Once thought to be aberrant behaviour, cannibalism is common in the natural world - and for many species, not necessarily a bad thing.

Sharks have hogged the spotlight this summer. But what about the smaller creatures that inhabit our waters. Fish that can go from being female to male or sea cucumbers that can reorganise the position of their vital organs before splitting in two. They all live in Australian waters: in our bays, harbours and deep oceans.

'Took a bit of practice' to get two shooters in sync, one with contraceptive and the other with marker dye.

A rodeo in New Zealand is to use men dressed as sheep because chasing real sheep is banned.

Meet Taronga Zoo's newest addition  - one of the world's tiniest and rarest primates, a mohawk-sporting baby cotton-top tamarin.

The world's first transgenic ants offer scientists the chance to explore the evolution of animal societies - and, perhaps, our own.

The number of mammals used in animal testing could be cut dramatically thanks to moth larvae, scientists say.

The man also used the animal's carcass to threaten passers-by in a bizarre act of animal cruelty.

An adorable baby red panda who suffered horrific neck injuries has a second lease on life thanks to a cuddly toy and a Sydney zookeeper.

An analysis of more than a decade of Australian bites and stings has found that the bee poses the biggest public health threat.

Questions about sharks in Victoria that you probably have wondered about at some point, but never found the answers to.

A woman in Switzerland has been refused citizenship, and therefore a passport, because her "annoying" vegan campaigning has rubbed her neighbours up the wrong way.

It was a tough call as to who had the more enviable job. The answer depended which end of a large and potentially dangerous predator you would rather be working on: the head (read canine teeth) or the tail (read anal gland).

• COMMENT

Growing up in Pakistan, my favourite show was Flipper. Living in a city a thousand kilometres from the nearest ocean, it was the most I knew about our beautiful dolphin friends.

Tilikum, the killer whale featured in the documentary "Blackfish" that made the case against keeping orcas in captivity died on Friday, SeaWorld officials said.

He was quite the catch: young, good looking and fit. Spotted lounging in a tree not far from the edge of a road, this koala was a welcome addition to a study which hopes to shed light on why the Somers koala population is in decline.

Chickens are just as intelligent as many of their feathered friends and demonstrate thinking skills on par with mammals and primates, a US scientist has discovered.

To the uninitiated they don't look like much to get excited about. Perhaps the only intriguing thing is that their bulbous bodies are a milky-white, rather than dark brown or black. But these tadpoles are special.

First came the clouds of mosquitoes, then the swarms of flies and now insect experts are warning that teams of termites could be hard at work in homes across Melbourne.

China has announced that it was banning all commerce in ivory by the end of 2017, a move that would shut down the world's largest ivory market and could deal a critical blow to the practice of elephant poaching in Africa.

Opportunistic whales have forced researchers to reconsider whether long-line fishing in Australia's southern waters is as eco-friendly as first thought.

A champion horse was stolen from the grounds La Perouse Pony Club in Chifley in the early hours of Christmas Eve.

South Australians could be buying a couple of kilos of horse meat along with their beef mince or pork chops as the government looks to review food regulations.

Echidna makes a surprise visit to Shelly Beach

The elusive night parrot has had a shroud of mystery surrounding it since its rediscovery in 2013 after being unsighted for 75 years.

• COMMENT

As plans are made ahead of the festive season, why not consider someone who doesn't want anything from us but compassion ... and to be left off our plates.

A trial of aerial drones at Redhead Beach has been extended for the rest of the school holidays, after a drone found a three-metre great white shark swimming among surfers on Tuesday.

A dozen hopeful whale watchers got to see something few people have.

Taronga Zoo opens Squirrel Monkey Jungle Walk

Perth Zoo has hit back at allegations zookeepers uses 'bullhooks' in order to coerce its Asian elephants into painting their famous portraits.