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Jodie Foster, a 110-pound reticulated python at England’s Chester Zoo, developed a recurring malignant jaw tumor that threatened her ability to eat. After surgery combined with electrochemotherapy, the snake has recovered and is reported to be free of cancer.
A confirmed H5N1 case in a dead long-nosed fur seal and a second suspected case have prompted warnings about the virus’s potential impact on Australia’s seals and sea lions. Scientists say the country’s estimated 12,000 Australian sea lions could be especially vulnerable.
Employees at a Kansas tractor-supply business initially thought a fast-moving animal outside might be an injured deer. Security footage revealed it was a kangaroo that had temporarily escaped from a nearby property.
Erebus Anomaly, a Maine coon from Wisconsin, has been recognized by Guinness World Records for having 29 toes—11 more than the standard number for a domesticated cat. His owners suspected he might be unusual from the moment he was born.
Researchers have reported the discovery of a previously unknown monkey species deep in the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The animal is distinguished by its noticeably orange lips.
A monkey found alone inside a laundry bag on a London bus has been given a new home at a sanctuary, according to Sky News Strange News.
A newly classified groundsnake from New Guinea has been given the scientific name Lielaphis slashi, honoring Guns N’ Roses musician Slash, whose birth name is Saul Hudson. The nocturnal snake has a red-brown body and cream-colored belly.
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Birdwatchers near Chicago observed a bobolink whose body is divided into male and female halves, a condition known as bilateral gynandromorphism. Experts believe it may be the first documented example of this phenomenon in the species.
Researchers say a crinoid fossil discovered in a Montréal museum collection preserves soft tissue more than 450 million years after the animal lived. The specimen is only the second known crinoid fossil with soft tissue and the oldest identified so far.
A study of Greenland shark eyes found no evidence of retinal cell death and detected active, blue-light-sensitive rhodopsin. The findings challenge the idea that the long-lived Arctic sharks are functionally blind and may offer clues about protecting vision from age-related decline.
Research suggests bottlenose dolphins use individually distinctive whistles to identify and contact one another, while elephants, parrots and marmosets may use similar vocal labels. Scientists caution that proving an animal call is truly a “name” requires evidence of shared symbolic meaning.
Jingling Pot, a roughly 145-foot-deep pothole in Yorkshire’s West Kingsdale area, is known for its vertical descents, an unusual alternate route and a grim collection of sheep remains at its base. The cave also preserves evidence of an 1897 exploration party.
Two beaver kits have been filmed at Pensthorpe Nature Reserve near Fakenham, marking the first recorded wild beaver birth in Norfolk in more than 500 years. Their parents appeared at the reserve unexpectedly in December, and how they reached the River Wensum remains unknown.
More than 1,000 little penguins on Australia’s Phillip Island have received a first dose of an H5N1 vaccine in a program expected to cover about 5,000 wild birds. Rangers work at night, using pens and microchips to track the difficult-to-handle penguins before releasing them.
A sheep that wandered away from its pasture in Lüdinghausen, Germany, climbed onto an unlocked parked bus and was later discovered by the driver. Before its owner arrived, the animal reportedly went through the bus company’s oversized car wash and was then taken home safely.
Hannah Snay expected to find a quiet rural outbuilding when she opened her pole barn in Grant Township. Instead, she encountered a large, nonvenomous python that had apparently gotten away from its home nearby.