Biota

A rare giant panda called Mei Xiang gave birth to twin cubs at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington on Aug. 22, apparently surprising delighted zoo officials who had expected just one baby.

A first tiny cub -- pink, hairless and only about the size of an adult mouse -- was born at 5:35 pm (2135 GMT) and Mei Xiang reacted by tenderly picking up the cub.

The most powerful bite force in the world belongs to the saltwater crocodile with 16,460 newtons. Scientists believe it has a bite as powerful as its prehistoric ancestor the T-Rex! One of its reptilian relatives called ‘Elvis’ chomped into a watermelon causing it to literally explode!

A long-eared baby owl that fell from its nest in the western province of Afyonkarahisar is undergoing a rehabilitation process. The owl, which sustained wounds to a wing and its feet, will be taken care of for up to three months before being released.

An Oregon cat with a fondness for sharp cheddar and catching mice has become the oldest pet feline in the world at 26 years and 13 days, Guinness World Records officials said on Aug. 13. 

Corduroy lives in the rural community of Sisters, Oregon, about 160 kilometers southeast of Portland, and spends plenty of time outside, the organization said in a statement. 

A video circulating on the internet shows a huge white shark, which is reportedly that largest ever captured on camera. The massive creature is about 6 meters long and is estimated to weigh a whopping 2.2 tons.

Brad Rich went out into the open seas off the shores of Seward in Alaska to record a humpback whale. Watch what happens, as he is absorbed recording the sea gulls. He will never forget it! His reaction is priceless.

A dead caretta-caretta sea turtle was found off the coast at Petre Beach, Rethymnon, Crete, after being captured in a net. Another nearby sea turtle however was luckier. Cretans who saw the turtle managed to rescue the turtle and free it from the fishermen’s nets.

A 65-year-old villager in the ?znik district of Turkey's northwestern Bursa province cried over a decision to cut down around thousand olive trees along a seven-kilometer route in order to install a natural gas pipeline.

The oldest giant panda ever in captivity has tasted a vegetable ice cake and, of course, bamboo in celebration of her 37th birthday.

Jia Jia was recognized on July 28 as holding two Guinness World Records, the oldest ever and the oldest living giant panda.

Born in 1978, Jia Jia has lived at Hong Kong Ocean Park since 1999.

A team of divers in Turkey's southwestern tourist spot of Fethiye discovered a four-meter wide gelatinous mass that could be the largest squid egg mass ever discovered, Deep Sea News reported.

Early on July 2015, a group of divers off the coast of Fethiye discovered and filmed a gelatinous mass which they were unable to identify.