Awesome Animals

Whether you’re a snail or a gazelle, you must move around to survive in this world. In the latest comparison video from RED SIDE, they animated the vast differences in the movements of all kinds of animals, from ants to elephants and everything in between. Watch it in 4K if you’ve got the bandwidth, and find out if a human can outrun a hippo.

Thanks to their sturdy exoskeletons, claws, and ability to regenerate limbs, crustaceans are some of the most interesting animals on Earth. TierZoo takes an in-depth look at these hard-shelled arthropods and stacks up the offenses, defenses, and other abilities of these crusty creatures, from the lowly barnacle to the mighty mantis shrimp.

At first glance, you might think this was a painting of a hummingbird. But it is neither a painting nor a hummingbird. Hit play on the video, and you’ll see what we mean. Artist Thomas Deininger creates these incredible mixed media sculptures of birds, bees, and other animals that defy expectations when viewed from any angle other than straight on.

Ryan Cook is a master at carving sculptures with his chainsaw and hand tools. Most of his works are in wood, but he made this amazing sculpture of a toucan out of ice. He carved the intricate bird from a single block of ice and finished the entire bird in just two hours. We can’t decide if the crystal clear beak or the feathers are our favorite part.

We always assumed that crows find their food with their beaks. But it turns out that some of them use sticks to fish prey out of trees. In this True Facts video from Ze Frank, we learn about this unusual adaptation and why New Caledonian crows are some of the smartest birds. We think it’s just an excuse for him to say “crow’s stick” repeatedly.

Feeling stressed and uneasy? Have we got the video for you. This unexpectedly relaxing video from newdustthings delivers on its promise by combining footage of capybaras lounging in a Japanese zoo, accompanied by a chill vaporwave playlist. It’s the next best thing to hitting the spa.

Are sloths lazy? Are elephants afraid of mice? Can porcupines shoot their quills? In this video from Mental Floss, host Justin Dodd explores myths, misconceptions, and inaccuracies about 64 different animals. We’re just glad we’re not actually swallowing spiders in our sleep.

With few exceptions, U.S. Presidents have had family pets living in the White House. Sam O’Nella Academy looks back at some of the many presidential pets and their purpose in distracting the public from the real issues. While dogs and cats are the most popular choices, some leaders kept silkworms, parrots, sheep, and a very angry ram.

Nature can be truly amazing, bestowing creatures with all kinds of wondrous capabilities to help them survive and thrive. Ze Frank looks at creatures with superpowers like transparency, squeezing prey to death, and the ability to sling slime.

It’s common knowledge that octopi are intelligent creatures. After he purchased an octopus from a pet store, engineer Mark Rober wanted to release the animal back into the ocean. Before he could do that, he built a challenging maze to confirm that Sashimi would be able to hunt for food after being hand-fed for most of her life.

Red Side has compared the speeds of aircraft, spaceships, and other vehicles; now they’re back to show the differences in flying speeds of birds – or, in the case of penguins, chickens, and kiwis, how fast they can walk or run. Who here knew a seagull was faster than Usain Bolt?

So you’re driving down a road in your Jeep when a wild rhinoceros comes out of nowhere. You could try to go around the beast, but you’d risk an impact. Based on this video, the better move is to back away as fast as possible. We’re equally impressed with the driver’s skill and the speed at which such a heavy animal can move.

The Kiffness has made a career out of turning silly animal sounds into songs. This time, he started with footage of an orange tabby making noises that vaguely sound like a human with a mouth full of gauze. But once The Kiff added his music and vocals, it all makes perfect sense to us.

Guinea pigs are neither from Guinea nor are they pigs. But that didn’t stop scientists from naming them that. Language expert Name Explain talks us through some other improperly-named animals, like the mountain chicken and the bearcat, and explains the origins of their monikers.

Ottocrkraft Design Habitat makes these fantastic low-poly 3D sculptures of animals. The marvelous metal menagerie includes gorillas, bears, dogs, frogs, spiders, and more. Each is hand-assembled from precision cut and folded sheet metal that’s screwed together. Prices range from about $600 to $2000, depending on size and complexity.

Despite what you might think, coral isn’t a plant. They’re tiny animals from the same group as jellyfish and anemones. Ze Frank provides a detailed look at these unusual creatures that live atop gigantic skeletal structures they leave on the ocean floor. Like other animals, these guys must find food rather than produce it on their own.

This might not be the first cat to utter the words “Oh Long Johnson,” but this vocal kitty is even better thanks to added lyrics and music by The Kiffness. The track Hold Onto My Fur is a groovy earworm that will have you singing along with the talkative orange kitty from China.

We know Ze Frank from his irreverent yet informative nature videos. On a quest to create some shorter videos for TikTok and YouTube Shorts, he came up with a new character. Creepy Dave is also a nature show host, only he has no idea how to pronounce the animals’ names and has the facts completely wrong.

Uncommon Goods sells this fun and fanciful chess set for opposing fans of felines and canines. The set comes with a folding game board that doubles as a storage box and a full set of handpainted cats and dogs wearing playful hats to represent their roles in the game.

Despite having four legs and spending half their time on land, biologists think that hippopotami are related to whales and dolphins. ZeFrank is here to entertain and educate with a nature film about these jumbo-size, semi-aquatic mammals. We had no idea that hippos could sleep while underwater. Caution: Hippo poop ahead.

Once in a great while, nature show host ZeFrank revisits animals and insects he’s featured with the most noteworthy traits. While they’re not nearly as prestigious as the Academy Awards, the True Facts Animal Awards distinguished itself with categories like Best Worst Jumping and Most Unfortunate Sage Grouse.

Over the eons, animals have appeared in all shapes and sizes – from tiny tardigrades to building-sized dinosaurs. Global Data created this video to illustrate the relative sizes of some of Earth’s many creatures, including both thriving and extinct species. The Giant Hairy Scorpion wins our award for best animal name.

Humans like to give flowers and chocolates as part of our dating ritual. Other species offer gifts as part of their courtship too, but their selections aren’t nearly as appealing. SciShow explains some of the strange and downright gross-out gifts that animals and insects present to each other as an offering to potential mates.