While examining the invasive python population in Florida, researchers stumbled across the unexpected: a kind of hybrid super snake.

A small number of the invasive pythons were found to be a crossbreed between two separate species, the Burmese and Indian pythons, and what's more is that this hybrid snake has the potential to thrive in new environments, according to a new study conducted by scientists with the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

"We found that out of 400 Burmese pythons investigated, 13 had mitochondrial genetic signatures from the Indian python, a separate species," Margaret Hunter, a research geneticist at USGS who led the study, told ABC News.

Three brothers out for a morning dive in Wellington made an unexpected find when they came across a monster 4.2m long giant squid.

Daniel, Jack and Matthew Aplin were driving along on a track near Red Rocks on the city's south coast when they came across the massive beached cephalod.

The brothers said they had come across sharks while on their diving trips but had never seen a squid of that size.

Jack Aplin said he and his brothers got a tape measure out to find out the size of the squid after they came back from diving.

Unsure who to notify of their unlikely find, the trio eventually decided to contact NIWA (National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research) who arranged to have the squid collected.

A young boy who is fatally wounded is in a precarious state at Dr. Hagar Hospital in Burao following a hyena attack that left him helpless.

The incident is one out of four people who were mauled or attacked by a rogue hyena in Ainabo district over a period of a couple of months leaving a victim dead and area residents gripped with fear.

The Togdeer regional governor Mr. Ahmed Mohamed Hashi made clarifications as to the exact number of victims as he spoke to us last night through the phone.

He acknowledged the fact that a toddler was completely mauled to death two months ago, at a time that an adult was seriously wounded. He further explained that the recuperating boy Khadar and an adult were injured over the week during the Eid festivities.

Looking back over the last 40 years, it's hard to understand how we could have been so gullible. We believed that fat, and more specifically saturated fat (found primarily in animal foods), was thought to increase cholesterol and cause heart disease. Instead, we should switch to 'heart healthy' vegetable oils, like cottonseed, corn, safflower and soy oils. But recent evidence suggests this was a Faustian bargain. The industrially processed seed oils were much, much worse. It was all a terrible mistake that began with Crisco.

Cotton plantations for fabric were cultivated in the United States as early as 1736. Prior to this, it was largely an ornamental plant. At first, most cotton was home-spun into garments, but the success of the crop meant that some could be exported to England. From a modest 600 pounds of cotton in 1784, it grew to over 200,000 by 1790. The invention of the cotton-gin by Eli Whitney in 1793 led to a staggering 40,000,000 pounds of cotton production.

But cotton is actually two crops - the fiber and the seed. For every 100 pounds of fiber, there was 162 pounds of cotton seeds which were largely useless. Only 5% of this seed was required for planting. Some could be used for livestock feed but there was still a mountain of garbage. What could be done with this garbage? Mostly it was left to rot or simply dumped illegally into rivers. It was toxic waste.

Meanwhile, in the 1820's and 1830's increased demand for oil used in cooking and lighting from a rising population and decreased supply of whale oil meant that prices rose steeply. Enterprising entrepreneurs tried to crush the worthless cotton seeds to extract the oil, but it was not until the 1850s that the technology matured to the point that commercial production could commence. But in 1859, something happened that would transform the modern world. Colonel Drake struck oil in Pennsylvania in 1859 introducing a massive supply of fossil fuels to the modern world. Before long, the demand for cottonseed oil for lighting had completely evaporated and cottonseeds went back to being classified as toxic waste.

With lots of cottonseed oil, but no demand, it was added illicitly to animal fats and lards. There was no evidence that this was, in any way safe for human consumption. We don't eat our cotton T-shirts after all. Similarly, cottonseed oil, being light in flavor and slightly yellow was blended with olive oil to reduce costs. This led to Italy completely banning the adulterated American olive oil in 1883. The Proctor & Gamble company used cottonseed oil for the manufacture of candles and soap, but soon discovered that they could use a chemical process to partially hydrogenate cottonseed oil into a solid fat that resembled lard. This process produced what are now called 'Trans' fats, making this product extremely versatile in the kitchen, even if nobody actually knew whether we should be shoving this former toxic waste into our mouths.

A 24-year-old woman survived what could have been a deadly encounter with an alligator that tried dragging her underwater as she swam in a Florida lake, authorities said.

Felicitie Gillette was swimming in Lake Hernando about 1 a.m. Wednesday when an alligator, estimated to be between 5 and 6 feet, grabbed her left arm, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation (FWC) Commission said.

Gillette, who authorities said is homeless, wrestled with the gator until she freed herself from its grip and made it to land, where she called 911.

"It came up out of nowhere and attacked," Gillette reportedly said in the call. "I'm freaking out."

It's not known what type of dog killed the child by biting her on the neck.

A two-year-old child died today after being attacked by a dog in Langenhovenpark in Bloemfontein, the ER24 paramedic service said.

"ER24 paramedics arrived on the scene at 10.15am and were immediately led into the home and into a bedroom, where they found the child lying on the bed," the private ambulance service said in a statement.

A Cincinnati mother "was viciously mauled" by her pit bull and killed this week, Hamilton County's coroner announced Thursday.

Della Riley, 42, also was shot by a bullet that ricocheted when Cincinnati police fired at the dog when it "aggressively charged" at them inside her home, police said in a news release.

Authorities say the woman was already dead when the bullet hit her - in fact, before officers even arrived.

The dog died in the shooting.

Police were called to her home about 1 p.m. Wednesday for a report of a person having a seizure.

Along the shore of a Winnipeg pond where dozens of birds have mysteriously been found dead, a seagull was gasping for breath.

Choo Rosenbloom saw the disturbing sight Wednesday afternoon. She ran to grab a box she thought would cradle the distressed bird to safety.

"I went to the car, came back to the pond and he was belly up," she said.

Within minutes, the seagull died — the latest casualty in a mass die-off of waterfowl at a Maples-area pond, the cause of which has baffled officials.

On Wednesday, Rosenbloom recovered two pelicans and three seagulls, which she took to the Prairie Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in Winnipeg in the hopes they will recover — but she isn't optimistic.

She estimates dozens of birds have died in the city's retention pond at the corner of Dr. Jose Rizal Way and Adsum Drive.

A dead humpback whale was discovered floating off shore near Sekiu Thursday morning, according to NOAA Fisheries.

NOAA said whale is about 25 to 28-feet long and appeared to be relatively healthy. They believe the death was recent and said whale had a broken jaw.

A marine biologist from the Makah Tribe is now collecting samples from the whale to determine the cause of death.

Sekiu is about 30 minutes southeast of Neah Bay.

A woman trying to protect her dog was killed by an alligator which pulled her into a lagoon at a private South Carolina resort, authorities said on Monday.

Cassandra Cline, 45, of Hilton Head Island, was walking the dog along a residential area of Sea Pines Resort when she was attacked, state and local officials said. The 8ft alligator was later found and euthanized, Sam Chappalear of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources told the Island Packet newspaper.

"It appears the alligator went after her dog and she tried to protect it," Chappalear said.

The dog was unharmed.

Blake Smith, 34, was leaving his house when he saw police cars and firetrucks in the neighborhood.