Scientists in Australia are hopeful that they can bring back a strange species of frog that went extinct a quarter century ago. The Southern gastric brooding frogs, amphibians native to Queensland in eastern Australia, were best known for its strange parental habits (the mother would swallow the eggs after they hatched and regurgitate the completely developed offspring).
Ever since you were a little kid, you loved animals. Cats, dogs, other animals: you just loved them. Petted them and everything, real nice. You always dreamed, since you were a little kid, of growing up and working with animals every single day. You love the pretty animals, and you want to help them. Even when you were five years old, you knew that one day, you would grow up and become a veterinarian.
Do you own a dog? Is your dog's name "Ranger?" Why not? Do you sometimes—because you love Ranger very much—go to the special pet store and buy him special, more expensive "Science Diet" dog food that is scientifically formulated to be food, for dogs? You monster. You're feeding your dog science? How is that even natural?
Welcome to our science-like new feature, "Hey, Science," in which we will have our most provocative scientific questions answered by real live scientists (or related experts). No question is too smart for us to tackle, theoretically speaking. This week, experts answer the question: Do animals get mental illnesses, just like humans? Or is your dog just dumb?
A dog can be a political double-edged sword: treat it well and you get lots of good press; treat it shitty and, well, just ask Mitt Romney how that worked out for him. Florida's Republican (and wildly unpopular) Gov. Rick Scott is the latest politician to fall victim to dog-loving media. The Tampa Bay Times reveals that shortly after being elected governor, the Scott family returned a rescue dog they had adopted during the campaign back to its previous owners. Yikes.
Dogs: why are they so racist? You know the type: prancing along as merry as can be until a human of a certain skin tone walks by, and then—bang!—all the barking and snarling and biting. It's been a source of uncomfortable comedy for years. Some dogs are just racist. But why? We turned to the real live dog psychology experts to find out.
In theory, cat people are easy to please. Just slap a wretched meowing illustration on a canvas tote bag and—voila—you have a present for your local cat freak. Buy them a kitten calendar and be assured they will secretly pet it everyday on the way out the door. Order a "humorous" catnip party-pack and receive the polite chuckle an herbal blend called Cat-Astrophy deserves.
If you're the kind of person who cries at animal movies, you don't want to read this.
Every pig has its day — and in this case, that means reversing the food chain.
This video of an ailing rat barrel-rolling down a sidewalk into the gutter to the vocal delight of the onlooking New Yorker is fraught with meaning, as Gothamist points out. But what does this video, apparently shot and uploaded to YouTube by an ambulance worker, symbolize? Here are some options depending on your current mood:
What good is a kids pool party without the constant fear of someone getting eaten?
Rabbits: adorable, fluffy, prone to dying. Seriously, these little guys can have actual heart attacks at the sound of a balloon popping.
Nature: stirring, majestic, full of shit that can kill you.
Do not keep a monkey as a pet.
