Snail telegraphs: how sexual snail energy became a method of communication

Snail Telegraphs Humans have always looked for ways to make communication faster. For most of human history, communication was dependent on how fast a message could be physically delivered by foot, horse or boat. Eventually, humans developed faster methods of communication, such as smoke signals and carrier pigeons, but these quicker methods were not necessarily … Continued

10 of America’s weirdest animals

Thanks to the work of Louis Theroux and other fearless documentarians, we know that America is home to the occasional eccentric human. But what about the world of animals? Surely there are some stateside critters with equally unusual ways of life? You bet. There are all kinds of bizarre animals living in the deserts, rivers and prairies … Continued

A spider named Cash (not Sue)

A newly discovered species of spider has just been named after Johnny Cash. The tarantula, which you can now call Aphonopelma johnnycashi (anything but Sue), lives in the foothills of Folsom Prison in California, where Cash famously recorded a live album while playing a series of concerts for inmates in the late 1960s. But that’s … Continued

Is this the world's smallest snail?

While collecting soil samples in China’s Guanxi province, researchers discovered something very interesting (and very, very tiny). Meet Angustopila dominikae, a new species of microsnail that is so small, it’s said that 10 of them could fit inside the eye of a needle. Their shells alone are only 0.86mm in height! Angustopila dominikae could be … Continued