Buzz
While we've uncovered a great deal about the habits and behavior of animals, what we know so far is just scratching the surface. Many of these revelations can be quite unsettling. But then again, it’s all part of the natural world.
10. Centipede Emerges from a Snake
In 2013, a team of biologists on Golem Grad (also known as Snake Island) in Macedonia stumbled upon a strange and unsettling discovery: a dead centipede with its head sticking out of the nose-horned viper’s corpse. A closer inspection revealed that the centipede had fought to escape by clawing and feeding on the snake from the inside, much like the chest-burster from Alien, before succumbing to the viper's venom.
Even though the viper was almost 5 centimeters (2 in) longer than the centipede, the centipede actually had more weight. It was clear that the snake had misjudged the size of its prey.
This event brings to mind a similar case from 2006, when researchers in the Everglades found a headless 4-meter (13 ft) Burmese python with a 2-meter (6 ft) alligator protruding from its stomach. The researchers speculated that another alligator had bitten off the snake’s head in an attempt to aid its fallen companion. The intense struggle may have torn the snake’s meal from its stomach.
9. Lions Suffering from Seizures
Illness is a natural part of life, even affecting the majestic lion. In the video above, a lion is seen experiencing a violent seizure caused by canine distemper. This disease became an epidemic in Serengeti National Park in 1994 and in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in 2001, wiping out an estimated one-third of the lion populations in each park.
Experts believe that thousands of domesticated dogs scavenging on carcasses contributed to the spread of the virus among predators. Additionally, an extreme drought followed by heavy rains created ideal conditions for ticks carrying the Babesia parasite to flourish among buffaloes, leading to disastrous consequences for the lions that consumed them.
8. Herbivores Killing Birds
The video above shows a cow, typically known for its peaceful grass-eating habits, killing and consuming a chick. This isn't an isolated event. In India, a poultry farmer discovered that his own cow had eaten nearly 50 of his chickens.
When cows are unable to obtain certain minerals like calcium and phosphorus from plants, they resort to eating birds. This strange behavior isn't limited to cattle; deer also consume birds to acquire the nutrients necessary to grow their antlers. There are even documented cases of sheep feeding on birds (backed up by another unsettling video).
And ruminants aren’t the only animals unexpectedly attracted to birds . . .
7. Pelicans Are Guilty, Too
It seems that pelicans have a taste for their fellow birds, as shown in this 2006 video filmed at St. James Park in London. One of the park’s five Eastern White pelicans casually walked up to a pigeon and swallowed it whole.
Royal Parks spokesperson Louise Wood explained that pelicans in close contact with humans tend to have more varied diets. However, pelicans in the wild are equally likely to consume anything when their regular food sources dwindle. A clear example of this adaptive behavior is shown in this footage from Malgas Island in South Africa, where Great White Pelicans, faced with a shortage of their usual prey, attacked a colony of Cape gannets, capturing and devouring their young.
6. The Smoking Orangutan
Tori, an orangutan residing in an Indonesian zoo, took up smoking more than a decade ago when careless visitors tossed cigarette butts into her enclosure. Over time, her addiction grew so intense that she would often gesture for cigarettes and throw tantrums when she missed her daily dose.
Tori's smoking habit persisted even during her pregnancy, leading zoo officials to relocate her and her non-smoking mate Didik to a secure island within the zoo. To prevent cigarette butts from reaching the orangutans, mesh netting was used, and the area was outfitted with ropes hanging from trees, hoping to distract Tori from her unhealthy craving.
Remarkably, the cold turkey approach worked. During her time in isolation, Tori gave birth to a healthy baby and has since dedicated herself fully to motherhood. She hasn't requested a cigarette since.
5. Sea Otters Assault Baby Seals
Much like the violent behavior observed in sexually frustrated dolphins, male sea otters often resort to forceful tactics when they fail to attract a female. In coastal California, their search for a mate sometimes turns to baby seals.
The male otter seizes an unsuspecting baby seal and violently tumbles it in the water. Once its victim is either exhausted or dead from the struggle, the otter proceeds to mate with the lifeless body. If that isn't disturbing enough, some male otters continue mating with the corpses for up to a week.
The video above features a report but no footage of the actual event. We haven’t been able to find video of this phenomenon, and to be honest, we're fine with that.
4. Seal Attempts to Mate with Penguin
In one of the most peculiar instances of animal sexual coercion, researchers in 2008 witnessed a young fur seal attempting to mate with a king penguin on Marion Island, near the Antarctic. The seal, weighing around 100 kilograms (220 lb), mounted the 15-kilogram (35 lb) penguin and attempted to penetrate it for nearly an hour before eventually giving up, releasing the penguin, and returning to the water.
This marked the first recorded case of a (non-human) mammal attempting to mate with a vertebrate from a different animal class. It’s possible the seal lacked access to females of its own kind. Some researchers suggested the even stranger idea that the seal's initial intent to kill and consume the penguin evolved into a sexual attempt.
3. Chimpanzees Engage in Warfare
Chimpanzees are known for their shocking behaviors like infanticide and cannibalism. As if these weren’t unsettling enough, groundbreaking research has revealed that chimpanzees also partake in an activity familiar to humans—waging war.
A decade-long study conducted on chimpanzees in Uganda’s Kibale National Park found one particularly large troop in Ngogo regularly launching raids into enemy territory. As shown in the video, the Ngogo chimpanzees exhibited organization and tactics that mirrored those of human soldiers.
To the researchers, it was clear that these chimps were attacking their neighbors in order to acquire more land and female partners. The broader scientific community, however, disagrees about the main reason for their aggressive behavior. Some propose that the chimpanzees' warlike actions stem from a shrinking habitat, while others believe that warfare is innate to their nature (and by extension, to ours as well).
2. The Carnivorous Pandas
Despite their peaceful appearance, munching on bamboo and being irresistibly cute, pandas are actually omnivores by nature. A video from the wild captured one of these seemingly docile creatures feasting on what appears to be a goat carcass.
Most experts agree that pandas are indeed part of the bear family, and their digestive system is more suited for carnivores. However, their stomachs also host special microbes that help them process bamboo.
In another video, a panda is seen chasing and killing a peacock that wandered into its enclosure. Po from Kung-Fu Panda might have done the same, probably feasting on his master and teammates too.
1. Male Elephants Intentionally Kill Rhinos
Elephants are among the few creatures powerful enough to take on a rhino. Over the last twenty years, young male elephants in several African reserves have intentionally killed numerous rhinos. Initially, rangers thought poachers were behind the killings, but it was soon evident that the elephants were the culprits.
The elephant population control measures, including culling and relocation, left many young males without an older role model. Lacking guidance, these distressed orphans banded together, forming groups of rebellious teens fueled by testosterone, intentionally seeking out conflicts with rhinos.
After several unsuccessful attempts to stop this troubling behavior, park officials launched one of the world’s largest Big Brother programs, introducing older male elephants to mentor the younger ones. As a result, the violence toward rhinos and other destructive actions ceased.
+Bird Consumed by a Pitcher Plant
In August 2011, Nigel Hewitt-Cooper, a garden owner from Somerset who specializes in carnivorous plants, stumbled upon a disturbing sight. One of his monkey cup pitcher plants had trapped and consumed a great tit, the bird unable to escape after it had eaten the insects within the plant.
Pitcher plants are known to devour small reptiles and mammals (such as this one eating a rat), but this marked the second documented instance of a plant successfully capturing and digesting a bird. The first incident took place in Germany a few years earlier.
