It's Not What You Think

Whoa, get a load of this! This isn't an extra-long jellyfish species. Rather, it's a marrus orthocanna, which is a colonial animal made of several different zooids connected together at the spine.

The zooids work together to move and collect food. The marrus orthocann is a deep-sea creature, found at depths ranging from 600 to 2,500 feet.

Pictures Of The Week - Big Cats Making Faces

We had these two pictures save on our Pinterest account, and we couldn't help but notice the difference in the faces these two big cats are making. The first shows how fearsome and deadly these creatures can be; the second shows that all animals, no matter how powerful, can be playful.

Whoa, you don't want to mess with this guy!

But this guy seems kind of fun.

Seeing the two faces together reminded us of a very human occurrence; that of two siblings squabbling - one getting mad while the other makes faces. Do you see it?

5 Pictures Of Cats Chewing On Things

Dogs have the reputation for chewing on things (mostly your favorite new pair of shoes) but we've found proof that cats enjoy a good gnaw as much as their canine companions! Take a look at this photo gallery of cats chewing on things...

Picture Of The Week - Web Of Dreams

Today's Picture Of The Week is simple in composition but stunning nonetheless. there's a magical quality about this photo; it looks like an image from a dream or a fairy tale. Or perhaps a real-life version of "Charlotte's Web"?

We found this image through a Tumblr titled "Wistfully Country" which is full of gorgeous photos of country life. Give it a look - you won't be disappointed.

10 Adorable Pictures Of Animals In Love For Valentine's Day

Animal lovers know that animals experience feelings and emotions just like us humans do, including the emotion of the day: LOVE. To celebrate Valentine's Day, we give you this photo gallery of animals in love!

Picture Of The Week - A Swarm In The Sea

This photograph, which was taken in 2010, captures a bit of animal behavior that has rarely (if ever) been seen before or since it was taken. German photographer Florian Schulz snapped the image while flying over Baja California Sur in Mexico. It's a mass of Munkiana Devil Rays, swimming toward an unknown destination.

Of the photograph, Schulz said: "Not even my pilot, who has surveyed this area for 20 years, had seen anything like it. As we got closer we started to discover its nature: an unprecedented congregation of rays. The group was as thick as it was wide, all heading towards the same direction. I have asked around why this took place but no one has been able to explain it to me."

The photograph earned him the CIWEM Environmental Photographer Of The Year Award in 2012.

Picture Of The Week - Small But Mighty

Not only does this picture prove the power of teamwork, it's also a testament to the amazing strength of ants! According to The Telegraph, a photograph snapped this shot of three ants carrying a dead dragonfly away after it fell out of a spider's web.

We've written before about how incredibly strong ants are, able to carry more than 50 times their weight, but it's always awesome to see it in action!

Picture Of The Week - Frosty Faceplant

You might notice a striking similarity between last week's Picture Of The Week and today's. No, that fox isn't actually face-planting into the snow. He's diving into, hunting for mice.

This amazing photo is just one in a sequence caught by Tin Man Lee during a trip to Yellowstone National Park. He told The Daily Mail: 'I never knew the fox could jump so high and fast - I was in awe,' he said. 'The fox completely ignored my existence.'

'After waiting to see one in six days we couldn't believe it when it decided to hunt right in front of us,' he said. 'We were extremely lucky - it was a dream come true.'

See the sequence of events as they unfolded right before Lee.

Red foxes typically hunt rodents. Their extraordinary sense of sound helps them hunt; they can hear mice squeaking from approximately 300 feet away and can locate noises within one degree. To read more about Lee's photos, click here.

Picture Of The Week - Dive, Dive!

There were a couple reasons why we chose this photo as our Picture Of The Week. The first is because it's timely, with low temperatures and snow and ice prevailing in many parts of our country right now. And second is because of the impressive hunting skills it showcases.

The photo is of a kingfisher plunging into the icy waters and coming back up with three tasty fish to feast upon. Kingsfishers hunt from perches not far above the water. They open their wings underwater and their eyes are covered with a transparent third eyelid. Many young Kingfishers drown during their first attempts at hunting.

Picture Of The Week - Motherly Protection

This incredible image shows a lioness attacking a crocodile as she tries to cross a stream in Africa. But what's even more incredible is why the lioness is attacking: It wasn't just to save herself, it was to protect her lion cubs from the deadly predator.

This photo is just one in a sequence that show the incredible events unfolding. The photographer told the Daily Mail: 'I watched a lioness carefully move out into the channel and then there was a huge splash in the water,' she said.

 

'The sequence of six pictures of the real action were taken in one second.

'Luckily for the lioness the crocodile did not have an opportunity to do the death roll because her mouth was kept closed between the front legs of the lioness,' the photographer added.

'It was only after checking my pictures on the camera viewer that I really realised what I had witnessed. Luckily the story had a happy ending because all the lionesses and cubs made it safely to the other bank.'

 

To read more, and see the entire incident unfold, visit the Daily Mail website.

Picture Of The Week - Hey, That's My Nose!

This week's picture isn't quite as astounding or head-scratching as some of our others, but we had to post it for several reasons. 1) It's adorable. 2) It's just puts us in the Christmas spirit. Although, we do feel for that poor snowman ;-)

How many of you have seen a sight like this in your backyards?

Picture Of The Week - A Dirty Bath

We really don't have much to say about this photo of an elephant taking a dust bath other that it's beautiful. And it makes us very thankful that we take showers! 

Photo via.

Animals Love Fall Leaves

Much how animals enjoy trips to the pumpkin patch as much as humans do, they also enjoy the beautiful fall foliage like we do as well. We might not run and jump in piles of leaves as often or as freely as they do, but maybe it's time for us humans to change that...

Picture Of The Week - Run Aways

What do you think these turkeys are thinking? In the spirit of Thanksgiving humor, we imagine it's something like "Run, boys! I heard them say something about stuffing"! They're running away from the Thanksgiving table, we think, and into freedom :-)

Picture Of The Week - Guess What?

When we saw this picture pop up on our Tumblr feed, we were intrigued, then surprised. And we knew we had to share it with our readers! Can you tell what this? We'll give you three guesses.

1) Did you guess it was some kind of two-headed snake? Sorry, wrong!

2) Did you think it was possibly an exotic bug? Wrong!

3) Maybe a newly-discovered underwater sea creature? Also wrong!

This was a bit of a trick question, since this is a magnified image. This is actually the tip of a hummingbird tongue, which is forked and able to curl into a straw shape so they can suck nectar out of flowers or feeders. The picture is one of a series from the book "Microcosmos" by author Brandon Broll, which includes images of everyday objects magnified up to 22 millions times!

To see a hummingbird's tongue in action, watch the video below!

Pictures Of The Week - Eyes In The Dark

We're sharing two pictures today that remind us of just how scary, menacing and all around creepy animals and nature can be. We think it's the glowing eyes coupled with the animal packs... don't they look like something out of a nature horror movie?

One thing is for certain, we wouldn't want to have to face these animals alone on the farm/in the woods late at night! 

Picture Of The Week - A Kingfisher Goes For A Dive

How stunning is our Picture Of The Week? An underwater photographer caught this amazing shot of a kingfisher diving into water to snap up a fish for dinner. We love the way you can see the motion of the bird in the way the water rushes around it.

Although kingfishers are known for hunting fish, only a few species can dive like this. Other species also feed on crustaceans, frogs and insects. Kingfishers that can dive hunt from a perch above the water; their eyes are able to judge underwater distance very accurately. Upon impacting the water, a membrane covers their eyes to protect their vision.

Pictures Of The Week - Kids & Animals, Part 2

We got such an overwhelming response from our first "Kids & Animals" photo gallery that we decided to do it again! Last time we went with a black and white photo theme; this time we decided to gather pictures of future equestrians with their horses.

If you missed our first "Kids & Animals" post, click here. And to see even more pictures of children and their animal friends, visit our "Kids & Animals" board on Pinterest!