Go deep inside of numerous microscopic worlds with this fascinating video from Sci-Inspi. It compiles through-the-lens footage of tiny living things from a paramecium to a fruit fly’s eye to a tardigrade, accompanied by a soothing guitar soundtrack. If you enjoyed this video, be sure to check out part two.
Ever wonder how photographers capture those amazing images of lightning? It’s all about timing the shot perfectly. The MIOPS FLEX Bolt automatically detects lightning and triggers your camera’s shutter at the right time. The add-on sits in your DSLR or mirrorless camera’s hot shoe and connects to any standard trigger input.
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.
If you’re familiar with The Last of Us, the idea that a fungus could turn us into zombies isn’t that far-fetched. ZeFrank looks at three cases where this happens in nature, with a nasty infection that takes over the bodies of insects and controls them. You might not want to eat before watching this video.
Nature filmmaker Lothar Lenz is an expert at capturing macro footage of insects. In this video, we get to watch some hornets competing with a colony of ants for a drink of water. The incredible audio recording puts you right there in the action. The ants get a little feisty in this other video.
Chad Nelson and Native Foreign’s animated short film is a hilarious parody of nature documentaries. As the narrator visits an unexplored forest, its residents have a thing or two to say about the invasion of privacy and being stereotyped. Its creators used DALL-E AI tech to make all of the creatures and environments.
Photographer Jens Heidler of Another Perspective points his macro lens at the business end of a snail to see how it eats. For today’s lunch, the little dude is downing a tart and tangy bit of strawberry. We love the little nibbling sounds.
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.
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.
Digital artist and illustrator Markos Kay created this captivating short film that features surreal and otherworldly life forms that look like nothing we’ve ever seen before. They definitely look organic, though, combining elements of plants and animals. Markos’ Vimeo channel is loaded with many more strange beings.
Perhaps it’s because they think nobody can see them down there, but the deeper you go beneath the water’s surface, the weirder-looking the creatures get. MBARI takes us on deep-dive with the strange animals that dwell in the depths of Monterey Bay and beyond. That black seadevil is some major nightmare fuel.
The words “slime” and “mold” conjure up some pretty gross visions. Combined, they’re even worse. But that doesn’t stop these bizarre living things from being incredibly fascinating. ZeFrank takes an up-close look at these nasty-looking organisms, which are surprisingly smart despite their lack of brains.
Located high atop a mountain in California, a bristlecone pine tree has survived longer than any other living thing on Earth. The tree, known as Methuselah, has defied all odds to outlive billions of people despite its lack of nutrients and minimal water and oxygen. David from MinuteEarth explains why the tree has lived for so long.
There are nearly a million species of insects from beneath our feet to high in the skies above Earth. But which bugs are the most powerful? TierZoo offers an in-depth analysis of the varied and impressive abilities that insects possess and attempts to rank some of the major factions and builds.
ZeFrank’s nature videos usually focus on a single species or kind of animal. But this time out, he’s got a mess of different critters, each of which deserves a special award for its unusual appearance, noises, or other behaviors. Along the way, he ruined both penguins and koalas for us.
Washi tape is a paper tape that’s ideal for wrapping gifts and embellishing journals or notes. Cognitive Surplus makes a fun series of washi tapes in patterns inspired by biology, botany, astronomy, chemistry, math, engineering, and more. Our favorites include the microbiology, Mars rovers, heartbeat, and skeleton designs.
Ants are well known for their ability to work together to build things and accomplish tasks for their colony. In this fascinating video from Horace Zeng, we see how hundreds of fire ants work in concert to pick up, move, and place pieces of glass gravel on a piece of sticky tape, resulting in a colorfully-paved road of sorts.
It’s a story 13.8-billion years in the making, and there’s no better voice on Earth to tell it than Morgan Freeman. This epic, six-part documentary series explores the formation of our universe and the evolutionary events which created life as we know it. Drops 11.22.22 on Netflix.
Are you an arachnophobe? Then run as far away from this video as you can. But if you can handle your spiders, then click play on What If’s creepy crawly clip that envisions a terrifying world in which our eight-legged friends are as big as us. Get ready for a big bowl of nope.
Japanese gadget retailer Thanko is crowdfunding this machine that not only produces nature sounds, but simulates a crackling fire using LED lights and aromatic mist. In addition to fire, its soothing sounds include wind, rain, thunder, waves, birds, and insects, which you can mix in any combination using its volume sliders.
When red fire ants find face flood waters, they quickly evacuate their tunnels and build a raft out of their bodies. This unique evolutionary trait helps the colony survive as a whole and is quite the sight floating atop flood waters in this video from Deep Look. You definitely wouldn’t want to swim up next to this thing.
The Holothuroidea, aka sea cucumber, is one of the many strange-looking creatures that dwell at the bottom of the ocean. ZeFrank explains the unusual way these spiny, slug-like things reproduce, develop, and thrive – along with just how diverse their species can be. Expect Frank’s usual mix of information and innuendo.
