A filter-feeding ''lobster'' as big as a human took the place of whales 480 million years ago, a new fossil find has shown.

Animal behaviour expert Sally Hibbard investigates dog attacks and delves in to the debate of nature versus nurture.

The genteel world of Crufts has been rocked by a murder mystery which has seen one dog apparently killed and two others taken ill in suspected poisonings.

Famed dog show blighted by accusations of poisoning by jealous contender after Irish Setter dies in mysterious circumstances.

The claws were out and the competition catty as pampered moggies strutted their stuff in West Auckland yesterday.

A miniature horse has been burnt after someone poured petrol on to its cover while the owners slept.

Doggie gumbo, puppy paella, red velvet pupcakes and icy pole bones are a sample of the quirky-named treats in a cookbook created especially for dogs.

Outraged pet lovers have launched a fundraising drive for a cat shot with an arrow.

Spider venom may contain a long-sought secret ingredient for an effective, long-term painkiller, Australian researchers say.

Forget #thedress; today it's all about an incredible shot of a weasel riding a woodpecker and the clever memes it has spawned.

A police officer who was savagely attacked by a pitbull while on duty yesterday says he went into survival mode while the dog chewed at his body.

A man will appear in court today after a police officer suffered numerous bite wounds to his head and cuts from a pitbull dog in Foxton yesterday.

Dogs are humanity's oldest friends, renowned for their loyalty and abilities to guard, hunt and chase.

Thanks to people like Gina Schick, visions of former champion horses being trucked off to pet food factories are proving false.

A policeman suffered numerous bite wounds to his head and cuts to his face in an "appalling" unprovoked attack by a man's pitbull dog in Foxton yesterday.

Guests at Robert Mugabe's million-dollar birthday party were fed a young elephant, while a lion and a crocodile were also sacrificed as gifts to be stuffed.

Pascale Sperling, 13, is heading to Britain to compete in the world's top dog show: Crufts.

A cousin of the kangaroo could wreak havoc if it spreads through the Kaimai and Urewera ranges, conservationists fear.

Researchers say gerbils, not rats, should be blamed for wiping out millions during the Black Plague.

Animal rights organisation PETA wants Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer to cancel any plans to ship two capuchin monkeys to Australia for the filming of the next Pirates of the Caribbean film.

I'm not a people hater, I just often prefer the company of animals. Of course humans are animals too, it's just a pity they don't act more like it.

A Wellsford family enjoying a day in the Hauraki Gulf near Leigh were delighted to have some extra visitors along for the afternoon.

Sheepdogs have proved they can protect little penguins, so now they are to become the personal bodyguards of endangered bandicoots.

The design of Devonport's new library is just purr-fect for its resident cat.

A drove of kunekune pigs is causing a big stink in the UK.

A spider inadvertently found in a packet of grapes by a West Auckland woman has been confirmed as an Australian redback.

A fledgling Kaka was mauled to death by a dog in the Wellington region resulting in a plea from park staff to the public to keep their dogs on a leash.