This week we didn't just get to read about some amazing and mysterious animal stories. We got to see them in action, thanks to some very cool video footage. Witness a swarm of birds in Denmark, swim along with the largest stingray ever discovered, and have your heart melt for the incredible journey of one very lucky bomb-sniffing dog. These stories and more in the Buzz Week in Review.
It's a bird! It's a cloud! It's a bird cloud
Apologies to Alfred Hitchcock and his creepy movie about evil birds, but sometimes truth can be stranger than fiction. This bizarre swarm of starlings isn't evil, but it's pretty astonishing. A really, really big flock of 300,000 birds created a wavelike cloud over Denmark. According to ornithologists, these feathered friends really do prefer to roost together, and the massive formations are a sort of pre-roost ritual that take on these odd shapes. Sort of like a Rorschach test in the air. Or a flying lava lamp. In short, mesmerizing. As long as they don't attack. Sorry, we just can't get "The Birds" out of our heads. See for yourself.
Gentle giant of the sea
From in the air to underwater, another video emerged that is a first glimpse of the giant smalleye stingray, the largest of its species and only seen alive off the coast of Mozambique. The cartilaginous fish are actually related to sharks. The one seen on the video, measuring about eight feet across, looks like a very slow-moving aqua--fish-spaceship, with fins jutting out from a hard shell ending in a long, pointy stinger that, trust us, you don't want to get anywhere near. (They say the thing is only used in self-defense, but who wants to test that theory?) From the safe distance of a video screen, it sure does look cool.
A doggone miracle
By now you may have heard the good-news story of the Australian bomb-sniffing dog that was found in Afghanistan after she had been missing in action for over a year. Still, the heart-warmer bears repeating. The black lab, Sabi, had been on a joint Aussie-Afghan patrol, sniffing for roadside bombs and explosive devices. She disappeared after a fierce firefight that left nine soldiers wounded, including the pooch's handler. Amazingly, the highly trained canine was discovered by an American soldier in an isolated base after 14 months missing. Sabi will probably return home to Australia and has already been given a hero's welcome — a personal pat on the head from Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. All we can say is "good dog!"
Also buzzing…
? Lou Dobbs left CNN, and will be replaced by John King.
? Sarah Palin's book is sparking lots of buzz.
? Blake Lively has the hot new hairstyle.