1Black Currants Disease
Black currants were outlawed in America in 1911 due to spreading tree disease and impacting the timber industry. Thus, many Americans don't even know about this berry that is very popular in England.
2. Unilateralis, or "zombie fungus," will hijack an ant's central nervous system and force the ant to climb a stalk of vegetation and anchor itself. The fungus then sprouts a stalk from the ant's head, releasing spores that infect ants below.
3. Researchers believe that the high-calorie foods of humans are to blame for the deformity known as "angel wing" in ducks. It renders them unable to fly, and it is only found in waterfowl fed by humans.
4. Green Muscle Disease is a condition that affects broiler chickens in which the breast muscle tissue necrotizes and turns green. This is most likely due to the limited space available to them during the growth phase, when the chickens are confined or otherwise restricted from spreading their wings. This causes a lack of blood supply to the muscles.
5. Overfeeding fish can cause constipation and cause "Swim Bladder Disease," where fish turn upside down, thus creating "false death."
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6Schistosomiasis in Snails
Freshwater snails are one of the world's most deadly animals because they transmit the organism that causes schistosomiasis (aka bilharzia), which is, in and of itself, one of the deadliest parasites on the planet. In 2014, nearly 230 million people were infected, with 200,000 deaths each year.
7. In various incidents, thousands of toads have swelled up with gas, grown to several times their normal size, then exploded for unknown reasons, propelling their innards as far as one meter away.
8. It's hypothesized that warm-bloodedness evolved in mammals and birds because it provided defense against fungal infections. Very few fungi can survive the body temperatures of warm-blooded animals. In contrast, fungal infections are a problem for insects, reptiles, and amphibians.
9. The prion responsible for causing Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in ungulates (deer, elk, etc.) can lay dormant on plants and leaves for years until it's ingested. It can lay dormant in the dirt after the animal sheds saliva or other bodily fluids. If plants grow through that soil, even years later, it can harbor prions inside of it. Then, when the plant is eaten by another deer, the cycle starts all over again. Deer hunters are now being told to bring carcasses into a disposal facility after dressing the deer for meat so that they can be disposed of correctly. Even burning the carcass won't get rid of that pesky folded protein.
10. Frankincense and myrrh are derived from the hardened resin of desert-dwelling plants. The resin gets its aroma from antibacterial chemicals meant to protect the plant from infection.
11Gypsy Moth Caterpillars
Gypsy moth caterpillars infected by a species of baculovirus are hypnotized into climbing to the tops of trees to die, liquefy, and rain viral particles on the foliage below to infect others.
12. Mistletoe is a parasite that infects hundreds of species of trees and shrubs. Once it starts growing, it steals nutrients and water from the host, killing the portion of the branch it's on. Heavy infestations may kill off the entire host plant.
13. After millions of trees in the USA died of Dutch elm disease in the 1980s, they were replaced by clonal males, which led to an increase in pollen and pollen-associated epidemics (allergies and asthma).
14. A large downtown fire broke out in Boston during "The Great Epizootic Outbreak of 1872," a widespread outbreak of equine influenza, in part because firemen couldn't use horses to pull equipment since they were all sick with the virus. Instead, they had to pull all the equipment by hand.
15. Cats can get pimples. Feline acne are blackheads with inflammation on the cat's chin. Persian cats can get them on their faces and skin folds. Severe cases can damage the cat's health and appearance. Warm compresses, washing, and exfoliating with benzoyl peroxide may help.
16Lumpy Skin Disease
Lumpy skin disease is an infectious disease in cattle caused by a virus of the family Poxviridae, also known as the Neethling virus. The disease is characterized by a high fever, enlarged superficial lymph nodes, and multiple nodules (measuring 2-5 centimeters (1-2 in) in diameter) on the skin and mucous membranes (including those of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts). Infected cattle may also develop edematous swelling in their limbs and exhibit lameness.
17. Lumpy jaw is a fatal disease that affects marsupials like wallabies and kangaroos. It is caused by people feeding them too much soft food.
18. Ophiocordyceps unilateralis is a fungus that has been known to destroy entire ant colonies. In response, ants have evolved the ability to sense that a member of the colony is infected. Healthy ants will then carry the dying one far away from the colony in order to avoid spore exposure.
19. Chytrid fungus is a horrifyingly lethal amphibian fungal disease that has wiped out many species of frogs and salamanders and has a near-total mortality rate in amphibians.
20. Beer hops naturally produce an acid that can kill a parasitic mite known to annihilate entire colonies of bees. Hops have shown so much promise in helping with colony collapse disorder that the EPA has even approved their use as a biochemical miticide.
21Canine Dysfunctional Behavior
Canine dysfunctional behavior is a recognized disorder on the autism spectrum that can affect dogs. Some of the symptoms of this neurological condition that is present at birth in dogs are trouble communicating, being mean to other people, and doing things over and over again.
22. Adopting puppies from the same litter is frowned upon, as it can be detrimental to the puppies' ability to bond with humans. This is known as "Littermate syndrome."
23. In the same way that the spread of smallpox killed up to 90% of the people in the Americas, the spread of rinderpest in the late 1800s killed up to 90% of the cattle in Eastern and Southern Africa, destroying the economies of herding and farming communities.
24. Some dog breeds suffer from a genetic condition known as "Rage Syndrome," which is characterized by sudden and unprovoked bouts of aggression that cannot be prevented by training.
25. Ligers are a hybrid offspring between a male lion and a female tiger. They continue growing throughout their entire lives due to a genetic disorder called growth dysplasia. They grow twice as big as their tiger and lion mothers and fathers. The largest cat in the world is a 922-pound liger.
