Nearly 800 people signed up for the month-long "Python Challenge" that started Saturday afternoon. The vast majority — 749 — are members of the general public who lack the permits usually required

More than 34,000 people have signed an online petition calling on the Obama administration to build the "Star Wars" inspired super-weapon to spur job growth and bolster national defense.

Stunned Qantas Airways passengers watched out their windows as a large python clung to a plane's wing during a two-hour flight from Australia's northeastern city of Cairns to Papua New Guinea.

Authorities in Northern California made a snappy discovery during a routine probation check: An alligator-like reptile named "Mr. Teeth," who was apparently protecting a stash of marijuana.

Authorities say a Florida Panhandle man has been arrested after he tried to rob a convenience store with a cattle prod but was thwarted by a clerk with a gun.

Couples often hold weddings on significant dates, but a Massachusetts couple has come up with a new way of remembering their ceremony.

Swedish prosecutors have issued international arrest warrants for two Britons suspected of masterminding a smuggling ring involving Chinese garlic.

For five years, someone prowled rural counties in upstate New York, pilfering pearl necklaces, gold chains, bracelets, coins, silverware and other valuables from an untold number of homes.

The San Diego Zoo has a six month old panda cub that will be put on public display, for limited hours, beginning Thursday. Bill Whitaker was the first person allowed with a camera inside the panda's enclosure

A Florida man accused of riding his horse while intoxicated during a police chase has changed his plea and was sentenced to time served.

Wildlife officials suspected that the bobcat that attacked Roger Mundell Jr. on Sunday was rabid because of its unusually aggressive behavior.

Divers catch a glimpse of a Giant Squid swimming in the deep sea off Chichi Island in Japan

The sheriff's office in Washington County, Ore., says the wooden statue of a bear was stolen from a home in Portland during the weekend.

The payments had been a tradition since 1357, when a man named Konrad Mueller killed a man named Heinrich Stucki. To atone, Mueller promised to always pay to keep an eternal lamp lit.

Airport officials say an antique Spitfire aircraft owned by engine company Rolls Royce collapsed shortly after landing at East Midlands Airport in central England.

A sunset wedding ceremony aboard a hot air balloon got off to a bumpy start when a gust of wind forced the pilot to make a crash landing in the yard of a San Diego home.

An Oregon man who loves beer and loves his dog has concocted some hooch for the pooch. Daniel Keeton works at Bend's Boneyard Brewery tasting room and calls his canine creation Dawg Grog.

Officials say a suspected robber of a suburban Detroit restaurant who apparently returned months later to get some food is under arrest after being recognized by employees.

A man in Massachusetts says all he heard was a hiss before a bobcat pounced on him in his own garage, sinking its teeth into his face and its claws in his back.

The kangaroo started licking his arms, which is a sign of stress, so a wildlife officer was brought in to subdue him. Some onlookers said they were happy that tourists could get a firsthand look at the animal.

A New York City musician used a combination of technology, seduction, a hammer and a bribe to reclaim his missing iPhone from a confused crook.

Alagoas state prisons spokeswoman Cinthya Moreno says that the cat was caught New Year's Eve at the medium-security prison in the city of Arapiraca.

A Vermont woman considers her pigs to be pets, but town officials say they're farm animals and have no business living in a residential neighborhood.

The Western Union telegram is described as the opening page of the love story of now-deceased Minnie and Fred Ciolino, who sent the message 74 years ago after their Reno wedding on Christmas Eve.

The zoo treated its elephants and some of its other animals to the trees for lunch Friday. Before gobbling the greenery, elephants young and old played with the trees, whose strong smell attracts them.