Wildlife

This Duck Supermom Leads 76 Ducklings

While it's not unusual to see 20 or 30 ducklings following a single mom, a group of 50 or more is really remarkable. This Common Merganser duck mom almost certainly did not hatch all those ducklings herself. Female ducks can usually lay only about a dozen eggs at once and can incubate up to 20.

How a mother duck might come to incubate more eggs than she actually laid could be due to the fact that female ducks have an interesting habit of leaving a few of their eggs in other mothers' nests. It's probably a way to ensure that at least some of her offspring have a chance to hatch even if something tragic should happen to her or her nest.

Furthermore, in a duck crèche, female birds will sometimes entrust their newborn young into the care of an older, wiser female.

Koalas Starve - Australia

Animal rescuers on an Australian island off the south coast say koalas are starving to death as residents cut down trees to prevent bushfires, destroying the native animal’s habitat and food source.

Australia is currently experiencing extreme dry weather, although the most intense drought conditions are located further north in the state of New South Wales.However, in trying to prevent uncontrolled fires, the clearing of land threatens koalas, which mostly survive off a diet of eucalyptus leaves.