“Cassowaries are large, flightless birds related to emus and (more distantly) to ostriches, rheas, and kiwis”, writes Olivia Judson in the September issue of National Geographic magazine. How large? People-size: Adult males stand well over five foot five and top 110 pounds. Females are even taller, and can weigh more than 160 pounds. Dangerous when roused, they’re shy and peaceable when left alone. But even birds this big and tough are prey to habitat loss. The dense New Guinea and Australia rain forests where they live have dwindled. Today cassowaries might number 1,500 to 2,000. And because they help shape those same forests – by moving seeds from one place to another – “if they vanish”, Judson writes, “the structure of the forest would gradually change” too. (Photo by Christian Ziegler/National Geographic)

A visitor holds an Israeli-made rifle during the 8th International Land and Naval Defense system exhibition, in New Delhi, India, on February 6, 2014. (Photo by Anindito Mukherjee/Reuters)

“Red Pepperpion. Red Pepperpions are secretive, nocturnal arachilli which can be spotted in kitchens of arid climates all around the world.

Red Pepperpions are equipped with a delicious (and depending on the quantity...deadly!) stinger at the end of its tail. If you happen to get bitten (or if you bite him!) it will produce a burning sensation on your taste nerves.

However, there is no need to worry, since the fact is that his potent stinger is usually only used when hunting or whenever the Pepperpion feels like he might become part of someones meal...

At daylight or when encountering a larger foe, such as a Saucier Chef, they retreat into burrows inside the fridge or hide beneath the oven”. (Photo and comment by Vanessa Dualib)

A demonstrator is detained during May Day rallies in Santiago May 1, 2013. (Photo by Ivan Alvarado/Reuters)

A love story with two log choppers. “In 1993, I was working on a project about life in the Olomouc region of Czechoslovakia. One day, I came to the village of Dlouhá Loučka-Křivá and went into a courtyard where I saw two old people, a husband and wife, sawing firewood for winter. They were working quietly, concentrating. I watched them fetch a beam from a wrecked barn, but they didn’t discuss how they planned to carry it to the saw. The woman faced one way, the man the other. When they realised, the woman eventually turned and followed her husband. The picture I took is the picture of many relationships – when each partner wants something different, but they have to come to an agreement, pull together eventually”. (Photo by Jindrich Streit)

Women in Kimono holding an umbrella walk on a street at Ginza shopping district in Tokyo, Japan, March 31, 2016. (Photo by Yuya Shino/Reuters)

An unidentified runner gestures while being attended by medical services following the first running of the bulls of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, northern Spain, July 7, 2015. Two runners were gored in the run that lasted 2 minutes and 23 seconds, according to local media. (Photo by Eloy Alonso/Reuters)

Indian Hindu devotees wait to take part in an event to mark Pongal in Mumbai on January 15, 2016. Pongal, which coincides with the Hindu festival Makara Sankranthi, is a thanksgiving and harvest celebrated throughout India and specifically by those from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. (Photo by Indranil Mukherjee/AFP Photo)