GRAPHIC WARNING: Shocking footage has emerged of a boy brutally attacking a possum with a hammer, after he had caught it in a trap in a tree.

Crows and parrots have sophisticated thinking skills on a par with those of apes such as chimpanzees, researchers claim.

If you struggle to tame coarse, straw-like hair, forget expensive potions and smoothing serums.

Joan Proud lives happily in an Orewa retirement village, but one thing about village life saddens her: she won't be allowed to replace her dog if it dies.

Brazilian beetles will be released into Wellington's town belt today to help control the wandering willie.

A religious festival went awry when an elephant began picking up vehicles and smashing them. The great creature, named Devidasan, was taking part in a festival at the Bhagavathi Temple in the south Indian state of Kerala on Thursday.

A religious festival went awry when an elephant began picking up vehicles and smashing them.

Salma Hayek wants "justice" for her dog who was fatally shot last week.

A dog that fled after being stabbed in a backyard attack is now back with her family.

Shares of SeaWorld crashed after the admission, which came during the troubled company's latest earnings announcement.

Auckland Zoo has confirmed the baby elephant gifted to Prime Minister John Key in Sri Lanka this week will be joining its elephants Burma and Anjalee.

Eradication of feral cats and a curfew for domestic ones are on the table to deal with the country's "cat crisis."

Helicopter pilot Todd Dunham had a day to remember yesterday, rescuing two men attacked by animals in separate incidents in the Bay of Plenty.

A Whangarei man had a close encounter with a great white shark, capturing the exciting moment on video.

Guilt is a horrible thing. It eats at your soul. There's nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Booze helps but only for a while, writes Matt Heath.

WATCH: Boat trip to Whangarei Heads has scary close encounter.

A new Israeli study has indicated that arachnophobes overestimate spider size compared with other neutral animals, such as birds and butterflies, that do not cause fear.

Monkeys just want to have fun - and brandish dangerous weapons.

In 2001, a humble cat that hung around Port Taranaki became a minor celebrity after she travelled far from home.

Armed with a kitchen knife and an attitude to match this crab is not to be messed with.

A video of free range chooks streaming out of their barn at a Whangarei egg producer has now gone intergalactic after Star Trek actor George Takei linked it to his 9.5 million followers on Facebook. Source: Otaika Valley Free Range Eggs NZ

Tens of thousands of sharks seen migrating in swarms within a stone's throw of Florida beach.

A futurologist predicts by 2050 it will be possible to implant devices into animals, giving them the ability to speak to us.

A six-year-old girl has died after being bitten by a brown snake on a property in New South Wales.

Twenty two taiko chicks were hatched from 26 eggs this breeding season, nine more chicks than the previous seasonal record of 13.