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Peripatopsis barnardi represents the first ever species from the little Karoo, which indicates that the area was historically more forested than at present. It is one of seven new species from the Cape Fold Mountains described by researchers from Stellenbosch University. Credit: Savel Daniels A newly discovered velvet worm species is the first ever found in South Africa’s arid Karoo region. In March 2022, Stellenbosch University student Rohan Barnard was exploring a farm in the Swartberg Mountains between Calitzdorp and Oudtshoorn, turning over rocks in search of ants, reptiles, and other small creatures. During his search, he made the discovery...

Social control within spotties goes hand in hand with the overall body size. A female spotty/paketi (an endemic species of wrasse) in the Gemmell Lab at the University of Otago. - Gemmell Lab ========================================================================= Researchers at the University of Otago have discovered that the New Zealand spotty fish, or paketi, can begin displaying dominant behaviors just minutes after a shift in their social order, well before their bodies begin changing sex. The study highlights how quickly social hierarchies can influence this remarkable species’ behavior and even biological transitions. “The aggressive behaviors (called ‘rushes’) involved the dominant fish swimming rapidly towards...

A mysterious creature has baffled a woman in Colorado, with even wildlife experts unable to figure out what the creature is. Janay Lynn, 30, said the animal gave her ‘the chills’ when she saw it on Monday outside her home in Pueblo, Colorado. Some have suggested the creepy animal is a ‘chupacabra’ or ‘skin-walker’ after footage emerged of the creature. After first seeing the animal, Janay said nobody believed her – until she filmed it. Footage showed a small, brownish-black creature with red spots on its face eating with its hands on Janay’s porch. ‘Ew, it’s all bloody!’ she remarked...

A new study finds humanity's closest living relatives will chew plants and apply makeshift poultices to wounds, and use leaves for a hygienic scrub. VIDEO AT LINK.............. Wild chimpanzees have been observed self-medicating their wounds with plants, providing medical aid to other chimps and even removing others from snares left by human hunters, new research suggests. The behaviors — which are documented in a new study published in the journal Frontiers in Evolution and Ecology on Wednesday — provide new clues about the origin of medical care in humans. The study combines historical data and about eight months of new...

A creepy creature with unsettling human-like hands has been discovered in Michigan. Is it a new species, or something else entirely? A strange and eerie discovery at Michigan State University has captured the attention of scientists and folklore enthusiasts alike. A bizarre mummified creature, dubbed the ‘Capacabra‘ (a name inspired by the legendary chupacabra), with human-like hands was found during renovations of Cook-Seevers Hall. A Creature With Human-like Features Found in a University Discovered in 2018, the Capacabra has baffled scientists since its unveiling. According to Jerielle Cartales, a Ph.D. student involved in the investigation, the creature is about the...

The Republic of Cascadia Sasquatch Militia Operating under the aegis of the Bureau of Sasquatch Affairs & the Cascadian Defense Department "From The Forests We Will Fight!" Join the Sasquatch Militia... Sasquatch: The might of Cascadia is in your arms! Are you an able-bodied Sasquatch aged 10 to 150 who loves his or her country? If so, The Republic of Cascadia needs YOU to enlist in the Sasquatch Militia and defend our homeland against our many enemies, including such nefarious evildoers as: Canadians Southern Californians Geoduck & Tree Octopus Poachers Paraterrestrials Americans International Organized Crime Syndicates Nosey Cryptozoologists Besides...

A snail with a Picasso-like shell is among 46 dazzling new species recently identified in Southeast Asia. Their discovery highlights both nature’s hidden artistry and the urgent threat of habitat destruction. Credit: Artistic enhancement of photos by Gojšina et al. A tiny snail with a cubist-style shell, named after Picasso, sheds light on undiscovered biodiversity and growing habitat loss in Southeast Asia. They say beauty is everywhere, if we have eyes to see. For one team of scientists, it revealed itself in a tiny, 3-millimeter snail. While surveying snail biodiversity in Southeast Asia, an international team of malacologists, scientists who...

Art imitates life ... maybe.There’s something intriguing, even frightening, about the image of an ancient horned serpent roaming across the land. Thanks to some suggestive fossils and legends of old, talk of such a creature isn’t a new concept. But the recent discovery of 200-year-old rock paintings found in South Africa now has scientists hypothesizing that this ancient creature may have been far more than just a legend. The first formal scientific descriptions of this horned serpent—a supposed member of the dicynodont group—appeared in 1845. Considering the abundance of dicynodont fossils found in the Karoo Basin in South Africa, some...

Video Proof Disputed in Case of Ivory Bill The writer of a field guide to North American birds and three academic colleagues have challenged the videotape evidence offered as proof of the existence of an ivory-billed woodpecker in Arkansas' Big Woods region. Long believed to be extinct, the bird made headlines around the world last April when scientists announced that they had spotted it several times and caught it on film. But David Sibley and his team argue that the low-quality video shows the more common pileated woodpecker, not the ivory-bill, preparing to take flight from a tupelo tree and...

A rare “dinosaur fish,” once believed to have disappeared 70 million years ago, has been filmed in the wild by divers in the Indonesian archipelago. The Indonesian coelacanth (Latimeria menadoensis) was captured on camera in its natural habitat, marking a breakthrough for marine exploration. The discovery was made in October 2024 during a deep-sea mission led by Alexis Chappuis of UNSEEN Expeditions. Using special breathing equipment, Chappuis and fellow diver Alexandre Leblond descended to 152 meters along a volcanic slope in the Maluku Islands, where they spotted the elusive creature at a depth of 144 meters. Long-lost species returned to...

A proposal to designate the tortilla as New Mexico’s official state bread had unanimous support from lawmakers. On Friday, though, it ended up falling flat. It wasn’t because Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham isn’t a fan of the round wraps that have long been a staple of Mexican, Central American and Southwestern U.S. cooking. It was because she believes lawmakers missed opportunities to debate bills that deal with weightier matters as the state faces extraordinary challenges. “Of course, I enjoy celebrating our unique culture,” she wrote in her veto message, ticking off numerous official state symbols and songs that New Mexico...

Have you ever wondered why you don't have thick hair covering your whole body like a dog, cat or gorilla does? Humans aren't the only mammals with sparse hair. Elephants, rhinos and naked mole rats also have very little hair. It's true for some marine mammals, such as whales and dolphins, too. Scientists think the earliest mammals, which lived at the time of the dinosaurs, were quite hairy. But over hundreds of millions of years, a small handful of mammals, including humans, evolved to have less hair. What's the advantage of not growing your own fur coat? I'm a biologist...

Ants are among the most familiar insects on Earth today, but their origins remain cloaked in deep evolutionary history. Until now, the oldest known ant specimens came from amber deposits in France and Myanmar, dating to the Cretaceous period around 100 million years ago. But a new discovery—published recently in the journal Current Biology—pushes that timeline back even further. “Our team has discovered a new fossil ant species representing the earliest undisputable geological record of ants,” said lead author Anderson Lepeco in a recent statement. “What makes this discovery particularly interesting is that it belongs to the extinct ‘hell ant,’...

The tiny ice inhabitants darken the glacier’s surface, which can accelerate its melting. Glaciers are massive bodies of white ice that reflect a significant amount of sunlight. However, in areas where the snow has melted and the bare ice is exposed, dark patches often appear. These dark areas are caused by microscopic algae that grow directly on the ice. By darkening the surface, these algae reduce the glacier’s ability to reflect sunlight, leading to increased absorption of heat. This, in turn, causes the ice to warm and melt more quickly. Mysterious algae growth Little is known about how the tiny...

If you've ever wanted to roam around the forests as a cryptozoological hominid, now you can. "Catch and eat fish, insects, and other creatures," the game synopsis states. "Forage the forest for mushrooms, berries, and more. Build shelters to store your items in to get through the harsh winters. Earn extra points by breaking branches and scaring the wildlife." The game has its share of obstacles too, from Bigfoot hunters who try to take pictures of you to adverse weather conditions.

Albert Ostman (April 21st 1893 – 1975) was a Canadian prospector who reported that he was abducted by a Sasquatch and held captive for six days. He stated that the event took place near Toba Inlet, British Columbia in 1924. Albert was born in northern Sweden, in Arnäsvall, to Abraham and Albertina Östman (nee Strandberg). He emigrated from Sweden to Canada in 1913. He did not come forward publicly with his story until 1957. ALBERT OSTMAN'S STORY I have always followed logging and construction work. This time I had worked over one year on a construction job, and thought a...

Researchers at the University of Jyväskylä have for the first time isolated a giant virus in Finland, Jyvaskylavirus, revealing that these large amoeba‑infecting viruses are more widespread in northern soils and waters than previously thought. (Artist’s concept.) Credit: SciTechDaily.com ************************************************************************ Finland’s first giant virus, Jyvaskylavirus, shows these viruses are more widespread than thought and play key roles in ecosystems. For the first time in Finland, researchers at the University of Jyväskylä’s Nanoscience Center have isolated a giant virus, which they have named Jyvaskylavirus. This discovery suggests that giant viruses may be more widespread in northern regions than previously believed. It...

First confirmed live observation of the colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, in its natural habitat First confirmed live observation of the colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, in its natural habitat Image credit: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute Behold: a live colossal squid in all its glory. After a century of searching, the extremely elusive cephalopod has been caught on camera alive in its natural habitat for the first time (and, for once, not inside the belly of a whale or washed up dead on a beach). The juvenile squid was filmed on March 9 at a depth of 600 meters (1,968...

After more than a decade of searching for evidence of the infamous British Bigfoot, an investigator claims to have found a print that was a terrifying 41cm from toe to heelAn investigator claims to have proof of the British Bigfoot. Lee Brickley found tracks and claw marks after a decade searching for the ape-like beast. The 33-year-old says the print was a terrifying 41cm from toe to heel – nearly twice the size of a man’s size eight. Lee knows people will think he is “mad” but he hopes to prove them wrong. He said: “When I show them the...

It’s game of clones!The dire wolf — a species that disappeared 13,000 years ago and was made famous by the beloved HBO series “Game of Thrones” — is making a comeback, thanks to the first-ever so-called “de-extinction.” Three dire wolf pups — aptly named Romulus, Remus and Khaleesi — were successfully born using DNA from ancient dire wolf fossils and genes from their closest living relative, the gray wolf.The extraordinary results were revealed Monday by Colossal Biosciences, the same Texas-based genetic engineering company that created the adorable colossal woolly mouse. “Our team took DNA from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a...