Grief among gorillas, chimpanzees, elephants, and magpies.
posted by Joe Beese on Oct 30, 2009 - 65 comments

Meet Tarra and Bella, an elephant and a dog who are best friends. They live at The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee, a haven for elephants with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). [more inside]
posted by cybercoitus interruptus on Oct 27, 2009 - 38 comments

Stray, The Unfamiliar, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie - Three stories of a group of dogs, and a cat, battling the supernatural courtesy of Evan Dorkin, Jill Thompson and Dark Horse Comics, released for free as a teaser for the forthcoming Beasts of Burden. (via)
posted by Artw on Sep 13, 2009 - 12 comments

The amazing story of the coelacanth is one of the wonders of the living world that inspires marine biologists such myself. Coelacanths, part of the offshoot lineage of fishes known as "lobed finned ", are very different from typical "ray finned" fishes that you usually think of. Their bizarre lobed fins are thought to be an intermediate step between fish fins and amphibian legs. Scientists had known that these weird fish existed because of fossils for over a century, but we believed that they went extinct 65 million years ago... until a South African fisherman caught one in 1938. [more inside]
posted by WhySharksMatter on Sep 7, 2009 - 49 comments

Animals isolated in dystopian tableaux.
posted by tellurian on Aug 17, 2009 - 23 comments

Gulls attack whales.
posted by binturong on Jun 24, 2009 - 63 comments

At the Toronto Humane Society, veterinarians say animals die suffering unnecessarily in their cages while pleas to euthanize them are dismissed. Dozens of staff, volunteers and veterinarians have quit in protest. ... A note written by a staff member or volunteer on the medical chart of a cat, animal ID A127495, admitted last fall, reads: "Died Oct 19 3:15 am. Gasped and jerked and cried last breaths, because there was no one in shelter to euthanize or treat. This is not humane." ... [THS president] Mr. Trow says he strives to keep euthanasia rates low for ethical reasons. “How can anyone suggest that, because he might be here longer than anyone would want, that it's better to put [a dog] down?” Mr. Trow asked. “I think that's a strange suggestion, don't you? You live here as long as you can.” Images (yes, they're disturbing.) Video of a puppy adopted out with a broken leg. The THS web site. [more inside]
posted by maudlin on May 30, 2009 - 63 comments

Revealing how we are just a bunch of monkeys... (via) [more inside]
posted by kliuless on Mar 28, 2009 - 15 comments

Chimp stores weapons. After throwing cached stones at zoo visitors, the unfortunate animal had his own stones removed. Other examples of foresight and planning in animals are described here and here.
posted by binturong on Mar 9, 2009 - 73 comments

Cute Overload is so yesterday. Go see Zooborns.
posted by GrammarMoses on Feb 19, 2009 - 29 comments

Meet Kingsford the piglet. He runs, he swims, and he's even litter trained! [more inside]
posted by MaryDellamorte on Feb 12, 2009 - 33 comments

"Fuck The Pain Away" performed by Miss Piggy and The Muppets. (SLYT) (Audio is Not Safe For Work.)
posted by jason's_planet on Oct 1, 2008 - 45 comments

Awww-Filter: Tattooed bikers, puppies, and tiny kittens. What's not to love? The New York Times goes for a ride-along with Rescue Ink, complete with awww-inducing slideshow. [more inside]
posted by Forktine on Aug 24, 2008 - 20 comments

Cockatoos are much better dancers than macaws. Well that was my clear conclusion after watching the first two vid clips linked to why animals dance in this Guardian feature. And since this is from a serious researcher I don't think they are faked. For those with much more time, this site has an interesting podcast on the topic of music and the brain.
posted by binturong on Aug 19, 2008 - 21 comments

Can you identify these common plants and animals? A study shows that increasingly, 9- to 11-year-old children can't. Quoth David Attenborough: "The wild world is becoming so remote to children that they miss out, and an interest in the natural world doesn't grow as it should. Nobody is going protect the natural world unless they understand it."
posted by [NOT HERMITOSIS-IST] on Aug 1, 2008 - 164 comments

Remember Cy? Well, meet the world's first pigmonk. Or would that be monklet? [more inside]
posted by miss lynnster on Jul 26, 2008 - 40 comments

The Muppets have their own YouTube channels! Enjoy a little classical music with Beaker or Gonzo, opera with the Swedish Chef, get patriotic with Sam the Eagle, or just leave commentary with Statler and Waldorf.
posted by EarBucket on Jul 21, 2008 - 16 comments

A detailed tour of Mike Tyson's abandoned mansion. [more inside]
posted by Lord_Pall on Jul 20, 2008 - 68 comments

Wildlife rehabilitators take care of wounded or orphaned animals, nursing them back to health and preparing them for a life back in the wild. This leads to a lot of cute baby animal videos. (Roll over for descriptions.) [more inside]
posted by Upton O'Good on Jan 7, 2008 - 14 comments

Gaping Maws is a collection of photos of animals with their mouths wide open. Like this.
posted by hydrophonic on Dec 3, 2007 - 40 comments

Bonobo chimpanzees are commonly thought to be "an example of amicability, sensitivity and, well, humaneness" in the animal kingdom. Ian Parker's Swingers suggests a darker, more savage side to the species that belies popular perception.
posted by Blazecock Pileon on Aug 3, 2007 - 20 comments

OMG!! Chicken cops break up bunny brawl!
posted by orthogonality on Apr 14, 2007 - 54 comments

Behold, a new episode of Dave Lovelace's most infamous creation. (warnings: use headphones if at work, and do not attempt to consume food or drink during the cartoon. Thankyew.)
posted by metasonix on Apr 6, 2007 - 26 comments

How excellent is your animal? Animal Reviews may hold the answer. Light-hearted smileyness. via pharyngula of all places
posted by Sparx on Nov 22, 2006 - 30 comments

A recent article recently came out in the Wall Street Journal, which cited new study from Stanford about animal consciousness. Elephants grieve, bees create mental maps, dolphins recognize themselves in mirrors. Snakes have more brain cells than humans, and chickens worry about the future. What are your thoughts? Does this change the way we treat animals?
posted by PetBoogaloo on Nov 3, 2006 - 86 comments

Artists in the Animal Kingdom. A gallery including, most notably, work by Ruby the Elephant, 1973-1998.
posted by hermitosis on Sep 21, 2006 - 8 comments

Here are some alternative therapies you may not have considered. Animal assisted therapy promotes the healing benefits of the animal-human bond. Biblical Therapy provides treatment based on biblical "truths" to strengthen your relationship with Jesus. Color therapy has nothing to do with Spike Lee, and everything to do with your favorite shirt. With Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) you can replace years of therapy with one 90 minute session where you learn to roll your eyes the right way. Feng Shui suggests maybe it's not you, it's your crummy crib. Or perhaps you simply don't get enough Orgone. Doesn't it make you want to scream?
posted by ubiquity on Sep 5, 2006 - 21 comments

The Feather Book, digitized by and on display at McGill University: A seventeenth-century book containing illustrations of birds and men -- composed of real feathers, beaks, and claws. More information about the book and its contents and history can be read here.
posted by Gator on Jul 20, 2006 - 14 comments

The World's Most Amazing Dog (YouTube) A clip from Montel Williams' show about a dog born without front legs. The owner has trained it to walk upright. As my boyfriend said, "After watching this, I'll never complain about anything in my life again."
posted by ArsncHeart on Jul 7, 2006 - 57 comments

I have no idea what you're talking about, so here's a dog with a horse mask on its head.
posted by boo_radley on Jun 9, 2006 - 41 comments

Today in weird animals : An international group of scientists has described an animal that provides nutrition for its young by letting them peel off and eat its skin.
posted by Afroblanco on Apr 17, 2006 - 30 comments

Why are some religious rituals acceptable (NSFW), some marginal, and others illegal? Surely, a grown man sucking the blood out of the penis of a just-circumcised little boy should be, shouldn't it? And we're not even considering infecting the baby with herpes [full article from the NY Times].
posted by sluglicker on Mar 10, 2006 - 179 comments

RIP Baruchito. The flagship hamster of Baruchito's homeCage has passed away after struggling with the stress of a flea infection and the medication applied to it. Baru was just a couple of months shy of three years -- which is a venerable old hamster age. While he may not have been as notorious as certain late pancake-stacked pets, Baru still lived a full life of fuzzy cuteness and aaaawww-inspiring photos. Those of you with hamsters, won't you arrange them now in missing-man formation?
posted by brownpau on Feb 7, 2006 - 17 comments

How To Have A Ton Of Fun Raising Baby Squirrels. Husband and wife document their adventures raising these little spazz-monsters with many photos and some Flash movies. Via Cute Overload.
posted by Gator on Jan 2, 2006 - 40 comments

Orwell: Politics and the English Language. Some timely links in the fast changing world of instant communication. Alistair Cooke Needles the Jargonauts in Assessing the State of the English Language. The Electronic Revolution by William S. Burroughs. On Wittgenstein's Concept of a Language Game. The Economist Looking for a sign. John Zerzan Language: Origin and Meaning. Hakim Bey: Aimless Wandering: Chuang Tzu's Chaos Linguistics also Chaos Linguistics. The Language of Animals. John C Lilly on Interspecies Communication. Language Log: Natural language and artificial intelligence. Natural Language Processing AI News.
posted by MetaMonkey on Dec 1, 2005 - 22 comments

Animals in Japanese Paintings and Prints Organized into three online essays - traditional - realist - and imaginative art. Among the menagerie: monkey - tiger - eagle - camels - praying mantis - fox and puppy.
posted by carter on Nov 20, 2005 - 5 comments

We all know that otters are terminally cute (warning: streaming WMV), but the Federal Government is only just now figuring out that they're also smarter than humans give 'em credit for. And they have no respect for the poor widdle shellfish industry. No respect at all. Awww.
posted by Gator on Nov 16, 2005 - 27 comments

Ideophones are words that are usually spoken but not written and are often onomatopoeic, including (but not limited to) the calls—often reduplicated—with which we beckon domestic animals, kindred to our animal imitations. In the States there are many more pig calls beyond soo-ee. Maxim Gorky wrote that the sound tse tse is used to call pigs in Russia. In Spanish coch is used. Americans use pipi and biddy to call chickens and turkeys. In Ambon Malay chickens are called with kurrrrr or pan kur. In Kiswahili you call chickens with gurúgurúgurúgurú, call dogs with aháháhá, and straying cattle with ishiyeeyeeeeee or ngoyéeeeee. In Sweden, they call cattle with a loud, high-pitched kulning (akin to yodeling). Cervantes wrote that they use tus tus to call dogs in Spain. One source says in Coolderry, Ireland, they use gen-gen to call pigs to ford, puddly pudde to call ducks, peopeo to call horses, and geg geg to call geese. In Iceland, kibbakibb is used to call sheep. In the Hiligaynon language of the Philippines, they call cats with míming. In the parish of Nantcwnlle in Wales they have their own set of calls.
posted by Mo Nickels on Aug 27, 2005 - 17 comments

Brain Biodiversity Bank Atlases “A world resource for illustrations of whole brains and stained sections from a great variety of mammals” featuring Navigable Atlas of the Dolphin Brain | Burchell’s Zebra | Weasel | Tasmanian Devil | Axolotl and more. From Axolotl to Zebra, eh. This has been around for years, and maybe I’m the last to find it.
posted by KS on Jun 16, 2005 - 6 comments

Peta Kills Animals
posted by konolia on May 10, 2005 - 137 comments

Drummer Buddy Rich's appearance on the Muppet Show (QuickTime embedded, or get it "direct").
posted by safetyfork on Mar 18, 2005 - 34 comments

Let's be friends
posted by srboisvert on Jan 20, 2005 - 37 comments

"Animal Vegetable Video endeavors to create the world's largest collection of video footage that has been captured from the perspective of animals, plants, and the environments they inhabit." The navigation is a little wacky (click on the animal to see a video, or on the habitat to see more videos), but anyone crazy enough to strap a camera on the back of a tarantula is okay by me.
posted by majcher on Jul 25, 2004 - 3 comments

Bob's Animal Fights • Hornet vs. Polar Bear! Army Ant vs. Panda! Ostrich vs. Gorilla! Bob Robertson, senior lecturer on the behaviour of African mammals, sets out to prove once and for all just what is the hardest animal on the planet.
posted by dhoyt on Jun 19, 2004 - 14 comments

A new report [complete PDF here] by the Center for Biological Diversity reports that 114 species have gone extinct in the first twenty years of the Endangered Species Act, mostly due to lack of enforcement and political ineptitude.

Here's a list of currently endagered animal and plant species, and an organization that tracks and lists known extinctions.
posted by moonbird on Apr 22, 2004 - 5 comments

There has been a sharp rise in interest in exotic pets nationwide. Some people get exotic animals because they think it will be cool or because they saw one on Animal Planet. "I think there's more tigers in the U.S than there are in India or Russia."
posted by stbalbach on Oct 6, 2003 - 10 comments

But what about the kitties? Feline Immunodeficiency Virus. FIV has been recognized as a syndrome since 1986, and as with AIDS, has been found in stored blood samples dating back to the 60s. Unlike HIV, however, for FIV there's a vaccine. Not that everyone is excited about it.

Originally, this was to be a post intended to provide something lighter until this appeared:

In addition, over 25 large cat species including, cheetahs, lions, and panthers have their own strain of the virus. Despite similarity among these viruses, transmission among species has never been documented. Scientists think that FIV is an old virus and may be the grandfather of all immunodeficiency viruses. Comparison of its' genetic code point to a virus that is millions of years old.

Googling led to several topics.
posted by y2karl on Dec 1, 2002 - 3 comments

Two-headed turtle found in Florida
Probably not all that interesting as a single link, but it turns out there are many animals out there with 2 heads. There's a Two-headed moose fetus, The Full Range of animals with 2 heads, Two Headed Snakes, and here's A Nice Bibliography on the double head topic.
As for the turtle, they let it go, "We didn't want it to become a freak in a freak show," they said.
posted by Blake on Sep 12, 2002 - 17 comments

...perfectly legal to keep a chimp in a broom closet... What happens to zoo animals when they get old and unphotogenic? When the zoo needs to make room for these? (sadness-making warning)
posted by amberglow on Aug 7, 2002 - 23 comments

Introducing ... Ratbot! Leave it to the good folks at SUNY to come up with a remote-controlled rat. Best of all: "If the rat correctly followed the cue and turned left, its reward-centre was stimulated, filling the rat with a feeling of well-being."
posted by risenc on May 1, 2002 - 8 comments