1925. "Sgt. Jiggs." The Marine Corps mascot in Washington, D.C., with an actual Marine. National Photo Company Collection glass negative.
The USMC got the nickname "Devil Dogs" from the Germans in World War I. The term "Devil Dog" in German is a legendary boogeyman from hell in German folklore. When they saw the fierceness with which the Marines fought in France, the Germans gave the USMC this name out of fear and respect. The Corps loved it and adopted the Bulldog as their mascot. The name persists today even though it is not widely known among the general public. There are some excellent history references on this subject at the Marine Museum at the USMC Recruit Depot at Parris Island, South Carolina.
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A whale-headed stork, a large African wading bird, in its enclosure at the Prague zoo, Czech Republic
Photograph: Filip Singer/EPA
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A participant of the international sledge dog race and his harnessed team make their way through the snowy landscape near Unterjoch, southern Germany, as they compete on January 14, 2012 in the event. Around 100 teams took part in the competition, covering distances ranging between six and eighteen kilometers. The fastest teams reach a tempo up to 45 kilometers per hour.
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AFP PHOTO / KARL-JOSEF HILDENBRAND
Typical golden eagle prey consists of hare-sized animals. They can kill animals as large as a fox or a fawn. They also eat a lot of smaller birds. They have no natural predators of their own.
from Flickr, by Dave Bonta
Thought to be extinct, the Miller's grizzled langur has been rediscovered in eastern Borneo.
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Photograph: Eric Fell/AP
A world's record 384-pound black sea bass caught by Franklin Schenck of Brooklyn with rod and reel off Catalina Island, California, on August 17, 1900.
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A box turtle who had a tough time crossing the road in Aurora, Colo., has a new lease on life thanks to a local police officer, a clever vet and a new fiberglass shell.
By the time an Aurora police officer found "Scorch," the turtle had been hit by a car, and was badly chewed by dogs along the side of the road.
The sympathetic officer turned the mangled turtle over to Kevin Fitzgerald, an Aurora veternarian. The vet fashioned a fiberglass shell for Scorch which, he says, will eventually be pushed off after he develops his own new shell.
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Let the festivities begin as Monday the 23rd of January is the first day of the Chinese New Year and this is the Year of the Dragon.
Chinese New Year is one of the oldest Chinese festivals and has many traditions. It always falls between January 21st and February 21st, coinciding with the first day of the lunar month and continues until the fifteenth, when the moon is brightest.
The Chinese Zodiac has 12 animal signs and each New Year is a different animal. It is believed that people take on the characteristics' of the animal from the year they were born in.
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It's a veritable rags-to-riches story for Tommaso, one of Rome's many stray cats, who found a home with an heiress.
The Italian feline prowled away with a whopping 10 million euro after his wealthy owner passed away last month.
The Guardian reports that the owner, a 94-year-old woman identified as Maria Assunta, left her fortune and properties -- worth over $13 million -- to Tommaso the cat. Source Photograph: AlamyResearchers have discovered in Papua New Guinea what they claim is the world's smallest frog.
The tiny frog called Paedophryne amanuensis measures around 7mm.
Photograph: Christopher Austin/LSU/AFP/Getty Images
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Students at a brand new Utah high school voted to be known as the Cougars, but the school board decreed that was too racy and chose the Chargers instead.
The Salt Lake Tribune said the board in Draper vetoed the results of the student vote on the grounds Cougar was a derogatory term because of its use as a nickname for single women on the prowl for younger boyfriends.
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A baby aardvark was born in Antwerpen zoo in Belgium two weeks ago. The creature, also known as an earth pig, is characterised by a long nose and powerful feet that allows him to dig deep, long tunnels to look for ants and termites. Nuru, which means 'light' in Swahili, is only the 10th baby aardvark born in the zoo in more than 50 years Source
