“The Yacare Caiman, a member of the crocodile family, was photographed pouncing on the piranha in the Ibera Wetlands of Argentina. The freshwater reptiles, whose diet also includes birds and small mammals, can grow up to 10 feet long. These amazing snaps were taken by German amateur photographer Gunter Heinz. The 46 year old electrician said: “I wanted to get an action picture of the caiman. “I took position in the water as the caiman went hunting. “We tried an underwater shoot, wich was not very successful because the water is not really clear there. “Eventually though, it pounced and I got the action shot I wanted. “It was all over in an instant, but I’ve been photographing since I was 16 and it’s very satisfying to get shots like these.” w/ photo

“I wounder how he thought that one up.” — RWJ

“Here’s a snack that didn’t sss-slide down all that easily. It’s an Amazonian tree frog that a snake waiting on a branch decided he liked the look of as he was hopping happily by. The hapless amphibian struggled and kicked to try and break free for 45 minutes, but it was a struggle in vain as he was swallowed whole by his attacker. The whole ordeal was caught on camera by tour guide and photographer, Luis Fernando Espin, who watched the scene in the Ecuadorian Amazon Basin.” w/ photos

“Xie Qihua, 35, can’t help weeping whenever she mentions her 4-year-old daughter Miaomiao. Like every mum, Xie thinks her daughter is beautiful. But she is heartbroken by others treating her like a freak. “People tease Miaomiao, call her names and say she is like a wild animal. It breaks my heart to see her treated in such a cruel way,” she sobs. The problem is the black hair-sprouting growths covering Miaomiao’s body, which doctors say if not treated will kill her. “When Miaomiao was 3-months-old, these black spots began appearing on her face, back, chest and arms. At first we thought they were birthmarks, but then they began to grow and hair began sprouting from each,” says distraught Xie from her home in the rural village of Anbian in the Sichuan province of southwest China. As the spots began to increase and grow in size, panic-stricken Xie and husband Chen took Miaomiao off to their local rural hospital. There doctors diagnosed the hairy patches as melanoma, a type of skin cancer.” w/ photos

“The gallium in the mold has solidified into a spoon! it sounds just like a regular spoon and melts to a liquid puddle in seconds. It’s not an acid in which the spoon melts but simply hot water. Several spoon molds and Gallium metal (99,99% pure) available to make gallium spoons like this one!” — Gallium0031

“Victory for Caltech basketball team as it breaks 26-year losing streak… With seconds left, the 46-45 home victory over Occidental was capped with a free throw by Senior Ryan Elmquist, who led the Beavers with 23 points and nine rebounds. After he missed the second free throw shot, Occidental threw a desperate off-centre half-court shot that was followed by an eruption of jubilant applause in CalTech’s Braun Athletic Centre… With a better track record for world renowned scientists and engineers than NBA-bound hoopsters, the California Institute of Technology is far from being recognized for its athletics. To date the research institution has produced 31 Nobel Prize winners and counting.” w/ photos + video

“Welcome to Ziebach County, the poorest area in the Unites States, where more than 60 per cent of residents live at or below the poverty line. The county relies on construction work, but this disappears during winter’s deep freeze, sending the unemployment rate soaring to 90 per cent. Several other factors continuously stifle Ziebach County’s economy, including an isolated location, a crumbling infrastructure, the poorly trained population and a tribe that struggles to work with businesses or attract investors. But now the local Cheyenne River Sioux Indian tribe, along with a development group and a non-profit organisation, are renewing attempts to bolster job growth amongst the downtrodden population. ‘Many, many people make these grand generalizations about our communities and poverty and ”Why don’t people just do something, and how come they can’t?”’ said Eileen Briggs, executive director of Tribal Ventures, a development group started by the tribe. ‘It’s much more complicated than that… The few people who have jobs usually have to drive up to 80 miles to tribal headquarters. The nearest major population centres are Rapid City and Bismarck, each a trip of 150 miles or more.” w/ photos

“He is head of the world’s biggest family – and says he is ‘blessed’  to have his 39 wives. Ziona Chana also has 94 children, 14-daughters-in-law and 33 grandchildren. They live in a 100-room, four storey house set amidst the hills of Baktwang village in the Indian state of Mizoram, where the wives sleep in giant communal dormitories. Mr Chana told the Sun: ‘Today I feel like God’s special child. He’s given me so many people to look after. ‘I consider myself a lucky man to be the husband of 39 women and head of the world’s largest family.’ The family is organised with almost military discipline, with the oldest wife Zathiangi organising her fellow partners to perform household chores such as cleaning, washing and preparing meals. One evening meal can see them pluck 30 chickens, peel 132lb of potatoes and boil up to 220lb of rice. Coincidentally, Mr Chana is also head of a sect that allows members to take as many wives as he wants.” w/ photos

“Mugging victim Mir Li suffered terrible headaches for four years – then doctors discovered a 4in blade buried in his skull… Crooks robbed and stabbed 37-year-old Mr Li when he was working as a taxi driver. The knife they used had snapped at the handle and the blade was left embedded – and hidden – between his skull and ear. Mr Li had no idea that it was there but had complained about splitting headaches for years before visiting specialist medics at the Yuxi People’s Hospital in Yunnan province, south west China. A spokesman for the hospital said: ‘He came to us with a long history of severe head pain and unexplained bleeding from his ears and mouth. As soon as we scanned him it was obvious what was wrong. ‘What is astonishing is that is was missed four years ago and that he has survived all this time with it in his head. We’ve seen needles and small objects buried in a skull but never something this size.” w/ photo + video

“When rescuers saved this three-year-old Scottish terrier from the small, stench-filled house where he had been kept along with more than 100 others, he was in a sorry state. But after just two days of love and care – and a good wash and brush – he looks like a completely different dog, with a new name to match: Montgomery. Little Monty was one of 118 malnourished dogs found living in two feet of feces, urine and rubbish in a squalid house in Medina County, Ohio after neighbors reported ceaseless barking and foul odors coming from the alleged illicit breeding facility. Its owners, Glenda Curtis, 54 and her daughter Danielle Tschappat, 27, each now face 20 charges of animal cruelty and failing to give them food and water – second-degree misdemeanors which could result in a jail term.” w/ photos