Rock N Roll Reptiles

08/21/2025

So many giraffes, so little time.

"Our genetic analyses show that the differences between giraffe species are as distinct as those between brown and polar bears.”

08/15/2025

This gargatuan talon belongs to the extinct Haast’s eagle, one of the biggest and most powerful raptors to ever exist. In life, this huge bird stood a yard high, tipped the scales at over 30 pounds, and boasted a wingspan of 8.5 to 10 feet. New Zealand’s former apex predator, Haast’s eagle preyed on moas weighing nearly a quarter-ton. Māori myths of the man-eating monster bird Pouakai are believed to be based off real-life encounters with this huge eagle. Honestly, I can’t get over the sheer scale of this talon. It dwarfs not only my harpy eagle talon (and I have the whole leg for that one) but my emu foot, and the fact that it can so easily engulf a human skull is both awe-inspiring and pants-sh*ttingly terrifying. Looking at this replica gives me anxiety and makes me question my level in the food chain, lol.

07/20/2025

This is one of the scariest animal attacks I've heard about. I've read about crowned eagles attacking children but to go after an adult seemingly unprovoked? If that isn't potential nightmare fuel, I don't know what is. The harpy eagle is considered by many to be the world's most powerful raptor, although it it is not the largest eagle by weight or wingspan; armed with talons the size of a grizzly's claws, they regularly take such impressive prey as large monkeys and sloths. This bird overpowered a woman SIX TIMES its weight with seemingly little effort, a feat of predatory strength one might expect from a big cat. I cannot imagine the primeval terror she must've felt having her skull clutched in the talons of a modern-day dinosaur. Had her partner not intervened, she probably would've been killed. Is it any wonder cultures the world over tell tales of flying dragons and other winged monstrosities?

The first documented case of a Harpy Eagle attacking an adult human in the Amazon rainforest has been recorded. The incident involved a 29-year-old tourist walking a remote trail in an undisturbed area of the Amazon in French Guiana. The attack, which occurred without provocation and far from any kn...

04/07/2025

Grab your d20s and House Stark apparel, looks like dire wolves are back. However, these aren't true dire wolves merely genetically modified gray wolves.

Colossal Biosciences has genetically engineered the first dire wolf to live in over 10,000 years. Here's what that means for other extinct species.

04/07/2025

The tale of the bat's tail.

A new study from Tel Aviv University reveals that the greater mouse-tailed bat (Rhinopoma microphyllum) uses its long tail as a natural tactile sensor to navigate backward in dark caves. The researchers discovered that the bat's long tail functions as a dynamic sensing tool, enabling it to avoid obs...

03/26/2025

What sound does a shark make? No, it’s not the theme music from Jaws.

03/24/2025

Croc vs Gator

A crocodile and an alligator were seen snapping, biting and hissing at each other in Everglades National Park. | See the video: bit.ly/41TWSuH

03/13/2025

Ultraviolet serpents.

In the study of why and how animals look the way they do, color is king—at least, the range of color humans can see. A University of Michigan study has examined a color range that humans can't see and often ignore: color in the ultraviolet range. Examining snakes, the researchers categorized how t...

02/08/2025

What an amazing discovery!

For the first time, scientists have completed an in-depth analysis of fossilized soft tissues from a plesiosaur

02/01/2025

Now that ain’t something you see everyday.

01/28/2025

Ever seen a tiger eat a bear?

01/08/2025

You are what you eat.

Evolution has resulted in the development of both herbivores and carnivores—but how? What type of food did extinct vertebrates eat? And how can we gain insight into the diets of these creatures? In living animals, we can simply observe what they feed on today. In the case of extinct species, howev...