And the Award for Biggest Animal on Earth Goes to …

The Blue Whale! We know little about these gorgeous animals, as they spend most of their lives in the deep sea. We do know that they may live as long as humans, and that they weigh about four times more than the heaviest known dinosaur ever did. For more fun facts, turn to card #55 of our “Monsters of the Deep,” and watch the below video to see these graceful, yet enormous, creatures in action:

Rattlesnake vs Red-Tailed Hawk

The Rattlesnake can deliver a deadly bite, killing its victims almost immediately, while the Red-Tailed Hawk, with its sharp beak and claws, not to mention ability to hunt from an elevated perch site, can swoop down from a perch to easily seize grounded prey.

Read up on these creatures, found in our “Toxic Terrors” and “Nightmares of Natures” categories, then make an educated guess – Who will win? The answer may surprise you!

Saber Toothed Cat: True or False?

Give it your best shot! Before you go researching this creature online or in our “Monsters of the Past” cards, let your imagination go wild – given its name, what do you think this ancient beast would look like? Would it be poisonous? How many teeth – or many fangs – would it have? Then take a minute and, based on what you came up with, try to decipher if the following statements are TRUE or FALSE:

The saber-toothed cat once roamed the planes of Asia

The saber-toothed cat has enormous, walrus-like canine teeth that it used to slash its victim from the throat to belly

The saber-toothed cat weighed up to 450 pounds

The saber-toothed cat had an extremely long tail

The saber-toothed cat lived about 200 years ago

The saber-toothed cat didn’t run its prey down, but preferred to ambush it

The saber-toothed cat purred when it was happy

The saber-toothed cat’s jaw opened about twice as wide as that of today’s lion, allowing it to stab its victim with its teeth

You can find out more about the Saber-toothed cat on card #14 of “Monsters of the Past!”

Hyenas on the Hunt

Among the most dreaded animals to stumble across in all of Africa, these relentless creatures are greedy scavengers and feared hunters, tearing its victim to shreds until there’s hardly anything left and often making a “laughing” noise during their feast. Hyenas pick on animals far larger than themselves, and thanks to having some of the strongest jaws on earth, they normally win. To read more, turn to “Nightmares of Nature” card #18.

The Real Prince of Persia

Nope, this ruler of Persia has nothing to do with the 2010 movie, “Prince of Persia: Sands of Time.” We’re talking about the legendary Azhi Dahaka.

The Azhi Dahaka was one of the most horrific monsters in all of Middle Eastern mythology. Created by an evil God, this three-headed dragon terrorized all the people of the land once known as Persia (trivia question: what is Persia called today? Answer: Iran). This dragon’s intent was to destroy the world, and it would stop at nothing. In one story, the Azhi Dahaka was sent to swallow the sun, so all of life on Earth would perish. The monster was stopped by the fire God, Atar, and chained to a mountain near the Caspian Sea. Some believe that the monster is still alive but just dormant, waiting for his chance to be freed from his chains and once again bring even more destruction into the world.

To read more about this fascinating legend, flip to card #16 of “Monsters of the Mind.”

Terrifying Minotaurs

We’ve all heard of mythological creatures like the Cyclops and the Warewolf, but have you ever heard of the Minotaur?

According to Greek mythology, the Minotaur was the child of the Queen Pasiphae with the head of a sacrificial bull, and the Minotaur was so dangerously bloodthirsty that he was forced to live in an underground labyrinth. The beast craved the taste of humans, and to satisfy him, the Greeks chose one man every nine years to send into the labyrinth. The poor man would wander the maze’s dark corridors, desperately searching for its exit, but instead, finding only the jagged teeth and horns of the Minotaur as it tore its victim to shreds.

Never heard of the Minotaur, and don’t believe it existed? Well, that could be because one Athenian hero eventually killed him – who, you might ask? Turn to card #11 in our “Monsters of the Mind” to find the answer. Then decide for yourself if this savage beast was a figment of the imagination, or a real-life, blood-curdling monster who finally met a fateful end.

Who You Calling Four … Er … Eight Eyes?

Ever asked your mom for a pet spider, only to have her give you a flat out “no way, jose”? Well, here’s an idea – ask her first for a pet jumping spider first! This spider is king of the arachnids world, and rules with fangs of venom. Not only do they have the highest IQ of all spiders, but jumping spiders also have eight eyes, both of which helps them to perfectly calculate how to leap great distances, but land squarely on a victim’s back – which happens just seconds before the jumping spider injects paralyzing venom into its victim. Oh, and did I mention how far they can jump? A whooping six and a half feet – that’s taller than me!

Okay, okay, so your mom will probably say no to this, too (and with good reason), but comparatively, a nice litle, say, tarantula will look as innocent as a field mouse!

Look for these delightfully deadly creatures in your “Toxic Terrors” cards!

Name That Creature!

Using the clues below, can you figure out what creature we’re talking about?

• This creature will attack on land and in the water, and it will even climb up a tree to get a meal
• This creature is a lizard and looks similar to a crocodile or an alligator
• This creature may only clock in at 6.5 feet, but it will tackle animals much larger than itself – including humans
• This creature has a green body, with yellow spots and stripes

Stumped? Ready for your final clue? Okay … but as a warning … only look if you want a BIG clue. Here it is:

• This creature has “Nile” in its name

And here’s a final hint – this reptile is revealed in card #8 of “Nightmares of Nature.”

Good luck! And keep checking back – we’ll tell you the answer next month!

Is an Anaconda from Rwanda?

Nope, sorry! Rwanda is a country in Africa, and anacondas are actually indigenous to South America. But I wish anacondas were from Rwanda, if only because it’s so much fun to say. The largest snake in the world (by far!), weighing in at hundreds of pounds and measuring over 25 feet in length, the anaconda has inspired loads of stories and legends about its origins, as people tried to figure this beast of a snake out. Sadly, given its impressive build, coupled with the fact that the anaconda has massive muscles along its body that allow it to wrap itself around a victim and crush its bone with a force few can escape from, not many of these aforementioned stories ever made it too far (gulp, slurp, goodbye!).

Watch the below video to learn more about the anaconda, or check him out in our “Nightmares of Nature” cards!

Velvet Worm: Harmless, Right?

Wrong! It may sound as common and harmless as a lamb, but the velvet worm is one of nature’s creepiest oddities, a creature that leaves you scratching your head, wondering how on earth it came to exist. It has an astonishing 86 legs, each of which help it to close in on its prey. Once close enough to its poor victim, the velvet worm spits out a deadly “glue” that eats away its nemesis’ body and keeps it from moving. Learn more by watching the video, below, or checking this guy out under our “Nightmare of Nature,” cards.