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Pablo Escobar's Narco Hippos
Hippos are native to sub-Saharan Africa, so how did Colombia end up with a thriving hippopotamus population? It can all be attributed to one man — Pablo Escobar. Along with billions of dollars of cocaine, Escobar also smuggled illegal animals into the country. The collection of exotic wildlife served as a safari for his Hacienda Napoles estate. After his death, all of the animals were moved to zoos with the exception of four escaped hippos. These four have now multiplied into 40 and can be found roaming the Colombian countryside.
The Real Spider-Man
Forget Peter Parker. This is Portia. She's an actual spider with real superpowers. A genus of the jumping spider, Portia can leap nearly 50 times its own body length. Along with super eyesight, the spider also exhibits intelligent hunting behavior, something she needs to track down prey three times her own size. In this BBC Earth Clip, you can watch Portia use her superpowers to outwit another spider and catch a bite to eat.
Why Sloths are Slow
Eat, sleep, hang out in trees and move really slow — the life of a sloth doesn't seem too bad. But that cute face and languid movements aren't an accident. Living in trees is a great way to avoid predators, but with a diet almost exclusively consisting of leaves, sloths don't get a lot of energy from their food. Taking their time and moving at a leisurely pace is one of a few ways they've adapted to their diet. TED looks at the giant ancestors of sloths and the much smaller modern species we know today.
The Fastest Animal on Earth
Go home, cheetah. If you really want to go fast, you need to get off the ground. The truly fastest animal on Earth is the peregrine falcon, capable of cruising the skies at 60 MPH and diving at over 200 MPH — as fast as Formula One race cars. Unsurprisingly, peregrine falcons are perfectly adapted to high speeds, with nostrils like jet engines and a body profile like a military aircraft.
Monkeys Grieve Over Fake Monkey
The new BBC nature series Spy in the Wild has an interesting premise: Putting camera-equipped fake animals in the wild to capture their daily lives without human interaction. In this clip from the first episode, a langur monkey drops the animatronic fake, and thinking that it's fallen to its death, other langurs gather around to grieve the death of one of their own.
Stung by a Bullet Ant
If you were wondering why it's called the bullet ant, it's because its sting has been compared to being shot. But being the most painful insect in the insect kingdom isn't enough to stop Coote from Brave Wilderness from giving it a try. After warming up with several other extremely painful stings, Coyote bites the bullet — literally — and experiences it for himself.
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Casper Sheets
The Casper mattress is obsessively designed, but it gets covered up most of the time. The Casper sheets let you enjoy the same engineering and aesthetic. Made from super soft Supima cotton, they're crisp and comfortable but also breathable and durable. Fine details like labels on the short sides of the fitted sheet, envelope-closures on the pillowcases, and hidden openings on the corners of the duvet cover make even the process of putting them on a delight. Each set includes flat and fitted sheets, pillowcases, and you can add a duvet cover.
Presented by Casper.
Dollar Shave Club
Grooming products matter to guys much more than most are willing to admit. That's why a grooming brand like Dollar Shave Club is so important. They offer everything you need in the bathroom, highlighted by their amazing razors and high-quality Shave Butter. Both are part of the first-month Starter Kit, which includes a full sleeve of four stainless-steel razor cartridges, a weighty handle, and a 3 oz. tube of Shave Butter. There's no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and the kit is delivered directly to your door, eliminating that trip to the store you were trying to avoid anyway.
Presented by Dollar Shave Club.
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Ghost Shark
The pointy-nosed-blue ratfish — scientific name Hydrolagus trolli — has a face only a mother could love. Or Alaskan artist Ray Troll, whom the species is named in honor of. The fish shares a cartilaginous skeleton with sharks and rays, and was captured for the first time on film by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.
The Great Iguana Escape
With more action, drama, and tension then any summer tentpole film you'll ever see, a marine iguana hatchling makes the run of its young life on Isla Fernandina in the Galapagos Islands. The island is infested with racer snakes, who, for the first time ever, are filmed attacking en masse as the iguana narrowly avoids becoming dinner. For more on one of the greatest escapes ever filmed, check out the behind-the-scenes footage here.
Tarantula Hawk Sting
He's been bitten by an alligator and stung by a cow killer. Now Coyote Peterson is taking a sting from the Tarantula Hawk. Not only is this the largest species of wasp in the Unites States, but it eats freaking tarantulas for lunch. Needless to say, he immediately regretted his decision.
Great White Shark Cage Breach
File this under your worst nightmare. While chilling in a shark cage, admiring a great white from behind the safety of a row of steel bars, the massive beast lunges for a piece of tuna and breaks the rail. Next thing you know, the shark is now thrashing around in the cage with you. Luckily, this diver is a pro and was smart enough to drop out of the bottom until the 13-foot shark found its way out. Everyone, even the great white, made it out completely unharmed.
Planet Earth II
After ten years, BBC has created a sequel to their nature documentary series Planet Earth. Of course it will be narrated by none other than Sir David Attenborough and will highlight everything from marching penguins to swimming sloths. Shot in 4K, the visuals are sure to be even more stunning than the original when it airs on BBC One sometime this month.
The Origin of Dogs
Dogs have been man's best friends since the dawn of time, or have they? Originating from the gray wolf, humans began domesticating the wild predators as pets thousands of years ago in western Eurasia. But new studies are showing that the wolves were not only domesticated once, but twice before they became the companions we know and love, explored in this animation by Ed Yong.
Velvet Ant Sting
The Velvet Ant is a species of wingless wasp that carries the nickname "cow killer" due to its excruciating cow-killing sting. Knowing this information, you'd assume one would steer clear of this dangerous pest. Well not if you're name is Coyote Peterson. Known for regularly injecting himself with the ruthless venoms of the insect kingdom, the Brave Wilderness host is working his way up the insect sting pain index by taking a shot from the reigning number four.
The Last of the Rhinos
Due to poachers illegally capitalizing on the worth of their horns, only a mere 20,000 rhinos remain in the wild. Organizations Rhinos without Borders and the Great Plains Foundation are trying to preserve this species by relocating the animals from the most common poaching ares in South Africa to safer regions in Botswana. This GoPro documentary follows their journey as they attempt to transport 100 rhinos to safety.
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$165,000 Kittens
The cute pictures are free, but these kittens are definitely not. 2 Chainz and DJ E. Sudd sit down with Stacey Lebreton to see her ocecats, mixed-breed felines that resemble the wild ocelot. With prices ranging from $2,000 for a kitten to $65,000 for a full-grown, 25-pound breeding female, 2 Chainz has found the world's most expensive cats.
Why No Aquarium has a Great White Shark
Newsflash: Keeping a fish that requires thousands and thousands of miles of open ocean to hunt in doesn't do well in captivity. Vox looks into why large sharks die in aquariums, and the one moderate success in Monterey, California.
Great White Nap
Being one of the ocean's top predators isn't easy. For the first time, researchers have observed a shark resting. Following Emma, a female great white shark, with a camera-equipped underwater submersible, she was captured snozzing in a 2 mile-an-hour current after the sun went down.
Osprey Fishing
Long before humans began tying artificial insects to poles, the mighty osprey was the best trout fisher in Scotland. Ewan McGregor narrates this beautiful slow-motion footage of the battle between air and sea as an osprey makes a spectacular catch in the Scottish Highlands.
I, Octopus
June 17th marks the beginning of Science Friday's Cephalopod Week. To kick off the festivities, Frank Grasso of Brooklyn College describes the sensory processes and brain structure of one of the most unique species on the planet.
Man and Grizzly Bear
More than a decade ago, naturalist Casey Anderson rescued Brutus the grizzly bear. Brutus lead Casey to found the Montana Grizzly Encounter, a wild space for rescued bears. 10 years on, Casey and Brutus are still best friends.
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Rock, Paper, Lizards
Dating isn't easy — just ask the male side-blotched lizard. These small lizards come in three colors — orange, yellow, and blue — and each color has it's own distinctive style for finding a mate. But to keep the one color from taking over, the females tend to prefer the rarest of the three colors of males.
Crow Funerals
Crows, the Einsteins of the avian world, are known to be extremely intelligent. They have excellent memories, can problem solve, and pass information to other crows. Crows are also very social — gathering together around the dead body of other crows in an almost funeral-like ritual.
Why Cats Act So Weird
With billions of videos, pictures, stories, and memes, cats make a strong case for the most entertaining animals on the planet. But all those strange behaviors have their roots in millions of years of evolution. TED explains why cats act the way they do.
Swarm of Crabs
Scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute found a seething mass of thousands of crabs near Panama.
Horse in a Three-Piece Suit
Racing veteran Morestead got his very own tailored tweed suit and cap for the Cheltenham Festival.
Shark Eats Shark
Being a shark doesn't mean you're safe from being eaten by sharks in this South Korean aquarium.
Largest Dinosaur Ever on Display
This 122-foot long Titanosaur has a new home in the American Museum of Natural History.
Giant Squid in Toyama Bay
This ultra-rare video of a giant squid was captured by a diver in Japan's Toyama Bay.
