Mayflies don't live to see the sunset and other melancholy animal problems

Did you know that jellyfish have no hearts or that mice can sense sadness? Artist Brooke Barker uses animal facts like these to create her whimsical yet melancholy illustrations. “I’ve been illustrating these adorably sad facts and sharing them online for less than 2 months, and so far 6,500 people on Instagram have learned and laughed, and gotten slightly depressed,” she says. Here are some of our favourites:

All images © Brooke Barker. For more visit SadAnimalFacts.com or connect with Brooke on Instagram.

Earth Touch News

Earth Touch is built on a simple philosophy: nature's stories should be told with passion and imagination. VIEW more from this CONTRIBUTOR

YOU MADE IT TO THE END

Our planet is a busy, crazy place. And amidst all the noise, voices get lost and some stories are never heard. That’s especially true of our planet’s countless wild species: big and small, threatened and persecuted, complex and fascinating.

SUPPORT US FOR $1 A MONTH

For our growing team of writers and contributors, those are the stories that matter most: we dedicate our time to them all day and every day. In a world bursting with news, nature is our niche – and we love it that way.

BECOME A SUPPORTER

You, our viewers, are passionate about these stories we tell. Take your passion further by supporting and driving more of the nature news you know and love.

Support Monthly

Art and Design

Animal Artwork: Elegant logo designs inspired by nature

By Earth Touch News

From X-ray animal art to realistic boxwood lobsters, we're suckers for a bit of nature-inspired eye-candy. So we did a little happy dance when we...

12 years ago

Art and Design

Wildlife in perspective: Stunning artworks put threatened species in the spotlight

By Earth Touch News

By painting his animal subjects out of their natural setting and adding in collage effects and painterly drips of colour, artist Bryan Holland turns...

11 years ago

WTF!?

Indominus rex: Some detective work on Jurassic World’s hybrid terror

By Robin Andrews

The makers of the upcoming 'Jurassic World' wanted to up the ferocity ante when creating the film's chief dino villain. Enter the yet-to-be-revealed...

11 years ago