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New Tool Gives 3-Month Warning Before Heat Kills Endangered Animals
What if scientists could not only track heat waves but also predict when they would threaten thousands of species? A…
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The Exact Ocean Spot Where Humpback Whales Give Birth
Just like us, humpback whales have their preferences. They are incredibly intelligent creatures, with brains that can weigh up to…
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The Locust Plague That Covered 198,000 Square Miles Then Vanished
Sometimes, what seems like an impending disaster can become an afterthought in the blink of an eye. Surprisingly, it’s often…
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8 Undiscovered Moth Species Were Hiding in One for 200 Years
The notion of species may underpin almost every aspect of biology, yet scientists can’t agree on a single definition. Time…
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When Wasps Lose Their Queen, a Secret Group Saves the Colony
For some species, war seems inevitable. When a community loses a powerful leader, it creates a power vacuum. This lack…
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Octopuses Use Mirrors to Map Space Like Primates and Dolphins
If you were to make a case for evidence of extraterrestrial life on Earth, you would probably use octopuses as…
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Nearly 90% of U.S. Bed Bugs Resist Pesticides. Pack Carefully This Summer.
When people talk about tenacious, seemingly unkillable pests, the mind immediately goes to cockroaches. After all, their reputation precedes them:…
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The Self-Cloning Tick That Can Copy Itself 2,000 Times
Longhorn cattle have long symbolized the American West, strength, and resilience. A new type of longhorn, however, has entered the…
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The Only Fossil of Its Kind May Reveal How Animals First Left the Sea
Since time immemorial, humankind has wondered about its lineage: where it came from and how it got here. Modern science…
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Inside the Stanley Pup, The Star-Studded, Hockey-Themed Event Saving Shelter Pets
The Stanley Cup is the biggest event in professional hockey. It routinely gets millions of viewers a year, and the…
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Spotted a Turtle on the Road? Experts Say Do This First
As temperatures rise, the turtle nesting season is beginning. There are several hundred species of turtles, but many of them…
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Jackson Hole Shouldn’t Have Wildlife on Its Busiest Trails, but It Does
The 21st century has seen a worldwide reappraisal of the relationship between human beings and the animal kingdom. Human progress…
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The Bird That Wraps Its Tongue Around Its Skull to Hunt Ants
Aside from perhaps experiencing a tidal wave a hundred feet high crashing onto a city, there is likely nothing in…
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Meet Rio, the First Panda Born Outside China in 3 Years
A rare event is about to take place at Indonesia’s Taman Safari Zoo: for the first time in three years,…
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Ghost Shark or Rabbitfish? The Strange Truth About Chimaeras
In Ancient Greek mythology, the chimera was a monstrous creature. It was a mishmash of different animals, some of which…
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A Live Fish Is Writhing Inside This Bird’s Neck
Have you ever been so hungry that you didn’t even stop to chew your food, instead gulping it down as…
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This Tiger Scratches a Tree and Sends 3 Messages at Once
It’s hard to deny that even the fiercest big cat looks like a tabby when it engages in certain behaviors.…
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How 150 Dogs Traveled 260 Miles to Save Alaskan Residents from a Deadly Epidemic
Nome, Alaska, sits just two degrees north of the Arctic Circle. A historic Alaskan town, Nome was the site of…
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3 Clues That Tell a Territorial Squirrel from a Social One
We may think of prey animals as being timid, even passive, and not prone to confrontation. Nothing could be further…
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South Africa Once Paid a Baboon to Operate Railroad Signals
Animals often thrive on routine and consistency. For example, if you skip your pet dog’s usual walk time, you’ll notice…
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Eradicated for 22 Years, a Pig Virus Has Returned via Feral Hogs
For the first time since 2004, scientists have detected pseudorabies in commercial swine populations. In late April, routine testing at…
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Could New Hunting Rules Violate the Law That Created National Parks?
According to a memo published on April 21st, the government will make sweeping changes to the conservation policies that helped…
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This Donkey’s Story Has a Happily Ever After
The field of veterinary care can be the most rewarding or the most terrifying experience for people who love animals.…
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Parasites Inside Sea of Galilee Fish Turn out to Be Jellyfish Kin
The Sea of Galilee has long been known for its proximity to both geopolitical and religious history. It turns out…
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DNA from Seized Pangolins Is Mapping Global Crime Routes
Like any other clandestine industry, the illegal wildlife trade generates billions of dollars a year without much of a paper…
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The Diaper-Wearing Ferret Who Cleaned Fermilab’s Accelerator
Sometimes, solutions to multi-million-dollar questions require nothing more than a well-placed ferret. There are many stories about the creation of…
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How AI Is Turning Blurry Jungle Video into Primate Research Gold
If a tree falls in a forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?…
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Lasers Are Unlocking the Life Stories Hidden in Shark Bones
As above, so below. There are patterns in nature that function as fractals, capable of retaining their essence no matter…
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The One Trait That Lets Prey Escape 90% of Predator Attacks
A cottontail rabbit seems like the most delicate, vulnerable creature on Earth until it starts running. Even a seriously bloodthirsty…
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Hawaii Rediscovers Its Rarest Moth on an Ordinary Sidewalk
Hawaii has long been at odds between its natural splendor and encroaching outside forces, be they human developments or invasive…
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5 Endangered Species Fighting to Survive and Their Remarkable Stories
Currently, the planet is undergoing its sixth mass extinction event. While mass extinctions have occurred naturally in the past, this…
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Why Gatlinburg’s Funny Bear Videos Hide a Real Crisis
To say the town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee is surrounded by bear country is an understatement. As the gateway to the…
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Oregon’s Bold Plan to Save 321 Species on the Brink
Some say, “As California goes, so goes the nation.” When it comes to animal conservation, however, that principle might apply…
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Where to Find Florida’s Most Beautiful Summer Birds
While some of us observe birds casually, true birdwatching is a completely separate arena. This dedicated lifestyle includes sub-communities, drama,…
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How Male Cichlids Trick Females into Fertilizing Eggs
Nature always finds a way, but those ways aren’t necessarily pretty. In fact, in regions with plenty of resource competition,…
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How Bone Tissue Cracked a 20-Year Baby Ankylosaur Mystery
Sometimes, scientists discover what they think is one species, only for later research to come to a different conclusion. A…
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This Mama Owl’s Bewildered Look Has the Internet Feeling Seen
It doesn’t matter the species; parenting is tough work for anyone. It will push you to your limit, make you…
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The Y-Shaped Bone That Gives Macaws a Finger-Like Tongue
Usually, nature follows a simple rule of thumb: the bigger the creature, the less nimble it is in its movements.…
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The Mists of Sichuan Reveal Vibrant New Pit Viper Species Hidden for Decades
People in the Western world probably know Sichuan for its cuisine. Indeed, this province in southwestern China is famous across…
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Scientists Uncover a Baffling New Pit Viper in Myanmar
scientists have uncovered a profound truth: nature seeks novelty over categorization. In every era, humans seek new ways to classify…
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This Harmless Backyard Snake Gets Bigger Than Most People Realize
Just imagine: You are enjoying a day in your garden. You finish in one area and head to your shed…
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A 20-Year Mouse Cloning Experiment Reached a Grim Breaking Point
Once in a blue moon, an animal cloning story appears in the headlines before disappearing back into the ether. Cloning…
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This Rhino Nearly Died at Two Months Old and Now, She Has 3 Calves
It’s important to take stock of the small moments and little victories. This is especially true if you’re a member…
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How a Blind Larva Uses Physics to Build Nature’s Perfect Trap
Antlion larvae may not look like much, but they are easily some of the best engineers in the animal kingdom.…
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These Sharks Thrive in Alaska’s Icy Waters
When we think of Alaska, we typically think of grizzly bears, moose, and harsh tundras—not sharks. However, the icy waters…
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Aphids Give Birth to Clones Already Pregnant with the Next Generation
Unless you carefully inspect the leaves of a plant in your garden, you might not ever see the tiny little…
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How Nature’s Most Polite Bees Say “Excuse Me”
No creature fascinates and delights the human mind quite like the honeybee, and not just because of the tasty honey…
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This Python Vomited Up a Fully Intact Bird in One Cringey Move
When it comes to food consumption, snakes skip the whole chewing bit and swallow their meals whole. But sometimes their…
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The Free Tool That Lets You Track Hummingbird Migration Live
With the arrival of spring comes the potential for multiple glittering hummingbirds to grace your yard. In fact, their appearance…
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Meet “Doug the Tank,” the 33-Pound Turtle Rescued From Lake Michigan
Earlier this month, residents of Grand Haven, Michigan, were treated to an unexpected sight: a giant, 33-pound snapping turtle wandering…