Frogs come in many forms, not all of which sit on a lily pad and croak. Here are 10 crazy frogs, including those with opioid-laced moisturiser or tarantula roommates...
Throughout the animal kingdom, there are creatures who use mimicry to get what they want. Here are 7 creatures that lure their victims, including an ant-imitating spider and a bird that sings to attract supper...
Few things are as chilling as a gallows creaking in the wind. Here we look at some of the folklore surrounding the gallows, including witchcraft and two celebrity hangmen...
Humans may be dangerous, but there are animals out there that can give us a run for our money. Here are 6 times animals became serial killers, including the wolves that terrified Paris and a giant crocodile.
This article covers five different warrior-mystics across different cultures.
Figures vary from country to country, but around 20% of people in the developed world suffer from hay fever. This article looks at how pollen affects the immune system - and how hay fever has been involved in deaths.
Human history has produced plenty of ways to kill in close quarters. Here are 8 of the more unusual weapons cultures have come up with, including the falx and the war-scythe.
2023 saw increased numbers of unprovoked shark attacks, while fatalities doubled. Here are 5 real-life shark attacks, including the deadliest in history.
Corals are best known for the reefs, beaches and atolls they create, but did you know they bleach themselves to survive stress, love the taste of plastic and can capture and eat jellyfish?
Cultures can be defined as the collected customs of a group. Here are five nonhumans with culture, including grudge-holding crows and orcas who wear hats...
Hominids have been using and abusing substances for hundreds of millions of years. Here are 5 other animals that indulge, including drunken monkeys and wasted wallabies!
Humans have been developing weapons since the first caveman picked up a rock. Here are 6 weird weapons, including rocket bullets and a lighting gun!
Humans have always been innovative. Here are five odd contraptions from the past, including herd-catching pitfalls and the medieval surgical tool that saved a prince...
Sometimes the contents of a grave defy expectation. Here are six bemusing burials - including a leper warrior and the victims of ancient chemical weapons.
The natural world can be a noisy place—but some animals take it to the extreme. Here are eight of the loudest including overcompensating monkeys and a whale with a deadly voice...
Most religious rituals are staid affairs. Ranging from body-modification to sky burial, these six rites are rather different...
Easter is usually celebrated with chocolate or an Easter egg hunt. Some festivities, though, are quite bizarre! Here are 10 unconventional Easter traditions, including a fireworks war, a giant omelette and voluntary crucifixion!
When Europeans first came to Rapa Nui they were met by a shore devoid of trees and studded with the ominous Moai. What happened to the people of Easter Island?
Chocolate eggs and rabbits are great, but Easter has had its share of blood as well - ranging from a mad sculptor to a Florentine conspiracy...
The world faces many problems - climate change, unstable ecosystems and mounting waste. Nature itself may offer some solutions however, such as guard llamas and a nourishing false banana...
Fungi are found almost everywhere - and they take far more forms than the simple stem and cap you might find in the supermarket. Here are 6 mysterious mushrooms - including glowing fungi and a sheep-sized puffball!
Many organisms make use poisons. Here we look at some of the stranger examples, from snakes that steal toxins to spiders that could prevent brain damage in stroke victims.
Sometimes the human body cannot recover from injury or disease. Organ transplantation offers another solution - researchers are even experimenting with printing organs and transplanting heads!
Hidden beneath the Earth lurk blind piranha, mineral-eating microbes, and salt-mining elephants - read on for seven weird creatures found underground...
Easter isn't the only spring festival with ancient roots... and some of those celebrations still exist today.
The human psyche is complicated. From an imaginary bug infestation to believing yourself to be dead, here are eight of the weirdest conditions a human can experience.
Serial killers can be found throughout human history - here we look at what makes a serial killer, how they choose their targets and how people respond to them - including a woman who won a dinner date with death.
Strange creatures lurk in the sea. From metal-fanged invertebrates to fish with bioluminescent search lights, here are eight denizens of the deep.
Valentine's Day is surrounded by folklore and urban legends. From a medieval love potion to a set of haunted bricks, here are five examples.
With emotions running high, people can do drastic things in response to a perceived slight. From a stabbing over bubble and squeak to a foiled mass-shooting, here are five deadly crimes that happened around Valentine's Day.
Rabbits are often thought lucky. Read on for how rabbits survive a world that wants to eat them, the origin of the "lucky rabbit's foot" and some species of rabbit that have definitely not been lucky...
What better way to celebrate spring than hurling oneself down a muddy slope in pursuit of a rolling cheese or carrying a massive phallus through the streets of Japan?
Many treatments have been tried on mentally ill folks throughout history. Some wouldn't look out of place in Guantanamo Bay. Here are the five most disturbing.
Rodents include everything from the humble mouse to the capybara. From the coypu that cause floods to the mice that hunt scorpions, here are 5 impressive feats performed by rodents...
Named after a hostage situation in Stockholm complicated by the captives bonding with their captors, Stockholm syndrome may be a warped form of survival instinct. Read on for more about Stockholm syndrome and the equally bizarre Lima syndrome.
Medical experts are always searching for the next solution. From brain-preserving spider venom to pain-killing snails, here are eight strange medicines.
Humans rely on genetics and their environment to function, but sometimes things go wrong. From being naturally drunk to slowly turning into bone, here are 10 of the oddest conditions that can be found in humans.
Celebratory toasts are fine, but New Year's traditions can be much more interesting—such as a stuffed possum being lowered into a cheering crowd, or the symbolic drowning of a goddess!
Whether for food or to avoid the lethal cold, these animals brave epic journeys, some of which need multiple generations to complete. Here are eight creatures that perform massive migrations to survive ...
The willingness to conform is part of the human psyche, something that allows us to form massive social groups – or commit acts of callous cruelty. Here are three studies that illustrate how far a human will go to fit in.
Humans are not the only ones to experiment with pharmacology. Between the ointments made by orangutans to the last-ditch alcohol baths used by parasitised fruit-fly larvae, here are five examples of zoopharmacognosy ...
Crustaceans are a widespread group, ranging from bacteria-farming crabs to a parasite that hollows living creatures into a submersible. Here are 8 of the strangest crustaceans on Earth ...
Said to live in the snowy landscape of the Himalayan mountains, legends of the yeti have found their way into pop-culture - but could there be anything behind the stories?
There are plenty of "harmless" animals that have killed people. Here are 10 examples, ranging from livestock to bugs, beavers and even a swan ...
Christmas has gathered a lot of traditions, many of which revolve around food. Classics include turkey, mince pies and gingerbread ... but have you ever wondered where they came from?
Snow can be beautiful but deadly. Some animals living in cold climates have found ways to survive being frozen alive – and have even incorporated it into their life cycles!
Christmas is a time of tradition and folklore - and regional folklore can get very strange, covering everything from a bloodthirsty goddess to a defecating log.
Ghost stories are a part of Christmas tradition, possibly hearkening back to ancient Celtic and Germanic beliefs. Here we look at the origins and biological mechanisms of festive ghost stories - along with a few real world examples.
Though usually thought of as a walking festive meal, turkeys have been viewed as messengers to the gods, can communicate by changing colour and have played a role in politics.
From multicoloured snow to frozen eyes, a snowscape can be strange and deadly—yet still be a haven for life.
Natives to the North Pole, reindeers have adapted to contend with both the icy weather and the extreme day/night cycle of the Arctic.
Walking corpses and Frankenstein's monster have become a fixture in modern horror, but could dead flesh be reanimated with science?
Folklore has always associated the moon with strange behaviour—but could moonlight or magnetism actually be influencing us?
Clinical lycanthropy is a recognised disorder! It is the belief that you are becoming a wolf. Read on to explore this disorder and real-life cases.
Almost every civilisation has stories of witches—but did their "powers" have any basis in fact - and did they merit the often grisly fate of the witch?
Diminutive social insects found almost anywhere on Earth, ants exhibit some extraordinary adaptations, ranging from floodproof nests to explosive workers!
Light suffuses our environment, and some animals have evolved ways to harness light, using it as bait, disguise or even outright invisibility.
Biomechanical lifeforms and mind-controlled machines may seem like a thing of the future, but the technology exists today—from rat-machine brains to explosive-detecting spinach!
Spiders can be found in almost every part of the world. Some hunt with deception, others with acrobatics and some even eschew insects in favour of fish or plant material. Here are eight strange spiders...
Mass hysteria can infect a crowd with irrational behaviour and beliefs, ranging from outbreaks of spontaneous dancing to a fear of shrinking genitals.
Butterflies and moths come in many varieties. Whether infiltrating ant hills, stealing tears or living underwater, here are eight of the strangest Lepidoptera.
Prehistoric Earth was a dangerous place. From bipedal crocodiles to whale-hunting leviathans, here are 5 nightmares of the past.
Humans are adaptable, but some organisms put our talent for survival to shame. From living fossils beneath Antarctica to archaea that call boiling acid home, the extremophiles live up to their name.
Complex speech sets humans apart from the rest of the animal kingdom, but there are some animals that mimic humans with impressive accuracy.
Herbivores rely on plants for food, but some of these "harmless" creatures can turn rather bloodthirsty when given the opportunity.
Schadenfreude is a burst of guilty pleasure, felt when witnessing another's misfortune. Occurring naturally in everyday life, schadenfreude may originate from the social instincts of early humans.
Humans are not the only builders on Earth. Rivalling our skyscrapers, statues and pyramids are the air-conditioned farms of termites, the arboreal residential complexes of weavers and the geometric designs of lonely pufferfish.
Humans lack the natural weaponry found throughout the animal kingdom. From poisoned ribs to biological harpoons and bio-electric pulses that can stop a man's heart, nature has come up with some lethal defensive tools.
People have claimed to possess extra-sensory perception throughout human history. A 2005 Gallup poll found that over 40% of Americans believed in ESP, but is there any scientific evidence to back this?
Did you know that vampires exists outside bats and fiction? Bloodsuckers can be found among birds, ants, fish and moths - and many are highly adapted for their chosen role.