggested that they swim in schools not for shock value, as was previously thought, but out of fear of being eaten themselves.

But, as your piranha just found out, the huddling-together tactic proves futile against the Pink Assassins. They will eat the shit out of piranhas any which way they want. In an ultimate dick move, they even swim into large lakes when water levels drop to take advantage of their cornered prey in a feeding frenzy of sweet, fear-tinged piranha flesh.

#4. The Bird That Eats Giant Hornets Like Popcorn

Via Wikimedia Commons

The Terror:

As a fearsome Asian giant hornet, you and your swarm of homeboys spend your days terrorizing Japan, bringing down animals hundreds of times your size and starring in YouTube videos where you happily massacre scores of really, really helpful insects. There is pretty much nothing in the world that can withstand the neurotoxins of your unnecessarily huge stinger. You are a ruthless, mindless part of the most dangerous hive in the world, incapable of fearing anything, as one would expect from a bug known by the nickname of "yak-killer hornet."

Photos.com
The background is gone because the hornet fucking ate it.

You are, all in all, more untouchable than Eliot Ness and MC Hammer combined. You were once declared one of the five most horrifying bugs in the world.

Which makes it all the more shocking when a random bird comes along and starts munching on you and your friends like candy.

Eaten By:

Via Wikimedia Commons
"I'm building a necklace of stingers."

Pernis ptilorhynchus, aka the crested honey buzzard, is, well, a big bird. Common sense says that seems like pretty much the worst thing to be in a fight against a swarm of huge, overtly toxic hell-insects. The honey buzzard, however, disproves our puny logic by being the only natural predator to Asian giant hornets -- and therefore pretty much the only thing keeping the entire ecosystem of Asia from collapsing into a dark, twisted realm ruled by the Hornet King.

It manages to hunt the little monsters by having certain natural advantages that come off like they were designed by Lucius Fox himself. The buzzard's coat consists entirely of unique feathers that are capable of protecting it against wasp stings like the ornithological equivalent of the Batsuit.

Via Mike
Robin not included because he devoured his soul.

While YouTube does sport its fair share of the giant hornets doing their thing, there's also footage of a crested honey buzzard setting a trap, ambushing a whole hornet's nest using detective mode and then eating their young while the hornets watch helplessly. Oh, and the best part ...

Yes, much like Batman, this particular honey buzzard not only insulted these hornets to their faces by bringing the fight to their turf, but also as a parting salvo she actually destroyed their whole base of operations. Enjoy this photo of one absolutely not giving a shit:

Via Jiri Bohdal
"Why, I've stumbled across an angry swarm of treats! Yay!"

#3. The Whale That Stalks Great White Sharks

The Terror:

Let's say you got to choose which animal you'd be reincarnated as this time. You want the one creature who absolutely is not going to get eaten. So, of course, you pick the earth's most perfect hunting and eating machine: the freakin' great white shark.

Even your skin is made of teeth.

You are now 20 feet and 5,000 pounds of pure, distilled murder, immune to any harm as long as you remember to avoid ragtag trios from nearby coastal towns on shabby fishing boats named Orca.

Via Wikipedia

Orca. That's, like, Free Willy, right? What a funny name for a shark-hunting boat. Wondering why someone would decide to name their ship after some damn Disney whale, you're lost in thought ... when, suddenly, you notice a huge cavern of a mouth opening up riiight next to you.

Oh, shi-

Eaten By:

Via Wikipedia
"BODYSLAM!"

What the great white sharks represent to mankind, Orcinus orca, better known as the super-shiny killer whale, is to great white sharks a hundredfold.

It's not necessarily true that killer whales hunt great whites for food -- scientists actually aren't sure what the relationship is between the two species. What we know is that the whales are smart enough to have figured out that sharks need to move in order to breathe, so they hold the sharks upside down until they are immobilized, slowly suffocating, until they're dead. After that, we truly enter serial killer territory.

Watch at your own peril:

Yes, that was a killer whale eating the shark's liver, Hannibal Lecter-style. Interestingly, this particular case of organ theft was not even an isolated incident. In another instance, a great white approached two orcas while they were eating a seal. Not only did he end up having the shit kicked out of him, but also one of the orcas took the shark to the surface and, no shit,held the shark there while the other disemboweled it, feasting on its liver.

These killer whales were not even hunting for shark liver. This was simply a case of a great white being at the wrong place at the wrong time ... unless, of course, the whales were just using the dead seal as bait.

"Don't mind me. I am just a regular, not-shark-eating whale."

Whatever the truth may be, such attacks do happen, and they have one hell of an effect on the local shark community. In two wholly separate instances off California, more than three years apart, documented cases of great whites being found liverless resulted in "the entire great white population -- up to 100 individuals" escaping the orca threat in almost human-like panic within days.

In one case, a shark that the researchers were tracing had not only skipped town, but swam 2,280 miles to Hawaii. To put that in context, there is virtually no spot in the United States that is 2,280 miles away from the nearest coastline, which in shark terms would make Kansas too close to killer whales for their comfort.

#2. The Cat That Eats Crocodiles

The Terror:

This time, you find yourself in the skin of a caiman, the Amazon equivalent of a crocodile and every bit as badass a predator as you'd expect from a modern day dinosaur. You lay on your favorite part of the river bank, lazily eyeing the waterline for something to deathroll and consume, when you notice a suitably out-of-place-looking large cat.

Photos.com
Which makes you immediately burst into song!

Had you been paying attention to previous entries, you'd probably know better than to attack -- but since you're a caiman, your reading comprehension leaves something to be desired. So you lunge.

You can probably guess by now how that goes for you.

Eaten By:

Photos.com
Awwwww.

The jaguar. The largest big cat in the Western Hemisphere and the third largest in the world. It has the strongest jaws of all cats; strong enough to crack open a turtle shell.

But while it could maybe take on a caiman on land, surely it gets its ass handed to it if the caiman gets in water? It's a freaking cat.

Nope! Jaguars can and totally do attack caimans in the latter's own element. Like this particular cat, who not only challenges its foe in 2-foot-deep water, but also wins by drowning the goddamn caiman. We didn't know that was even possible!

"Hey, what the hell are you d- blblblblblbbl!"

But why would a big cat attack a caiman, when there's plenty of easier prey around? Well, according to the Cold War-era narrator on that clip, it's because "he doesn't care about danger." While we are in no position to disagree with this assessment, it is worth noting that there's a sexy lady-jaguar watching the fight from the sidelines the whole time.

Now, consider that what looks an awful lot like the same cat took down an anaconda earlier in the same day, and make of that what you will.

OK, now he's just showing off.

#1. The Badger-Eating Bird

The Terror:

So you're a honey badger -- a notoriously dirty and fearsome fighter that holds a Guinness World Record for its badassitude. An animal that, as we have pointed out before, could fill the Louvre with all the fucks it doesn't give.

Via Wikimedia Commons
"I'll eat your goddamn camera and shit out a picture of your last moments."

Having lived through these scenarios quite a few times, you know something is probably out to get you and technically you should get worried 'round about now. But you won't, because this time you're the goddamn honey badger. Let trouble come -- you'll just maul its balls to death like everything else, from cobras to leopards to pretty much everything on this list.Bring it, nature -- you are ready.

And then, as if on cue, a shadow falls over you.

Eaten By:

Photos.com
"I practice on helicopters."

If you were to host a convention of the most terrifying animals on earth, there is one creature that could transform the whole party into an enormous group therapy session just by showing its shadow. Namely, Aquila chrysaetos -- better known as the golden eagle -- whose name translates into "death" across the growls, roars and hisses of so many animal languages.

Via Dave Bonta
Mother Nature's own Grim Reaper.

A golden eagle can detect movement from 10,000 feet in the air, and odds are it can also swoop in and kill it. If it's feeling particularly dickish, it just flat out walks up to an animal protecting its cubs or stash and grabs them from under it. The bird has no natural predators and, thanks to its flight, muscle and an arsenal of sharp appendages that would make a combine harvester blush, it tends to find itself at the top of whatever food chain it occupies. Even if said food chain includes this:

Photos.com
"Hold up, kids. Fuckin' eagles over there."

That's right, the golden eagles flat out ignore the rules of one of the most important games on the planet: don't mess with the bear. They can send full-grown grizzlies off in full sprint, presumably into the woods so that they could shit themselves in peace.

But you're still a badger, right? You can send grizzlies running, too! What could that pathetic sack of feathers do to you? Quite a lot, as it turns out. Behold, Mother Nature's equivalent of Ali-Foreman:

While the match starts out in a suitably unstoppable force meets an immovable object manner, the badger is quickly shown its true place in the animal kingdom: In a small puddle of terror-piss, hiding under a carcass that was supposed to be its meal -- while the golden eagle calmly begins its first feast as the true Badass King of the animal kingdom.

Pigs in Boots

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A tiny pygmy hippo eating lettuce

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A cat with a permanent top hat

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A hedgehog taking a bath

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An otter showing you its baby

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Spain's Killer Bull Claims Third Victim

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Source

Bull is huge attraction at festivals, earning $13,000 per appearance

Raton, a, 1,100-pound Spanish bull, gored a 29-year-old man during a festival.

There's a killer on the loose in Spain, and people love him.

Raton, a 1,100-pound bull whose owners earn big money to bring him to bull runs, burnished his reputation this weekend by killing his third victim in 10 years. The 29-year-old man was gored at a festival in Eastern Spain and died later at a hospital.

The bull, whose name translates to Mouse, earns $13,000 for his owners for each appearance and has his own Facebook page.

"He's the one that gets the highest prices," owner Gregorio de Jesus told The Guardian. "But still he works out the cheapest because wherever he goes organizers double the ticket price."

Witnesses said the latest victim appeared to be drunk before suffering the fatal injuries. Valencia's Las Provincias newspaper cited witness accounts saying the man had been escorted back to his seat in the stands during the bull run just before Raton's appearance.

He made his way back down to the ring and was promptly charged and tossed by the killer bull.