As we say goodbye to 2013, we should also take a moment to say goodbye to those crazy animals that shocked, impressed, grossed out and even saddened us this year. A year without strange animal stories is a year that we don't want to remember, so raise your paws and cheer to the top animal stories of 2013.

Snake Found in San Antonio Starbucks

(Photo : Michele Ahlswede/Facebook)

A Starbucks customer got more than cream and sugar this year when he encountered a snake in the bathroom of a San Antonio Starbucks.

When Bruce Ahlswede entered the Starbucks' bathroom, he saw something lying across the toilet. At first, he thought it was a toy left behind as a prank. Soon, however, the snake began to move.

"I said 'Hey you've got a snake in your bathroom, and she's kind of freaking out,'" Ahlswede said in an interview with KSAT, a CNN affiliate.

Starbucks employees and Michele, Ahlswede's wife, joined Ahlswede in the bathroom. Together, they watched as the snake slithered around the toilet and then disappeared.

Experts say that the slithering surprise was probably a non-poisonous rat snake, which is good, because the Ahlswedes said they plan on continuing their patronage of the Starbucks.

Anonymous Donar Donates 12,000-Year-Old Elephant Bone to Charity

(Photo : In The Image/Facebook)

A mysterious and giving donor gave In The Image, a Christian charity in Grand Rapids, MO, a strange donation: ancient mastodon parts. The historical donation included tooth fragments and a tusk from the elephant-related-creature.

Both pieces are an estimated 12,000-15,000 years old. The tooth is covered in lacquer and broken into two. It is about the same size as a loaf of bread. The tusk, which is also covered in lacquer, is about 10-inches long and is hollowed out at one end. According to museum experts, it was probably carved at some point.

Both pieces were donated to the Grand Rapids Public Museum.

Alaskan Rainbow Trout Gobbles Up 20 Shrews

(Photo : LiveScience/Facebook)

In September, researchers examined the body of a small, 19-inch-long Alaskan rainbow trout from Alaska's Togiak National Wildlife Refuge. Once researchers opened the trout's body, they discovered that the trout had eaten almost 20 different specimens of the mouse-sized mammal.

"My best guess is that the shrews were on an island [or river bank] that flooded, and the rainbow happened to be in the right spot at the right time," Mark Lisac, a fish biologist at Togiak National Widlife Reguge in Alaska, said in an interview with LiveScience.

The record for a trout eating shrews was previously held by a grayling that had seven shrews in its stomach.

Court Ruling Takes Darwin the Ikea Monkey Away From "Mom"

(Photo : Bronwyn Ilet Page/Twitter)

A self-proclaimed mother was forced to say goodbye to her pet monkey when a Toronto judge decided that the monkey, who was first found loitering outside of an Ikea furniture store, should stay in a sanctuary.

In December 2012, Darwin the Ikea monkey was spotted in a faux shearling coat and diaper after he escaped from Yasmin Nakhuda's car and ran around the parking lot and near the store. Darwin caused a stir, becoming an Internet sensation.

Animal services then took Darwin away from Nakhuda and brought him to Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary. Nakhuda was also fined $250 for the illegal ownership of an exotic pet.

Nakhuda filed a lawsuit against Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary but lost this year. According to the Ontario Superior Court Judge Mary Vallee, Darwin was still considered a wild animal despite Nakhuda's relationship with him. This is an important definition because according to the law, the owner of a wild animal is the party that is in possession of it.

Former World's Tallest Dog Dies

(Photo : Guinness World Records/Facebook)

The world said goodbye to one of its greatest (in size, that is) creatures this year, Giant George.

A Giant George Service Day was held on Nov. 17 in honor of the late Great Dane.

When the Guinness Book of World Records named Giant George the world's tallest dog on Feb. 15, 2010, he was 7'3'' and weighed 245 pounds, according to GiantGeorge.com.

Giant George also starred in his own book, Giant George: Life with the World's Biggest Dog.

In 2012, Giant George lost the title of world's tallest dog to Zeus, another Great Dane. Zeus comes from Michigan and is 7'4'' and 155 pounds.

Two Massive Sea Monsters Wash Ashore in Southern California in One Week

In a week Southern California would never forget, two different sea monsters made cameos: an 18-foot-long, 400-pound oarfish and a 15-foot-long, 2,000-pound Sabre-toothed whale.

It took 15 or 20 people to move the 400-pound oarfish, who was dead form what appeared to be natural causes, off the Los Angles coast.

Check out pictures of the rare find here.

Three days later, the body of a rare female Sabre-toothed whale, also known as the Stejneger's beaked whale, washed ashore on Venice Beach.

(Photo : Santa Monica Pier Aquarium/Facebook)

Man Sleeps With a 300-lb Crocodile Under His Bed Without Knowing It

(Photo : Scott Hanko/flickr)

A man in Zimbabwe spent the night with a crocodile under his bed and did not know it until the next day.

Guy Whittal, a former cricket captain, was staying at a lodge in Lwveld at the Save Conservancy. Little did he know that underneath his bed was a large crocodile, who remained under the bed for more than eight hours.

At one point, Whittal was even sitting on the edge of the bed planning out his day, but the crocodile still did not attack him or his feet.

"The really disconcerting thing about the whole episode is the fact that I was sitting on the edge of the bed that morning, bare foot and just centimeters away from the crocodile," Whittal said.

Whittal, age 40, learned about the crocodile when left his room and went to the kitchen to eat breakfast. It was then that he heard the screams of the housekeeper who discovered the secretive reptile.

Maybe it's not monsters that children should be worried about under their bed.

Frog Rocket Launch: Accidental Amphibious Astronaut Takes Off In NASA Rocket Launch Photo

(Photo : nasa/Instagram)

NASA uploaded an image of their rocket taking off from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia onto its Instagram page. On the left side of the image, in a billow of smoke, a tiny frog is visible with its legs and arms spread like a star.

According to the photo's caption, the picture was filmed in a single frame by a remote camera that NASA uses to photograph its launches.

A NASA representative said that the frog was definitely real and that the image was not altered.

The condition of the frog remains unknown.

Dallas Zoo Lion Kills Lioness in Front of Stunned Audience

Johari, also known as Jo-Jo, was killed at the Dallas Zoo. (Photo : Dallas Zoo/Facebook)

A male lion attacked and killed a five-year-old lioness named Johari in front of dozens of stunned families at the Dallas Zoo. Zookeepers were unsure of what caused the shocking incident.

"At first you think they're playing; then you realize he's killing her..." Michael Henshaw, a spectator, told WFAA.

"The male lion that started it, just had his mouth over her throat, and everyone thought they were playing at first but then they could see she was struggling," Jim Harvey, another spectator, told WFAA.

"[The lion] just lay beside her and held her by the neck for like 10 minutes ... just holding it there, waiting until it quit moving," Dylan Parker, a third spectator, told the CNN affiliate.

Jo-Jo's trachea collapsed, and the lioness suffocated. The male lion was removed from the enclosure.

Woman Buys Banana Covered in Dozens of World's Deadliest Spider

(Photo : Geoff Gallice/flickr)

A British family found out why the world's deadliest spider is nicknamed the banana spider when they found dozens of the arachnid in their bunch of bananas.

Consi Taylor was halfway through a banana she purchased at a Sainsbury's supermarket when she spotted a mysterious white blotch on her fruit. Soon she realized that the white spot was actually a fuzzy cocoon-like clump filled with dozens of spiders.

"I had a closer look and was horrified to see they were spiders," Taylor told The Sun. "They were hatching out on the table, scurrying around on my carpet."

When Taylor brought the bananas back to the supermarket she received a £10 gift certificate as compensation.

"We're very sorry and have apologized to Mr. and Mrs. Taylor," Sainsbury's said. "We do have rigorous controls on imported products at all stages, from harvesting to transportation, which is why this is so rare."

View a picture of Taylor's tasty banana here.

Sperm Whale Explodes All Over A Scientist

(Photo : YouTube)

Our Number One bizarre animal story of 2013 goes to this exploding sperm whale that gushed all over a man (puns not intended).

If zombies have taught us anything, it's that we shouldn't mess with dead bodies. A viral video of a sperm whale exploding shows that disobeying this rule can end up messy.

A sperm whale was beached on the Faroe Islands this year, and Bjarni Mikkelsen, a marine biologist at the National Museum of the Faroe Islands, decided to cut open the carcass in order to use its skeleton for an exhibit. It was his first time cutting up a sperm whale, and probably his last.

Mikkelsen approached the 45-foot body of the sperm whale with care, but nothing could fully prepare him for what would happen next. Once he cut into the whale's body, gas trapped within the carcass exploded. As a result, piles of guts and organs gushed into the air.

"We were cutting along the dorsal part of the animal so when it exploded it did so in a very controlled way," Mikkelsen said.

If this is a controlled explosion, let us hope for Mikkelsen's clothes' sake that he never encounters an uncontrolled explosion.