Animals

Champa: The Bear Who Got Brain Surgery

While brain surgery has become a fairly common procedure with humans, it is still very rarely used on animal patients, who have drastically different anatomies than we do. Fortunately for Champa, an Asiatic black bear living in a sanctuary in Laos, a handful of veterinarians are still willing to experiment with brain surgery—especially if the procedure could save an animal's life.... READ ON

List

7 Facts About Hairballs

April 26 is National Hairball Awareness Day. To celebrate, we've hacked up a few facts about everyone's least favorite cat treat. ... READ ON

Videos

Big Cats Like Cardboard Boxes Too

Animals

12 Photos of Therapy Dogs Providing Comfort After Tragedies

Dogs rule.... READ ON

Animals

13 Fun Facts About the Internet’s Cutest Cat, Lil Bub

Vice’s documentary about the cutest creature on the planet, Lil Bub—aptly titled "Lil Bub & Friendz"—opens at the Tribeca Film Festival today. To celebrate, mental_floss went to Social Tees Animal Rescue for an interview with feline star and her owner, Mike Bridavsky, before a meet and greet with her adoring fans. Here’s what she told us about herself.... READ ON

Q&A

Juliette Eisner, co-director of Lil Bub & Friendz

We spoke with "Lil Bub & Friendz" co-director Juliette Eisner about meeting BUB, how she found her experts, and why she thinks the internet loves cats.... READ ON

List

11 Organisms Scientifically Named After Fictional Characters

Scientific names hail from a variety of sources, with the realm of fiction providing hundreds of creative titles for various organisms over the years. Here are eleven of the most unusual.... READ ON

Animals

Can Cats See Optical Illusions?

We know animals see differently than we do and that their brains process visual messages in a different manner—which has led many to wonder if animals can see optical illusions.... READ ON

List

Where Are They Now? Things That Terrified Us in the '90s

Let's catch up with things that scared us 20 years ago, but don’t get the attention they once did.... READ ON

Animals

Kiddo, the Airborne Cat

In 1910, American journalist, airman, and adventurer Walter Wellman attempted to be the first person to cross the Atlantic Ocean by air. One October day, he and a crew of five boarded the dirigible America in Atlantic City, New Jersey and took the to air, bound for Europe. The America carried two interesting pieces of equipment. One was one of the earliest radio sets ever carried on an aircraft, and the other was Kiddo, a stray cat.... READ ON