Weird Nature | How Poop Saves Lives, Depressed Dogs & more

Can Dogs be Suicidal?

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This sounds like a really dark place to start, but don’t freak out- a canine psychologist confirms that no, dogs cannot intentionally end their own lives.

But with that being said, how do you explain this?

Around 650 dogs have plunged over the side of Scotland’s Overtaun Bridge in the last 70 years. Some claim that it’s just common sense that dogs are reacting to the smell of small game right below the bridge, but a more popular theory claims that the bridge is haunted. We’ll take dog-ghosts over dog suicide any day. 

The Bug That You Wish You Were Dating

If Goldmember had a tiny pet, we bet he would choose this completely be-jeweled, ladybug-like creature that shows you exactly how it feels. If you find a gold one, you know it’s feelin’ good. But when they’re stressed or upset, they morph into a bright red or greenish color.

Seriously, how nice would it be if your girlfriend did that? You’d always know what’s actually going on when she says “I’m fine.”

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The Mussel Apocalypse

If you love a big bowl of mussels steamed in beer broth as much as we do, you better appreciate it while you still can. 

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They’re dying at a scarily high rate at the freshwater Clinch River in Tennessee. And that’s not the only place — Washington, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin are seeing similar problems due to some unknown disease. Hopefully marine biologists can save them before we start seeing huge markups on our favorite pub app.

The Giant Shark You Didn't Know About

Unlike mussels, we’re glad that this one is already extinct – the prehistoric Megalodon shark was 10 times the size of a T. Rex, with giant jaws that could crush a car. If you could somehow drag it onto a scale, it would clock in at around 143,000 pounds. 

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To give you a quick visual reference, if a modern great white shark swam next to it, it would just barely match the length of the Megalodon’s dick. Talk about penis envy!

Can Poop Save Lives?

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There’s a lot of concern about koalas these days — or really, any animals native to Australia, where wildfires have been burning out of control. But even before the fires, koalas were at risk of starvation because their favorite food source, the manna gum tree, is becoming scarce. 

To help koalas branch out a little, researchers are finding that fecal transplants help encourage them to eat other tree species that they used to shy away from. Poop to the rescue!

Not So Dark After All

As long as we live in a world where excrement can save a species, where bugs tell you how they feel and where Megalodon doesn’t exist, we have hope for planet earth. 

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