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Celebrating TopTenz.net’s 1,000th list coming up on August 3, 2012, here is our 2nd list this week about the number 1,000. In 1974, Gene Wilder, playing Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, screamed in an annoyed tone at a young medical student, “Hearts and kidneys are tinker toys!  I’m talking about the central nervous system!”  As long as [...]

Whale watching is an activity with massive worldwide appeal.  Regardless of an individual’s age and interests, tourists travel to far-flung corners of the globe to catch a glimpse of the cetaceans in their natural habitat.  The chance of seeing these majestic and awe-inspiring creatures is certainly an experience of a lifetime, so with that in [...]

Everybody loves watching cute animal videos online. They rule the Internet and people can’t get enough of them. Perhaps no other animals have risen to fame as quickly as the sneezing panda and the surprised kitty did. They are the stars of this list, but also less famous animal videos are guaranteed to make you [...]

According to MedlinePlus.com, your skin is the largest organ in your body in both weight and surface area. Your skin alone weighs between six and nine pounds and stretches about 2-square yards! Your skin plays an important part in protecting your body from harmful bacteria, infections and regulates your body temperature. Sometimes, your skin takes [...]

Though related to nearly brainless slugs, snails and mussels, Cephalopods such as octopuses (the correct plural, wise guys) and squids are some of the most sophisticated animals known to man, possessed of impressive intelligence, a versatile anatomy and adaptations proving we don’t need to leave the Earth to see something alien. The following are just [...]

While many living things live their lives in organized groups, some take socialism to strange extremes; some link their bodies together to essentially build one large body, others may produce young physically adapted to fill specific roles. 10. Corals Related to jellyfish and anemones in the phylum Cnidaria, a coral colony typically consists of several [...]

Many animals unfortunately suffer from a rather negative image in human culture, regarded by us as frightening, disgusting or just plain lowly. Nature, however, has no “vermin” or “pests” – all things have their place in the natural order of things, and in most cases, the benefits of an organism far outweigh its (accidental) inconveniences. [...]

The modern ocean is a scary place, filled with barracuda, sharks, super-squids, and possibly Cthulhu. However, no matter what we find in the depths these days, none of them seem to come close to the giant terrors that roamed the seas in Earth’s past; giant sea-lizards, monster sharks and even “hypercarnivorous” whales. For most of [...]

There are many beautiful animals on this great planet. Some are familiar to us because we’ve seen them in person, on one of the many television shows devoted to animals, or in school books or biology textbooks.  Other animals are rare.  So rare, in fact, that you may have never heard of them.  Or, you [...]

The consumption of blood is scientifically known as haematophagy, and an organism that feeds partially or exclusively on blood is haematophagous. As non-parasitic omnivores, it’s easy for us humans to vilify this seemingly alien lifestyle, but consider the fact that many other creatures, including ourselves, are constantly forced to kill to survive. The animals you’re [...]