Douglas Main

California is the only place with bioluminescent millipedes.

The spider has unique clawlike hooks on its legs.

Many "spider bites" aren't really spider bites.

Cyclones provide all the ingredients necessary for tornado formation.

A dubious record has been set this year: More than 800 manatees died off Florida, for the first time ever. Many were killed by red tide, a type of toxic algae.

Traditional 40-watt and 60-watt incandescent light bulbs will soon vanish from stores beginning in 2014. They will be replaced by more efficient types of lights.

How many elephants are there in Africa? A new mission will count elephants in 22 countries throughout Africa, the largest effort of its kind.

Maybe Santa only thought his reindeer were "flying" while he was tripping on mushrooms. The modern-day story of Santa derives from a Siberian shaman who gave out 'shrooms, according to one theory.

On Sunday, snow covered 53 percent of the continental United States, which is the largest snow pack on record for that date in the last decade.

Sharks usually approach humans from the rear, according to new research. It's not entirely clear how they know which way humans face.

Here are photos of British kittens, most of which were born unexpectedly. Many people underestimate the age at which cats can become pregnant.

Many people underestimate the age at which cats can become pregnant. This and other misconceptions allow 850,000 unplanned kittens to be born every year.

There are more snowy owls in the eastern United States than at any time in at least 50 years. That may be because there are fewer lemmings up north, or perhaps more snow than usual.

Crocodiles and alligators use sticks as "tools" to lure unsuspecting birds — which fetch floating sticks for their nests — toward them. After that, it's mealtime for the crocs.

Turkestan cockroaches are exchanged on the Internet by reptile owners and are replacing the more familiar oriental cockroaches in some areas of the southwestern United States.

After authorizing officials to shoot snowy owls, New York's Port Authority said that it would instead trap and move birds found in area airports.

Officials have found an endangered Florida panther shot dead in a wildlife reserve in South Florida.

Scientists have discovered two newly recognized species of orchids in the Azores, a cluster of islands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. One of them is the rarest orchid in Europe.