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This is Defector, a new sports blog and media company. We made this place together, we own it together, we run it together. Without access, without favor, without discretion, and without interference.

Defector

Animals

Creaturefector

Science

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

CT scan of the front of a skate, showing the hard, tooth-like denticles on its skin (shown in orange)

The “Tooth Hurty” Joke Has Its Origins In Ancient, Armored Fish

Barry Petchesky

Patrick Redford

Kathryn Xu

A baseball game being projected onto the side of a French bulldog.

This Is So Stupid

Let’s Figure Out What Dodgers Game They Watched On The Bulldog

Picture of Colossal’s Dire Wolves; Romulus and Remus at age three months. Born 10/1/2024

Colossal Biosciences Can’t Have It Both Ways

Diana Moskovitz is Defector&#8217;s investigations editor. You can contact her at diana@defector.com or dfmoskovitz@protonmail.com. She&#8217;s also on Signal @dmoskovitz.99

Diana Moskovitz

A photo of two cats, Chuck and Purrle. Chuck is a brown and golden striped tabby, toward the back, while Purrle is a black cat toward the front. They are sitting next to each other on a bed.

Meet Chuck And Purrle, The Newest Members Of The Defector Pet Family

Albert Burneko

For Bea

Dan McQuade was a founding member of Defector. He died in January 2026.

Dan McQuade

A grey tabby cat with some white features on the bottom of her head in a small yurt-like cat cave. She has one paw out, and is looking at the camera.

Oh No, It’s Another Emotional Story About My Cat!

three bone collector caterpillars, which are caterpillars covered in the bodies of insects they've eaten

The Very Grisly Caterpillar

a close-up shot of a large gray bird called a harpy eagle looking unrepentant in a tree

Yes, I Attacked That Woman, And I’d Do It Again

Samer Kalaf

The Nationals Know What Goes Great Together: Dogs And Fireworks

Participants take part in the Corgi Derby at Musselburgh Racecourse, Musselburgh, East Lothian, as part of its Easter Saturday race day celebration. Picture date: Saturday April 19, 2025.

Please Enjoy These Images Of The 2025 Corgi Derby

two caterpillars having a face-off on a leaf tip until one launches itself off the leaf

This Leaf Tip Ain’t Big Enough For The Two Of Us

For Chop

1990s Single Male Anna Hummingbird Calypte Anna Western USA And Canada (Photo by T. Ulrich/Classicstock/Getty Images)

The Hummingbirds Brought Me Around

Do Not Be Bamboozled By The New Fluffy Mouse

Clark's anemonefish​ Amphiprion clarkii in a bubble-tip anemone Entacmaea quadricolor

Clownfish Fatten Up Their Best Buddies To Upgrade Their Homes

Becky Ferreira is a science reporter based in Ithaca, N.Y. She writes <a href="https://www.404media.co/author/becky/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.404media.co/author/becky/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1740083778769000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3_mk31dNhas5lklZb38a6k">The Abstract</a>, a weekly science column for 404 Media. Her book First Contact, about the search for alien life, <a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/becky-ferreira/first-contact/9781523527755/">is available now.</a>

Becky Ferreira

Which Pests Shall Inherit The Earth?

Alex Sujong Laughlin

An Interview With My Cat About His Most Annoying Behaviors 

I Tried A Cockatoo’s Innovative New Snack

This Is The Last Thing You See Before You Die (If You Are A Crab)

a photo of a flock of whitish swimming sea cucumbers in the deep sea

It’s Snowing Sea Cucumbers At The Bottom Of The Sea

an image of a fly larva (maggot) that has the face of a termite

Hell Yeah: This Maggot Has A Face On Its Butt

a baby loggerhead turtle does a happy turtle dance inside a bucket of water

Are You Entranced By The Turtle Dance?

A Blue Whale swimming underwater is showing her tail fin

Cautious Whales Sing In A Whisper Orcas Cannot Hear

What Did She See, At The End?

a chimpanzee stares out between the leaves