Odd Articles ↓

Seal Naps On Top Of Anchored Buoy

“He’s rather flippant about his talents. Instead of balancing a ball on his nose, like the average seal, this fellow nonchalantly balances his considerable weight on one for a nap. The ball is more accurately a bright pink buoy, in the Fal Estuary in Cornwall, where the seal can often be seen resting his weary flippers at night.” w/ photo

Revenge Of The Warthog

“Cheetahs are used to being at the top of the food chain, but in the wild even the hunter can quickly become the hunted. These pictures taken on the plains of the Savuti channel in northern Botswana show two male cheetahs who got more than they bargained for while feasting on a young warthog. Preparing for a post-feeding nap, the two predators were startled into retreat as a mother warthog determined to protect her young launched an attack on them.” w/ photos

The Popularity Of Micro Pigs

“With their wrinkled little snouts, tiny trotters and oversized ears, they are irresistibly cute. But while these micro pigs may be minuscule, their price tag is anything but. In exchange for up to $1,000 owners take home a pet which weighs just 9oz at birth and is the size of a tea cup. Two years later the pigs are fully grown – but still only weigh up to 65lb and stand at around 14in tall. Unlike popular myth, the pigs are exceedingly clean and enjoy the company of people. ‘Demand for micro pigs is soaring and we are inundated with inquiries every day,’ says Jane Croft, 42, who has given up her job to breed them full time. ‘It’s amazing how popular they have suddenly become and just how many people want pigs as pets.’ Micro pigs are much smaller than a standard farm pig and weigh 9oz, about the size of a tea cup when they are born.” w/ photos

Polar Bear Peek-A-Boo

“A group of wildlife enthusiasts were looking forward to their lunch during an expedition to the Arctic island of Svalbard. But they soon discovered a hungry polar bear was also rather keen to try their cauliflower soup. The giant predator poked his head through the open porthole into the kitchen of the ship, which had weighed anchor so the passengers could enjoy the fabulous icy landscape. He stayed by the boat for another couple of hours and even stood on his hind legs to better investigate any scavenging potential. The incredible shots were taken by wildlife photographer Andy Rouse, who led an expedition on the M/S Stockholm.” w/ photos

Cross-Eyed Owl Finds Happiness

“She may only have limited vision but Lucy the owl’s disability hasn’t stopped her from finding the perfect perch in life. The five-year-old Western Screech Owl can only see a short distance following an attack when she was just a fledgling. The tiny bird, who stands just six inches high and weighs just over eight ounces, was discovered under her nest site in Santa Barbara, California. Both her eyes had been punctured by a predator, possibly a small hawk or a corvid. Unable to survive in the wild, Lucy is now an invaluable ’staff’ member at the Ojai Raptor Center in California where she helps to raise other orphaned youngsters.” w/ photo

Framers Protest By Squirting Cow Milk

“Farmers angered by collapsing milk prices demonstrated in Brussels on Monday, pelting police with bottles and chickens and spraying officers with milk directly from a cow’s udders. Over 2,500 farmers from across the EU blockaded the area outside the European Union’s headquarters, burning tires and hay outside an emergency meeting of farm ministers. They drove hundreds of tractors to the centre of Brussels and covered the streets in milk and manure. The jittery cow, frightened by firecrackers, sprang loose and chased an office worker down the street. The farmers used heavy tractors to block major highways into Brussels and streets in the urban centre, creating traffic chaos for dozens of miles outside the city for much of the day, keeping tens of thousands of commuters moving at a snail’s pace. The city has a history of violent protests by farmers and there was a massive police presence that further choked roads throughout the capital.” w/ photo

World’s Smallest Arm Wrestler

“Instead of bemoaning what he lacks, Joby Matthew is using what he’s got. Despite being several feet shorter than others at his gym, Mr Matthew is able to defeat opponents twice his size with ease… at arm-wrestling. Mr Matthew – who is 3′5” – has severely under-developed legs, a condition caused by Proximal Fimoral Focal Deficiency (PFFD). But he has so much upper body strength that he is a world champion arm wrestler who can crush challengers with no disabilities. Stunningly, the father-of-one has so far made it onto five world podiums during his career. In these amazing pictures the pint-sized powerhouse, from Kerala, India, can be seen easily jumping up steps using only his hands. And in further astonishing displays of muscular prowess Mr Matthew, who has just become a dad for the first time, amazes onlookers as he lifts huge weights and does push ups on just one hand.” w/ photos

Donkey Chews Sheep’s Ears Off

“With the benefit of hindsight, putting the donkey in with the sheep might have been a touch, well, ear-responsible. Just three hours after this ewe was born, her ears were chewed off by her stablemate. But since the unfortunate incident ten years ago, Earless the Poll Dorset sheep and Jess have become best friends.” w/ photos

1 Woman, 45 Snakes

“One snake would be too much for most people, but for Sue Coleman, even 45 are not enough. Unlike other ladies her age, the 60-year-old grandmother is not interested in bingo or knitting, preferring to spend quality time with her slithery friends. Sue, AKA Snakey Sue, and her snakes enjoy pottering around at her house together, much to the amusement of neighbors in Leytonstone, east London.” w/ photos

Baby Pygmy Hippo

“Hippos kill more humans than any other animal – but this little fellow doesn’t look like he could do too much harm. A newborn baby pygmy from Rotterdam’s Blijdorp Zoo, he’s dwarfed by lettuce leaves as he has a nibble with his mum. Much tamer and shyer than their aggressive cousins, pygmy hippos are now critically endangered, with less than 3,000 remaining in the wild. They’re indigenous to the tropical forests of West Africa, and their primary threat is the loss of their forest habitat due to the timber industry. They’re also hunted extensively for their meat. The aptly named pygmy grows to just over 3ft tall – just one fifth of the size of the common hippopotamus – and is the only other species of hippo in the world.” w/ photos