A beloved figure of Ghanaian folklore, Anansi is a spider god and a charming trickster who triumphs over larger and more powerful adversaries by using his wits alone.The mythological figure Anansi may be unfamiliar to many Americans — but his DNA can be found virtually everywhere stories are told. From elementary school lessons to American pop culture, the Ghanaian spider god has made a centuries-long journey from West Africa that spans almost the entire globe.

With a 6.5-foot wingspan and talons the size of a bear's claw, the harpy eagle is a predator of epic proportions. But sadly, this majestic bird is now at risk of disappearing for good.The harpy eagle is, perhaps, one of the most intimidating birds in the world. With its retractable feather crown and razor-sharp talons larger than bear claws, these “flying velociraptors” are easily one of the largest species of eagle in the world.

A cross-dressing, cigar-smoking outlaw, Pearl Hart became a media sensation after she robbed a stagecoach, cementing her place as one of Arizona’s most notorious bandits.Public domainPearl Hart happily posed for photographs while in prison, donning men’s clothes and brandishing guns. On May 30, 1899, two armed men flagged down a stagecoach that ran through Kane Spring Canyon in the Arizona desert. As one of the men held the passengers at gunpoint, the other ordered them out of the car.

The fossilized remains of a small badger-like creature called Repenomamus robustus attacking a dinosaur called Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis were apparently preserved by volcanic mud 125 million years ago.Gang HanThe unique fossil has challenged long-held assumptions about the role mammals played in prehistoric times. In 2012, farmers in China came across a fossil so incredible and well-preserved that it seemed fake. It contained, in stunning detail, the preserved remains of a small badger-like mammal and a larger dinosaur in the midst of a vicious fight that was preserved by volcanic mudflows.

Photo by Sijori Images. Source: Daily Mail UK In the United States, group recognition of death is typically a somber — and formulaic — affair: we wear black, head to the funeral, and watch as life slowly returns to earth or ash. This particular ritual is not one shared around the world, though, as evidenced in the following practices. WARNING: This post contains some graphic images. Sky Burial Photo by John Hill Source: Wikipedia