Animals

Butterflies And Bees Drink Crocodile Tears

To the delight of winged invertebrates, crocodiles cry when they eat

An overly alluring research subject.

Biologists Are Biased Toward Penises

Researchers interested in the evolution of animal genitalia tend to focus on the male side of that equation, often unjustifiably ignoring the female

In Mexico, parasitic corn fungus makes for a great tortilla filling.

Five Parasitic Species People Love to Eat

From tapeworms to lampreys, some people don't mind eating the bloodsuckers

What’s Killing the Sea Stars?

Scientists inch closer to the cause of the mysterious "sea star wasting syndrome"

Watch This Bear Cub Rock Climb!

You have time for one too-adorable-for-words video

This is the face of deception.

This Bird Tricks Other Animals Into Handing Over Their Meals

The African drongo mimics warning calls of other animals to scare them away from food, but mixes true warnings with lies to keep those animals guessing

Mosquitoes Kill More Humans Than Human Murderers Do

From a human perspective, this makes them the deadliest animal in the world by far

Not the world's fastest mite, but a related species from the same Family.

This Obscure Species of Mite Is the Fastest Animal on Earth

The mite just defeated the previous record-holder, the Australian tiger beetle

This Seal Tried to Steal Another Seal's Baby Before It Was Fully Born

Nature is not a nice place

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Decades of Political Strife Have Left Myanmar's Jungles Unexplored and Unchartered

Now as the country opens up, what will happen to its endangered species? A new three-part series on the Smithsonian Channel explores the issue

A bowl of shark fin soup, which is sometimes made with meat from protected species of sharks

People Caught Eating Rare Animals in China Might Soon Face Jail Time

Eating endangered species was never kosher, but now legitimate punishments can finally be dished out for this crime

Take in the Sights and Sounds of the National Parks

Enjoy a nature break and listen to birds from America's greatest natural wonders

A Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris ssp. sumatrae) at the National Zoo in Washington, DC.

This Song (And This Tiger) Will Go Extinct Unless We Save It

Smithsonian magazine editor Michael Caruso is among the 400 influencers asked to protect and save the "Endangered Song"

"Fellow hermit crab? I'll eat you up!"

Cannibalistic Hermit Crabs Salivate at the Smell of Their Dead

Instead of responding to the smell of a relative’s death as the sign that a predator could be about, hermit crabs interpret this cue as fresh dinner

When Museum Specimen Get Infested With Bugs, Curators Have to Freeze Them

Freezing and heating can oftentimes keep invertebrate enemies at bay

Scientists Confirm That Cats a) Are Pretty Smart, b) Don't Really Care What You Want

Cats' impressive individuality makes it hard to study their smarts

Greater Rhea trio

The U.K. Is Weirdly Obsessed With Rhea Birds—Which Keep Escaping Their Owners

A rhea went on the lam in the U.K.—and is far from the first giant, flightless bird to do so

Mom's ample body serves as this baby's bed for now, but soon she'll grow up to build sleeping nests of her own.

Chimpanzees Are Extremely Picky About Where They Sleep

The primates painstakingly rebuild their nest from scratch every night—a pre-bed ritual reminiscent of the "Princess and the Pea"

A wolfdog.

Dogs That Should Be Guarding Sheep Are Mating With Wolves Instead

Intimate encounters between dogs and wolves are relatively common in Georgia's Caucasus Mountains

You're next.

This Poor Chicken Got Eaten by a Cow

Herbivores don't always stick to their diet

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