Animals

History

The U.S. Army's Plans for WWII Bat Bombs

Dan Lewis runs the popular daily newsletter Now I Know ("Learn Something New Every Day, By Email"). We've invited him to share some of his stories on mental_floss this week. To subscribe to his daily email, click... READ ON

Big Question

Why Do Cicadas Spend So Much Time Underground?

In 1996, the cicadas of Brood II (the “East Coast Brood”) swarmed the northeastern United States and then disappeared almost as quickly as they came, leaving only their eggs and molted exoskeletons behind. Once the eggs hatched, the new generation of cicada nymphs crawled underground, where they’ve spent the last 17 years biding their time and living off of tree roots. ... READ ON

Animals

22 Things We Learned from AMNH's Whales: Giants of the Deep Exhibition

Today, New York City's American Museum of Natural History opens up its newest exhibition, Whales: Giants of the Deep. The exhibit, which was developed and originated at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, explores whale evolution and biology, the human relationship with whales, and the history of whaling in New Zealand and beyond. Here are just 22 things we learned from our visit. ... READ ON

Animals

22 Vintage Photos of Animals Acting Like People

Forget celebrities being just like us. These vintage photos prove that animals have a rich history of indulging in activities usually reserved for humans.... READ ON

Food

That Other Time Someone Tried to Get the British to Eat Horses

There’s an ongoing problem in the UK and continental Europe where food products labeled as containing beef actually turn out to have surprise horse meat in it. If history had played out a little differently, this wouldn’t be a scandal, and Brits eating horse meat would be about as newsworthy as Americans eating cheeseburgers. ... READ ON

Pretty Pictures

14 Photos of Whale Bones (and more!) from the AMNH's Mammalogy Department

We went behind the scenes to check out the institution's whale collections in its Mammalogy Department—and took photos so you can feel like you were there, too.... READ ON

List

11 Snazzy Chicken Coops for Backyard Poultry Farmers

You no longer have to settle for a boring boxy coop for your backyard brood. Here are eleven coops that break the mold.... READ ON

Big Question

Why Don’t Big Dogs Live as Long as Small Dogs?

Large animals tend to live longer than smaller ones. But this isn't the case for most breeds of dog. What gives?... READ ON

List

11 Really Bizarre World Records

Guinness World Records, in theory, are amazing and seemingly unattainable. The record holders are astoundingly strong or fast or otherwise able to push the limits of human ability. Over the years, though, these world records categories have become increasingly bizarre—and I’m not just talking about people with abnormally long fingernails.... READ ON

Animals

Meet the Tadpole with Teeth

In 2008, an international team of scientists was trudging through the forests of Vietnam’s Bidoup-Nui Ba National Park when they found a frog they didn’t recognize. Actually, no one recognized it, at least not formally. It was new to science and the species had never been described or named. ... READ ON