“A Slovakian woman couldn’t believe her eyes when her pointer dogs were attacked – by a kung fu guinea pig. Marta Domotorova, of Hradok, says the pint-sized ninja suddenly attacked her Hungarian pointers during a stroll on heathland near her home. The curious hounds had spotted the guinea pig and trotted over to investigate – but it scared them off with a series of spinning kicks and leaps. Mrs Domotorova said: “Bona started barking and Meggie wanted to sniff it. “I guess it got pretty scared although both dogs are harmless and just wanted to play. “But then they got pretty scared when the guinea pig started its kung fu chops.” w/ photos

“The 400-year-old ‘Beau Sancy,’ one of the world’s oldest and most storied diamonds in private hands, is up sale at Sotheby’s auction house. Weighing in at 34.98 carats, the sparkling pear cut gem is estimated to be worth up to $4 million. Those who don’t have the money to buy the jewel can see it on display ahead of next month’s sale. Cut from the famous gem mines in the Indian city of Golconda, the diamond made its way through four royal European families and once belonged to Queen Marie de Medici of France. Its most recent owners are the descendants of the last Emperor of Germany.” w/ photo

“A boy’s mole grew so big that by the age of six it covered his entire back like a turtle’s shell, earning him the nickname of Turtle Boy. The rare birthmark – congenital melanocytic nevus – affects around 1 in 20,000 newborn babies but a top surgeon described Didier Montalvo’s condition as the worst he’d ever seen. Didier’s life was severely affected by the growth, covering more than half of his body circumference, both in the painful itchiness of his skin and how it affected his confidence… The family were too poor to shell out for surgery – but his life changed when his touching story was featured in a local newspaper and a flood of donations poured in. While they could now afford the op, the life-changing surgery was still by no means straightforward – in fact it would be painful, dangerous and complicated.” w/ photos

“Corky was found by little boy dragging himself along a pavement and was brought into a shelter, where he was due to be put down. A kitten born with his legs back to front has been given a new lease of life after pioneering surgery. Corky was found by little boy dragging himself along a pavement in Fargo, North Dakota, and was brought into a shelter, where he was due to be put down. But Gail Ventzke and Carol Stefonek, co-founders and directors of CATS Cradle Shelter, heard about the brave moggy and were intent on saving his life… Corky is still in bandages but is already using his legs like a normal cat, thanks to intensive physical therapy sessions.” w/ photos + videos

“Four new species of freshwater crab, bright purple in color, have been discovered in the biologically diverse but ecologically-threatened Philippines, the man who found them said. The tiny crustaceans burrow under boulders and roots in streams, feeding on dead plants, fruits, carrion and small animals in the water at night, said Hendrik Freitag of Germany’s Senckenberg Museum of Zoology. Found only in small, lowland-forest ecosystems in the Palawan island group, most have purple shells, with claws and legs tipped red. “It is known that crabs can discriminate colours. Therefore, it seems likely that the coloration has a signal function for the social behavior, e.g. mating,” Freitag told AFP by email. “This could explain why large males of various Insulamon species are more reddish compared to the generally violet females and immature males.” Scientists began extensive investigations of similar freshwater crabs in the area in the late 1980s, when one new species was found — the Insulamon unicorn, Freitag said.” w/ photos

“When is a penny worth $1.15 million? When it is a rare experimental penny minted in 1792. The unusual coin was auctioned off at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center in suburban Chicago. Officials with Heritage Auctions say Kevin Lipton of Beverly Hills, Calif., bought the penny on behalf of a group of unnamed investors. The winning bid was $1 million, but the investors also must pay the auction house’s 15 percent commission. The coin is made from copper and incases a small plug of silver… ‘It’s a real classic, one that’s rarely seen in such good condition.” w/ photos

“Tyson, a beloved English bulldog, doesn’t bite ears like his namesake, boxer Mike Tyson. But he does share a title: champion. The two-year-old pup with a fetching face and a winning personality was crowned the winner of this year’s ‘Beautiful Bulldog’ pageant in Des Moines, Iowa. “He’s kind of compact. He’s got the one big roll and the spot over his eye,” said owner Tyler Motter, of Urbandale, Iowa. ‘His personality is amazing.’ Tyson beat out 49 other pups for the honor Monday in the tongue-in-cheek contest, now in its 33rd year, which kicks off festivities at the annual Drake Relays track and field meet. Tyson beat out a cast of costumed and cleverly named characters, such as RocketMan, Matilda Rose and Chief McBeef. Applications were submitted for more than 100 dogs, and the field was whittled down to 50 by a lottery. A panel of judges chose six slobbering pups for the finals. The ones that weren’t as lucky as Tyson still competed for titles, such as ‘Mr. Congeniality’ and ‘Best Dressed.” w/ photos

“A winner has been crowned in the world’s first caviar speed eating world championships in Russia and possibly the poshest too. Alexander Valov picked up the crown after devouring half a kilogram of black cavier in just one minute and 26 seconds. Hundreds of guests, many dressed in suits, attended the event at The Apartment Restaurant in Moscow where 12 contestants were picked to compete at random… The 49-year-old picked up a small cash prize for his sterling effort and, although he may not feel like it straight away, some more of the posh nosh to take home.” w/ photos + video

“A Californian firm has launched a motorized surfboard to make catching the big waves a whole lot easier. WaveJet is billed as a revolutionary personal water propulsion system which ‘overcomes the limitations of traditional surfing’. The lithium ion battery-powered device gives users up to 12mph extra speed and can be attached to specially adapted surfboards, boogie boards and kayaks. With a WaveJet plugged in, surfers can travel up to four times faster than paddling manually and enjoy an extra 20lbs of thrust. It is operated by a controller strapped to the wrist, and uses a technology called SeaTooth, which is similar to Bluetooth but works through salt water. The system’s rechargeable batteries allow for 30 to 45 minutes continuous run time on a single charge.” w/ photo

“A reader of The Cairns Post has snapped an incredible series of images in a Freshwater backyard… As a frequent visitor to the beaches and wild rainforests of Cape York, kite surfer Ant Hadleigh thought he had seen it all. But the Cairns man was in disbelief after witnessing a golden orb spider slowly attempt to eat a brown tree snake at a mate’s place in Freshwater yesterday afternoon… Mr Hadleigh estimated the tree snake to be around half a meter long and was alive for ‘an hour or more’ after being caught in the spider’s web, before finally succumbing to the crafty arachnid’s venom.” w/ photos