Scrappy has an utterly amazing coat, but he wasn't born with those unique black and white markings. In fact, this nineteen year old cat was actually black at birth. It wasn't until he was around seven that his fur started to develop white spots -and it never stopped.

Eventually, her owners discovered that he has vitiligo, the same condition Michael Jackson suffered from. Vitiligo usually gives humans patches in their skin color, but it can also change hair color, the color of tissues inside the mouth and eye color. While it's most common in humans, dogs, cats and even buffalo have been diagnosed with the condition. 

Other than being a fairly old kitty and having a condition that gives him an incredible coat, Scrappy is a healthy, happy kitty and his Facebook and Instagram pictures are a testiment to his wonderful quality of life.

Via Mother Nature Network

A nature lover can get mighty lonely while out hiking, so most people who regularly hit the trails seek out a hiking buddy to come along for the walk.

But unfortunately named Imgur user bunnyfornicater couldn't find a human to go hiking with her- so she brought a fluffy little bunny named Sir Quincey Isenhopper along instead.

Hiking doesn't seem like a bunny friendly activity, but Sir Quincey seems to genuinely enjoy being outdoors with his human, and she makes sure the cute little guy is comfortable and safe while they explore the wilds together

Commenters have pointed out that birds of prey might want to snack on poor Sir Quincey, and the pic at the top of the post was captioned "30 miles and 5 attempted eagle swoops later we made it home safely".

But it seems like Sir Quincey's human has enough outdoor experience to keep his little fluffy butt out of harm's way.

-Via Bored Panda

When Santa Claus doesn't bring you anything on your wish list... Video by @atlehammer. Tag your boxer photos and videos with #instantboxer for a chance to be featured.

A video posted by #INSTANTBOXER (@instaboxers) on Dec 24, 2016 at 10:26am PST

I can't tell you if Santa gave him a lump of coal or if he just can't stand Santa's stupid dance, but this Boxer does not like this Santa doll. He may be naughty, but Santa better get him the pooch whole wish list next year or he'd better watch his back. 

Watch as redditor Adamjeter addresses his troops. They hang on his every word …just in case he might actually pull some food out of his sleeve. This scene was recorded at Zao Fox Village in Japan, and the foxes are showing off their warm winter coats. They are cute, but some people looking at this picture were distracted by the moon on the horizon.

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It doesn't matter what you celebrate, the holidays can be a stressful time. A nice massage can really help you destress, but if you don't have the time or money, perhaps this video of a hedgehog enjoying a massage can help relax you instead. May your post-holiday decompression leave you feeling this chill. 

Via Incredible Things

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Trail cameras are set up to give rangers and scientists a way to track animal movement in the area or spot a rare and reclusive species, but they also give us a glimpse at how animals act when they know no humans are around.

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Most critters can hear a human coming a mile away, which keeps them off the trails and away from danger, but when the coast is clear the deer get to dancin'.

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Because critters let their carefree personalities shine through when there's no present danger, going from well mannered mammals to fish sucking savages.

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See 25 Animal Trail Cam Photos Reveal What They're Secretly Up To here

The lifespan of gorillas ranges from about 30-40, so when Colo celebrated her 60th birthday yesterday, it was kind of a big deal. The western lowland gorilla was actually the first gorilla born in human care all the way back in 1956.

When she was born, keepers knew little about the animal's pregnancy so she was born weeks earlier than expected. She was abandoned by her mom at birth, so keepers learned a lot about gorillas as they had to raise her by hand. Between giving birth to three babies and teaching keepers about gorillas' lifespan, she has helped gorilla conservation efforts considerably.

If you want to see Colo in person, you can visit her at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio and if you want to learn more about her, you can read about her at Yahoo.

Chris Poole celebrates Christmas with his cats Cole and Marmalade, and comes up with a list of alternative Christmas trees that the cats won't destroy. One solution to the cats vs. tree problem is to give in and create a tree they can destroy, made of boxes covered with Christmas wrap. That is awesome. But it's not cat-proof, just a way of catering to them.

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It's too late for you to take most of these ideas for a Christmas tree substitute, but that's not really the point. It's a nice visit to two cats enjoying Christmas to the max. -via Uproxx

Humans should know better than to get involved in a fight between any wild animals, but an eel vs octopus battle sounds like something even sharks would avoid at all cost!

When snorkelers in Hanauma Bay, Oahu came across an underwater scrap between an aggressive moray eel and an octopus they stuck around and filmed the fight, but then the eel set its sights on the cameraman...

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National Geographic shared the video online and asked marine biologist George Burgess from the Florida Museum of Natural History for his reactions to the video, which can be summed up in one quote- never piss off a moray eel.

-Via Sploid

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Mountain lion attacks seem like something people who live near the wildcat's natural kingdom would have to deal with on a regular basis, but cougar attacks are extremely rare- there have been fewer than 100 attacks on humans in the western U.S. since 1890. 

But like many survival tips knowing what to do if attacked by a mountain lion is valuable advice you hope you'll never need but you'll be glad to know if you find yourself facing a cougar attack.

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First and foremost you shouldn't run away, because running will only trigger the animal's predatory instincts and make you look like prey.

You're better off standing your ground, making lots of noise and trying to look intimidating, preferably with a big stick or whatever weapon you have on hand.

And if the cougar attacks fight back, because their self preservation instinct is likely to kick in and send them running back to the hills they came from!

-Via Travel and Leisure

Tortoises use their tough skin and even tougher shells as tools for survival, and their hard exteriors tend to make people assume the tortoise inside the shell isn't a warm and tender creature.

But as reptile biologist Matt Evans of the Smithsonian National Zoo Reptile Discovery Center demonstrates in this video tortoises genuinely enjoy physical contact, and they'll even try to return the favor in their own clumsy way:

Tortoises enjoy tactile sensations; rubbing, scratching, that kind of thing. So when we go in there with them and we’re engaging with them – we’ll kind of rub their shell, scratch their head a bit and when we do that, they extend that neck out and they’ll look like they’re enjoying it a little bit and that’s just something we do to interact with the tortoises on a daily basis.

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And in case you also happen to be wondering what a tortoise's diet consists of here's another video made by Matt Evans that explains what goes in to a tortoise salad.

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-Via Laughing Squid

Horses can be pretty silly when they're feeling hoofloose and fancy free, and they get even more squirrely when they have an animal buddy around to join in on the fun.

But they won't let just anyone see their playful side, and it seems some horses actually have a super duper silly side they don't even let their humans see- a wearing a chicken as a hat kinda silly side.

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Nancy Elwood caught her horse hanging around with one of the chickens and couldn't believe her eyes, but according to the mare in the next stall the two do this sort of stuff all the time- and she wants in on the fun!

-Via Incredible Things

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The star of Super Bork World is a cute little fluffball that is pretty much amazing at making theme song parodies for geeky franchises like The Walking Dead or the X-Files. This Super Mario parody is everything a dog-loving gamer could want in life -cuteness and geekiness in a perfect package.

Bruce Atkinson of Apollo Bay, Victoria, Australia, found a koala on his porch Saturday morning. He took a picture and noticed it was covered with burrs. The koala wasn't going anywhere, so Atkinson offered it a bowl of water. The koala swatted it out of his hands. Thats' not what it wanted! But the creature didn't leave, so Atkinson got a pair of gloves and a brush.

He carefully approached the koala and let it sniff at the hair brush before attempting to brush the prickles out.

"I just gently poked the brush at some of the burrs," he said.

"Within seconds it decided, 'this is alright, I'll have more of this'."

Mr Atkinson said he was amazed at how benign the previously aggressive koala became once it was having its fur brushed.

He said he was able to remove most of the burrs and then collected some gum leaves for the koala, which hung around his house for the rest of the day.

It just goes to show that animals communicate well if you pay attention and give them a chance. Atkinson posted a video of the de-burring operation at the Otway Community Facebook group. -via Metafilter

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One hunter in Sweden took his dog moose hunting in early October. She ran off at the smell of a moose at one point and he lost track of her. When he found the dog, she was bleeding and couldn't get up. At first he thought she was attacked by a moose, but when he watched the Go Pro footage from her collar though, he was shocked to see she was actually mauled by two wolves.

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Fortunately, the hunter found his dog and got her to the vet in time and she recovered. Still, it's a good reminder why even hunters should never let their pups run wild without supervision.

Via Daily Dot