A Very Tiny Dog Sits On a Very, Very Big Dog – 1950
Taken back in 1950, next on the list is the above, adorable photograph of a small dog hilariously sitting on top of a massive Great Dane. For many, the Great Dane dog breed is a perfect dog breed. Not only do these huge, gentle giants act as extremely loving and nurturing parents to its own pups — and, as exhibited in the above photo, other dog pups as well — the Great Dane is also known to get along particularly well with human children.
First developed in Germany as a dog bred specifically to be large and strong enough to hunt boars — an animal known for its notoriously dangerous aggression and power — the Great Dane was formally recognized as an official dog breed in 1998. Since then, the Great Dane is highly regarded as one of the most popular in the U.S. In the 2017 registration study, this dog breed was ranked the 15th most popular breed!
A Giant Walrus Takes a Nap Atop a Russian Submarine
Think your sleeping habits are weird? Think again. In this hilarious photograph, an exhausted walrus is spotted choosing a particularly unusual bed: the deck of a Russian submarine. Truth be told, this is actually not the strangest place a walrus has ever been known to sleep. Indeed, of all the animals in the animal kingdom, walruses are notoriously some of the strangest, most unusual sleepers. According to sleep experts, walruses can actually go a shocking amount of time without sleep, and are able to swim almost continuously for up to a staggering 84 hours.
"The discovery that walruses remain active for periods lasting up to 84 hours without showing behavioral signs of sleep is unprecedented," said sleep specialist Niels Rattenborg. With such high amounts of constant, non-stop exercise, it makes sense that afterward, these enormous marine animals clock-in a startling amount of sleep: up to 19 hours, to be exact. Rattenborg claims that this animal's "unusual ecological niche” of part-land, part-sea could potentially explain the walruses’ shockingly unusual sleep patterns.
A Short-eared Owl Soars High in the Sky
With the exception of Australia and Antarctica, this species of owl is found on nearly every continent. Unique to most other species of owls, the short-eared owl species does not “hoot” or “screech.” Instead, it claps. Indeed, the short-eared owl (and some other birds as well) produce a clapping noise—a sound which results when the bird’s wings clap together while in flight.
According to experts, this noise has a few functions, one of which is a behavior pertaining to this owl’s mating behaviors, in which this owl emits this noise in an attempt to attract the attention of any nearby females. Additionally, the clapping noise can also be used to ward off intruders. In yet another attempt to fend off any unwanted guests, when caring for its young, the short-eared owl will also perform an “injured bird” act, in order to fend off any potential intruders.
An Australian Green Tree Frog Piggy Backs Atop an African Spurred Tortoise
When this photograph began appearing on an increasing number of ‘photo-of-the-day’ and ‘weird news’ sites, immediately journalists began to claim it was false. And, as it turns out, they were completely correct. While the frog is identified as an Australian green tree frog, the tortoise, an African Sulcata, is from the hot, arid regions of Sub-Sahara Africa, and do not do well in the damp, wet, or cold conditions often enjoyed by the Green Tree Frog, who reside primarily in forests, woodlands, and wetlands.
Taken by a photographer in Indonesia, after his photo was called out and tracked down, he eventually admitted to buying his photography wildlife subjects at a nearby, local pet shop. It is with these purchased animals that he poses them for his photos, which he then sells to wire services. Sadly, in reality, while this completely falsified, manufactured photograph is adorable, we must remember that one should not always believe everything you see or read on the internet.
A Newborn Nile Crocodile Prepares to Depart Its Egg
The below photo displays a truly beautiful, rare moment. Here, a newborn crocodile prepares itself as it leaves its shell and enters the world for the very first time. And while this baby croc has successfully made it to this final stage of incubation, many other crocodile infants are not so lucky. Sadly, of the average 10 to 60 eggs laid at a time by the mother crocodile, few reach the hatching stage. The combination of predators, flooding, and a number of other circumstances often lead to the destruction of up to half of all eggs laid by the crocodile mother.
Of all crocodile hatchlings, it is estimated only one percent of these babies survive to full maturity. However, on the bright side, for those lucky crocs that do survive, the tables of fate for these animals quickly turn, and the adult crocodile ultimately emerges as a reptile with virtually no predators. While the length of a crocodile’s life varies by species, the average lifespan of a fully matured adult crocodile ranges from 30 to 75 years.