Triceratops’ Ancestors Discovered!

The famous “three horned face” dinosaur known as Triceratops has for years been considered the king of  the horned dinosaurs.But not any more! Triceratops’ triceratopsian family tree has just expanded, and as it turns out, Triceratops’ ancestors were bigger, weirder, and wilder!

This past month, a fossil of a new species that reigned long before Triceratops was discovered, making it the earliest known member of its family. The new species, called Titanoceratops, rivaled Triceratops in size, with an estimated weight of nearly 15,000 pounds and a massive eight-foot-long skull.  Titanoceratops lived in the American southwest during the late Cretaceous period around 74 million years ago. Paleontologists also said that Titanoceratops was probably only around for about a million years, while the triceratopsian family existed for a total of about 10 million years and roamed beyond the American southwest into other parts of the country.

Only around for about a million years?! Considering that modern humans (or homo sapiens) have only existed for about 200,000 years, Titanoceratops has still got an edge over us!

To read more about these fascinating dinos, turn to “Monsters of the Past,” card #11.

Weird n’ Wild Word Search!

This word search’s theme? Strange Wonders!

You can print out the following word search, or search on screen! Choose from the following word bank: Platypus, Mudskipper, Salamander, Tarsier, Eel, Woodlice, Desman, Cicada, Pangolin, Seahorse, Silverfish, Tuatara, Giraffe, Pichiciego, Armadillo, Porcupine, Kangaroo, Weevil, Lungfish

Calling All Artists!

Hey all you artists out there!

Right now we are accepting submissions of YOUR artwork! Be it a painting, drawing, or picture of a 3-D model you built, there’s just one rule: the subject matter MUST be both weird and wild! So start digging around in your Weird n’ Wild Creatures collection and find a creature that surpasses all others in being the gnarliest, the hairiest, the most poisonous, the most disgusting, or the most terrifying, give it your own little twist as you re-imagine it on paper, scan a copy of your artwork, then upload and viola – your artwork will be displayed on our website for everyone to admire!

Name That Dino!

Below you’ll find five fun facts … Can you name this dinosaur?!

This dinosaur’s name means, “swift plunderer” or “speedy thief”

This dinosaur belonged to the genus of dinosaurs known as dromaeosaurid theropod

This dinosaur had razor-sharp teeth with saw edges and killer claw – it also ate other dinosaurs

This dinosaur lived about 99-65 million years ago

This dinosaur was about six feet tall – the size of a grown up! Not very large for a dinosaur, it liked to travel in packs

(Psst.. take a look at our “Monsters of the Past” cards)

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

Real-Life Vampires!

The largest bat in the new world, the vampire bat needs blood to satisfy its appetite. Birds, rodents, and even other bats will do. Read up on these bats (and way to avoid them!) by turning to our “Nightmares of Nature” cards, and watching the below video:

King of the Lizards

If you only watch one video on our entire website, watch this one, below, on the Regal Horned Lizard – you’ll see why soon. This lizard of lizards truly personifies what it means to be weird and wild – and I would add, gross! Read more about these amazing lizards on card #29, “Nightmares of Nature.”

An Eco-Friendly Eel

Anime, Nintendo,  Bento Boxes … the Japanese think of everything cool! And just this Christmas, they were ahead of the curve again – but this time, using a weird and wild creature.

This past Christmas the Aqua Toto Gifu Aquarium, found in the south of Tokyo, used … get this … an electric eel to light their Christmas tree! We all know (or at least those of who have read WWC’s “Strange Wonder,” card #14!) that an electric eel can deliver an electric current stronger than a stun gun – enough to knock over a horse. The electric eel uses its natural ability to send volts to hunt its prey and keep enemies at bay … And now, to light Christmas trees! The Japan recognized the electric eel’s power and decided to capture it by filling an aluminum-paneled aquarium with electric eels. Each time the electric eel touched a copper wire on the panel in its tank, it sent power; collectively, the eels generated enough power to light up globes decking a Christmas tree. Literally and figuratively: Brilliant!

Toe-Biter

Noooo, we’re not talking about your baby brother. This toe-biter – also known as the Giant Water Bug – hides underwater, among plants and rocks, and awaits a target. Once the toe-biter spots a tasty-looking dinner (which can be just about anything that moves, including creatures much larger than themselves, like frogs and fish), it pierces its victim’s flesh and injects an enzyme that dissolves the victim’s insides! Watch the toe-biter in action below, or turn to card ‘Tiny Terror” card #7 to read more!

Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite!

Heard this nursery rhyme before and thought it was cute, but just for kids? Think again! These blood suckers are very real, and if your home gets infested, can cause very real damage. Watch this video to learn more about these gross insects, or turn to Tiny Terror’s card #67. Scratch, scratch!

Mammoth Munchies

Wooly mammoths lived from about 2 million years ago to 9,000 years ago, during the last ice age. To fuel its massive body and stay warm, the wooly mammoth had to eat for up to – get this – 20 hours a day! It spent so much time eating that the wooly mammoth’s four teeth, each one as big as a shoebox, would wear down over the years, and new teeth would grow it place. Here are a few other fun facts about the wooly mammoth’s diet:

• The wooly mammoth ate between 130 to 660 pounds of food each day
• The wooly mammoth drank between 16 to 40 gallons of water per day
• The wooly mammoth produced between 310 to 400 pounds of dung per day (can you imagine that?)

All this food, all this dung – but where did it come from? What do you think the wooly mammoth ate?

Believe it or not, woooly mammoths were mostly herbivores, eating plants, trees, and shrubs, much like today’s (smaller) modern elephant. The wooly mammoth may have had enormous tusks,  their tusks were mostly used as shovels, to dig in the snow, and not to kill other animals. Who knew?!

Learn more about these awesome (but peaceful!) mammals by flipping to card #21 of “Monsters of the Past.”