Young jungle cats develop predatory skills rapidly and are able to stalk, kill, and eat their own prey by 6 months old. At 8 to 9 months old, they become independent. Although they specialize on small prey, jungle cats have been known to kill wild pigs ( Sus scrofa ) and chital fawns ( Axis axis ).

Meet the maned wolf. Even though it’s called a maned wolf, it isn’t actually a true wolf. It’s its own unique species that lives in South America, mostly in open grasslands and those long legs help it walk easily through tall grass and plants.

The White-Marked Tussock Moth: the females of this species are essentially wingless, and they have plump, grub-like bodies that are covered in fuzz

The Sea Mouse: this marine worm's body is fringed by photonic crystals that emit colorful displays of light; each crystal is essentially a hollow, glassy tube with a wall composed of 88 perfectly hexagonal cylinders

Flattened Clown Beetles: these beetles have a remarkably thin, flat shape that allows them to slide beneath the bark of dead and dying trees, where they feed on the larvae of other invertebrates

A brain imaging study found that when crows become proficient tool-users, their brain activity shifts; engaging motor learning, memory, and tactile control centers (much like what happens in humans when learning complex tasks).

The Titan beetle (Titanus giganteus), found in the Amazon rainforest, is one of the largest beetles on Earth! With a body length of up to 17 cm (6.7 in) long. Their jaws are so strong they can snap a pencil.

House centipedes have very long antennae, which differ in length depending on if it's a male or female. If the antennae are nearly twice as long as its body length, congratulations, it's a girl!

Emperor penguins are the deepest-diving birds on Earth. They can plunge to depths exceeding 500 meters, with the deepest recorded dive reaching an incredible 565 meters!

Jaguarundis are known as very secretive animals & have well developed senses of sight, hearing, and smell. They are terrestrial but are also good climbers and swimmers.

The Spectacled Salamander: when threatened, this salamander will often curl its body into a defensive position that displays the aposomatic markings on the underside of its tail and legs

The Caterpillar-Mimicking Spider: this species of jumping spider mimics a lichen moth caterpillar, possibly as a way to deter predators

Pram Shrimp: these semi-transparent crustaceans lay their eggs in the hollowed-out bodies of sea salps, then carry the clear, barrel-shaped nests through the water as their offspring develop inside

The Phantom Nudibranch: this sea slug's body is almost completely transparent, revealing the delicate network of organs within

Spooky animal facts! The Fangtooth fishes are deep sea fishes found at depths of ~ 5000m. They have the largest teeth of any fish relative to their own body size and in fact cannot close their mouths fully!

The island canary is the wild ancestor of the domestic canary. It was bred to be garishly coloured, to have different haircuts and postures, and to imitate other birds or babbling water. Its wild form can still be found across its native islands: Madeira, the Azores, and the Canaries.

Elysia viridis: this sea slug engages in photosynthesis by "stealing" chloroplasts from algae and then incorporating those cells into its own body, where they continue to photosynthesize, allowing the sea slug to survive without food for months at a time

Teddy Bear Bees: these enormous bees can measure up to 26mm (roughly 1 inch) long, and the males are covered in thick, golden "fur" that makes them look like flying teddy bears

The desmans are the odd duo out in the mole family. Both are semi-aquatic: the Russian desman lives in slow-moving waters, while the Pyrenean prefers fast-moving mountain streams. Desmans were more numerous once, but today these are the last two species left.

The Camouflaged Looper: this caterpillar creates its own camouflage using flower petals and foliage from the plants that it feeds upon, "gluing" the pieces onto its body with silk; when the caterpillar moves to a new host plant, it adjusts the disguise to match its new surroundings

Bee Hummingbirds: these are the smallest birds in the world, with males measuring up to 5.5cm long and weighing an average of just 1.95 grams, which is less than the weight of a dime

The Muñoa Pampascat will likely be the first cat species to go extinct since the Pleistocene, with only 45-50 individuals left, no established populations and their remaining natural habitat quickly being turned into soy fields.

Bumble-Beetles: these beetles are covered in thick, fuzzy bristles and banded markings that allow them to mimic bumblebees; both of these images depict bumblebee-mimicking beetles

The Kauaʻi cave wolf spider, living in lightless caverns, has lost all vestiges of its eyes. A female cave wolf is known to weave a globular egg sac, which she then carries around. She'll keep her eggs, and later her spiderlings, safe on her body until they can fend for themselves.

The raccoon dog isn’t a raccoon at all — it’s a canid, more closely related to foxes. It’s the only member of the dog family that hibernates, able to put on 50% of its body weight in fat reserves as winter approaches, before snuggling down in its den, often with its partner.