Awesome Animals

We’ve seen lots of video essays about filmmaking over the years, but this is the first one we’ve seen about animal actors. Alex Boucher put together this great video about dogs in movies, how they are cast, and how they work with their trainers to convey emotion and turn in wonderful performances. Be sure to check out Alex’s full dog cinema list.

Capybaras are giant, silly-looking rodents that can weigh more than 100 pounds. We assumed that they were built similarly to other mammals, but it looks like we were wrong. According to WVW, these furry critters are piloted by a crew of smaller capybara ready to deploy at a moment’s notice. Now, enjoy a song about capybara.

(PG-13) Turns out dolphins are the opposites of snakes. Despite their cute appearance, these mammals are some of the most ruthless and raunchiest animals the planet has ever seen. Casual Geographic tries his best to lighten his presentation, but this video is ultimately over 15 minutes of horrifying recorded events and studies on dolphin crimes.

The Earth has a fascinating and terrifying collection of venomous animals, which may have made you wonder how they don’t succumb to their own weapons. MinuteEarth reveals that these deadly creatures have evolved four tried-and-true fail-safes. To keep them as protected as possible, poisonous animals often employ a combination of these methods.

We all know about the humps on camels’ backs. But did you know that they don’t have hooves? Or that their palates are so leathery, they can eat cacti like it’s nothing? Or that their awkwardly long neck actually helps them hold their ground in a fight? Learn all that and more in TierZoo’s gamer analysis of this famous beast of burden.

This feature-length animated film by Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis follows the story of a cat whose home has been destroyed by a massive flood and must find its way through the world with the help of an unlikely group of animal companions. Unlike other animated movies, there’s zero dialogue. It relies solely on artful imagery and sound to tell its tale.

Snakes are some of the most fascinating creatures on Earth. Ze Frank takes an in-depth look at the remarkable ways these limbless reptiles move around, from striking against their prey to smoothly slithering and sidewinding along the ground. It helps that their bodies contain up to 15,000 muscles, compared to the 600 or so we humans have.

Ever wondered why cats have vertically elongated pupils, while their bigger cousins like lions and tigers have round ones? Or why geckos seem to have multiple round pupils? What about the W-shaped ones on cuttlefish? And what is up with those creepy goat eyes? Wondrous Walk explains the perks of different pupil shapes in this fascinating video.

There are animals, and then there are echidnas. Ze Frank calls these unusual critters “militarized whoopie cushions,” referring to their puffy shape and spiny protective covering. But that’s not all. These monotremes are among the only mammals born from eggs and have some of the strangest-looking body parts out there.

Kathryn Reid’s Nose Rings depict realistic and highly detailed snouts of beloved animals. Kathryn was inspired by the animals that she grew up with on their farm in Northern Ireland. There are dog, cat, bull, horse, and pig variants, which you can get in either sterling silver or 9ct gold. You’re missing soft boopable variants, Kathryn!

“Ugh, I’m going to my room!” So goes the lighthearted narration in Deep Look’s video about how flies mature from maggots to the pesky insects we know. It’s a good thing the narrator is so comforting and fun to listen to, because seeing a fly up close and in high resolution is quite bizarre and unsettling.

“So it’s pretty much like capys today have to pay for how good their ancestors had it. Like Gen Z.” Casual Geographic takes a look at the pandas of the rodent world – capybaras. While they can be as peaceful and calm as their demeanor makes them out to be, just like other wild animals these “guinea bigs” are also capable of violence. And so much poop.

There’s no question that opossums are strange-looking critters. But it’s not just their appearance that’s weird. Nature show host Ze Frank educates us on these marsupials’ most remarkable attributes, including their strange body parts, unusual reproductive process, and ability to freeze and play dead to evade predators.

A company in Japan is showing off one of the most realistic animatronic animals we’ve ever seen. Created to promote the Japanese Race Association, the electronic equine looks like something straight out of Westworld, though it can’t gallop… at least not yet. This footage is from 2019, so we can only imagine how much the tech has evolved by now.

You might think that pigeons are dumb birds that poop on statues, but these avians are so much more than their “rats with wings” reputation. Ze Frank explains what pigeons are up to when they bob their heads, their mating habits, their trainability, and how they have a really good sense of direction.

Any video that starts with a Shiba Inu riding in a dog-sized elevator is something you need to watch. This reel comes from Xing Zhilei, who built an incredibly detailed miniature apartment for his pets. None of what you see is CGI. It’s all done with handmade models and editing. If you don’t believe us, here’s more footage with humans added for scale.