Famous Animals: From Jumbo the Elephant to Space Chimps
We know everything and nothing about celebrities, be they human or animal. Jumbo the elephant, for example, has been with us for so long that we hardly remember that he was a real elephant and not just a marketing or animation conceit. Yet 135 years ago, he was such a…
Animal Vision: How Different Species See the World
It is night and the owl stares steeply ahead. Its eyes are large, so large that the iris and pupil completely fill the eyeball. If it wants to look the other way, it has to turn its head. She cannot catch the scene with her eyes, either on the right…
Animal Monogamy: Are Lifelong Mates in Nature a Myth?
Eat, drink, play, there is no enjoyment after death, says the Latin proverb. The dwarf chimpanzees have captured his spirit almost literally. They are the biggest eaters among animals, if we can judge them by human eyes, which we almost could, sharing 98% of their DNA with us. But pygmy…
10 Surprising Animal Facts That Will Change How You See Nature
Not that we believe we know everything. Not even by accident, but sometimes we do keep our mouths open. Animals surprise us with their behaviour and make us think again whether we really know them as well as we think we do. Take elephants. Are they really as interconnected and…
River Predators: The Most Dangerous Animals Lurking in Freshwater
There’s a lot to excite the imagination when navigating rivers, but what’s really dangerous about them, apart from the swirl and the dirt, of course? Fear has big eyes, they say, and when it does, a sinister reputation does not escape, whether one deserves it or not. Were the natives…
The astonishing intelligence of elephants
Jenny couldn't calm down. Ever since Shirley arrived, she had been out of her mind. She approached her. Now Shirley was getting upset too. There was pure euphoria. Jenny and Shirley started groping each other. Shirley started to howl. Jenny followed. They explored the scars on each other's bodies with…
