Scientists Make Supersoldier Ants

When eight bizarrely big-headed soldier ants turned up in a wild colony collected from Long Island, N.Y., scientists knew they had found something interesting. 

This discovery of these oversized versions of soldier ants, whose job is to defend the nest, led researchers to create their own supersoldier ants in the lab with the help of a hormone, and, by doing so, offer an explanation for how ants, and possibly other social insects, take on specific forms with dedicated jobs within their colonies.
It turns out these abnormal soldier ants were throwbacks to an ancestral state, one that no longer shows up within their species except, apparently, by accident. This phenomenon occasionally pops up elsewhere, in the form of whales bearing limbs their ancestors lost, chickens with teeth or humans with tails. [10 Vestigial Limbs & Organs] 

"It's been known for a long time that these kinds of slips occur, and they are viewed as the Barnum and Bailey of evolution," said the study's senior researcher Ehad Abouheif, Canada research chair in evolutionary developmental biology at McGill University. "What we are showing for the first time is there is this ancestral potential sitting there, and when poked by the environment it can really unleash this potential that can power evolution." 

Read more at: http://www.livescience.com/17766-supersoldier-ants-castes-evolution.html

Dalmation has 15 puppies - double the average number

Not quite 101 Dalmations

There aren't quite a 101 of them but for new mum Pebbles her 15 Dalmatian puppies are more than enough.


Pebbles' owner Kay Sullivan was left shocked when her pet pooch gave birth to the huge litter - double the average number.

The birth left two-and-half-year old Pebbles so exhausted that she, husband Neil and daughter Cerys had to step in to lend a hand.

Mrs Sullivan, of Garnant, Carmarthenshire, said: "By the time we had fed the last one, it was time to go back to the first one."

And thanks to their help all of the puppies have survived. The family now have the task of coming up with names for all five males and ten females.

Newly christened is Patch and Phantom Of The Opera due to the fact half his face is black and the other white.

Their story has drawn parallels to the Disney film '101 Dalmatians' because 15 is the number of puppies stolen from Dalmatian parents Pongo and Perdy.

Mrs Sullivan, who is not a dog breeder, said they may keep one or two of the new arrivals but were looking to sell the rest.

"We were expecting an average litter of about seven or eight. We weren't expecting 15. It's a bit much," she said. "We don't want 15 dogs running around."

Two snouts are better than one: Poor three-eyed pig that always hogs the trough

A piglet from Changtai County in southern China's Fujian Province has been born with three eyes and two mouths.


Xiao Jintu, owner of a local pig farm, said the piglet is one from a 12-strong litter. 'It came out 5th and I was stunned in seeing its appearance'.

The piglet has two symmetrical mouths and an extra eye in the center of its forehead.


Neighbours have been visiting the pig farm nonstop since the birth of the piglet and Mr Xiao says he plans to keep it as a pet.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2073654/Two-snouts-better-Poor-eyed-pig-hogs-trough.html

Two-headed albino milk snake shows its true colours... or lack thereof

A rarity has occurred within the grounds of the Sunshine Serpents conservation group in Florida as a two-headed Hoduran milk snake was born without any pigmentation.

The double-headed - bicephalic, to be technical - snake hatched to reveal its two heads, a development that has a one in 10,000 chance of happening.

Although the snake's skin has thick and thin bright orange stripes, its lack of dark pigmentation across the skin and within the eyes identifies it as being albino. The orange stripes are usually accompanied by black or deep-red pigments of skin.

The name of the mysterious dweller comes from the common myth that this particular species of reptile would suck milk from cow's udders. However, the liquid is far from being top of any milk snake's list, as they consume insects, lizards, birds and other small mammals.
Daniel Parker, a biologist at the University of Central Florida, said: ‘I did a double take. I couldn’t believe what I was looking at.’


Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/stories/880503-two-headed-albino-milk-snake-shows-its-true-colours-or-lack-thereof#ixzz1ce4B1A6r

Meet the world's oldest two-faced cat

We're used to hearing of animals setting world records by living to extraordinary old ages.

 But perhaps not animals that boast not one but two faces:

The creature, who is named Frank and Louie, hails from Massachusetts in the United States. At 12 years of age, it is now officially the world's longest surviving so-called "janus" feline.

Frank and Louie has two mouths, two noses and three eyes, but one brain, meaning its faces react in unison.

 The name "Janus cat" was coined by British zoologist Dr. Karl Shuker, based on the two-faced Roman god of transitions, gates and doorways.

 The cat's owner, a woman only identified as Marty, lives near Worcester in Massachusetts and has asked to remain anonymous. She was working as a veterinary technician in 1999 when a day-old, two-faced kitten about the size of her thumb was brought into her clinic to be euthanised. She adopted the cat and the pair have lived together ever since.

 Frank and Louie's remarkable achievement will be recorded in the 2012 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records.

http://news.uk.msn.com/blog/news-bite-blogpost.aspx?post=cea5a4b5-2e39-4056-9891-73887a47dec9

An extra mouth to feed

This tiny porker has an excuse for making a pig of himself at mealtimes - he really does have two mouths to feed.

The two-month-old youngster - part of a litter born on a farm in Deshengtang, Jilin province, northern China - can use both his mouths to eat and appears otherwise normal, say his owners.

Farmer Li Zhenjun and his wife Yu Wanfen named the piglet Xiaobao - or 'Babe' in English - after the movie about an extraordinary talking pig.

Li explained: "The mouths aren't much of an advantage because his head is very heavy and he gets pushed around by the others.

"I'm feeding her with a bottle now and she's doing very well."

http://web.orange.co.uk/article/quirkies/An_extra_mouth_to_feed

Guatemala pig 'alien' born with mutant head after UFOs seen in the sky

Aliens have been blamed for the freakish appearance of a pig born in the remote village of Santa Cruz El Chol in Guatemala.

Residents of the South American village have decided that the pig's odd human-shaped head is the doing of visitors from outer space, after strange bright lights were spotted hovering in the sky on the night of its birth.

The poor pig, which is one of a litter of 11, has been described as looking like a cross between a human and something from the Alien movies.

Farmer Laureano Escobar Arias said: 'I was shocked - it was a really terrifying experience.
'It looked like some kind of alien creature.'

However, local health officials have suggested that there are more earthly reasons for the pig's appearance.

'We don't know for certain but it could have been caused by a genetic problem or by environmental pollution,' one commented.

A bit closer to home, pathologists are investigating a series of animal mutilations in Wales, with aliens once again the suspected culprits.

It is thought that the surgical-style injuries are too sophisticated for other animals to cause and, once again, bright lights were seen near the scene.

Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/874187-guatemala-pig-alien-born-after-ufos-seen-in-the-sky#ixzz1X4qWKrtU

Two-headed calf born in Georgia

By Associated Press
Story Published: Jan 7, 2011 at 8:59 AM PST

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) - A cow in Georgia has given birth to a two-headed calf.

Farmer Irakli Dzhgarkava, shown with the calf on Imedi television, says the cow is refusing to allow her strange offspring to suckle, so they are giving it milk from a bottle.

He says the calf eats with both heads.

Friday's television report says people have been coming to the village of Martvili to see the grayish-brown calf since it was born Jan. 2.

The village is located in western Georgia, about 280 kilometers (170 miles) from the capital, Tbilisi.


http://www.keprtv.com/news/offbeat/113078174.html

Two-headed calf born in Georgia

By Associated Press
Story Published: Jan 7, 2011 at 8:59 AM PST

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) - A cow in Georgia has given birth to a two-headed calf.

Farmer Irakli Dzhgarkava, shown with the calf on Imedi television, says the cow is refusing to allow her strange offspring to suckle, so they are giving it milk from a bottle.

He says the calf eats with both heads.

Friday's television report says people have been coming to the village of Martvili to see the grayish-brown calf since it was born Jan. 2.

The village is located in western Georgia, about 280 kilometers (170 miles) from the capital, Tbilisi.


http://www.keprtv.com/news/offbeat/113078174.html

Fright as calf born with five legs

Jonathan King got the fright of his life when he helped deliver a calf with five legs.


The Reporoa dairy farm manager said he thought it was a bit odd to find the calf with an extra leg attached to its neck when he and farm worker Ben Shaw helped a struggling cow give birth recently.

"At first I thought I was dreaming as I gave it an extra tug," he said.

"I thought 'that's not right'. It was a bit odd ... It's like an extra shoulder on its neck with a hoof on it."

However, the animal isn't at all perturbed by the extra limb draped across her neck - she's doing everything every other growing calf is doing.

"She's perfectly healthy," he said. "In fact she's really healthy and not fazed at all by it." He's not sure what went wrong but another calf born this season had no tail and a few years back one was born with a third eye while another didn't have any bones.

"I think something strange must have happened at the last mating. I reckon it could have something to do with the new staff," he said jokingly.

"It's weird though because it's a Friesian calf but the extra leg looks like an angus."

He plans to put the animal on Trade Me but if it doesn't get any bites she's heading for the freezer.

"I might get an extra corn beef off that extra leg," he told The Daily Post.

Odd One: Reporoa dairy farm manager Jonathan King with the Friesian calf born with an extra leg, seen draped across its neck.

Reporoa veterinarian Mike Beavon said it was unusual for an animal to be born with an extra limb but not impossible.

"Most vets see the odd lamb with five or six legs every season," he said.

Fright as calf born with five legs

Jonathan King got the fright of his life when he helped deliver a calf with five legs.


The Reporoa dairy farm manager said he thought it was a bit odd to find the calf with an extra leg attached to its neck when he and farm worker Ben Shaw helped a struggling cow give birth recently.

"At first I thought I was dreaming as I gave it an extra tug," he said.

"I thought 'that's not right'. It was a bit odd ... It's like an extra shoulder on its neck with a hoof on it."

However, the animal isn't at all perturbed by the extra limb draped across her neck - she's doing everything every other growing calf is doing.

"She's perfectly healthy," he said. "In fact she's really healthy and not fazed at all by it." He's not sure what went wrong but another calf born this season had no tail and a few years back one was born with a third eye while another didn't have any bones.

"I think something strange must have happened at the last mating. I reckon it could have something to do with the new staff," he said jokingly.

"It's weird though because it's a Friesian calf but the extra leg looks like an angus."

He plans to put the animal on Trade Me but if it doesn't get any bites she's heading for the freezer.

"I might get an extra corn beef off that extra leg," he told The Daily Post.

Odd One: Reporoa dairy farm manager Jonathan King with the Friesian calf born with an extra leg, seen draped across its neck.

Reporoa veterinarian Mike Beavon said it was unusual for an animal to be born with an extra limb but not impossible.

"Most vets see the odd lamb with five or six legs every season," he said.