Weird Animals

An artists's take on the insect

The Quest to Find the World's Largest Bee

The rediscovery of Wallace’s giant bee uncovers disheartening truths about the tenuous fate of hidden insect species

A rare sighting of a northern spring salamander on migration night. These nocturnal creatures spend their days hiding under logs and stones.

Why Did the Salamander Cross the Road?

To reproduce, of course. And a band of volunteers gathers at night to help it—and countless other amphibians—get to the other side

Boas constrict their prey to death.

How Boa Constrictors Breathe While Squeezing the Life Out of Their Prey

Researchers outfitted the snakes with electrodes and scanned them using X-rays to see how the flexing predators managed to take in air

The lady-bug-sized spiders live in colonies of thousands are rarely leave the safety of their web.

These Spiders Hunt in Packs to Catch Prey Hundreds of Times Their Size

New research reveals how some arachnids use a coordinated stop-and-start approach to find a meal

A fossil of a Diegoaelurus jawbone was recovered from a construction site in Oceanside, California.

Paleontologists Uncover the Oldest Sabertoothed Predator

Fossil jaw shows earliest evidence of a specialized carnivore with scimitar-shaped fangs

Red pandas are classified as endangered and are legally protected in their home countries.

Before Seeing 'Turning Red,' Learn These Amazing Red Panda Facts

Delight your friends with these eight surprising details about the furry creatures

A greater horseshoe bat can use echolocation to target an insect meal.

Five Amazing Adaptations That Help Animals Thrive in the Dark

From snakes that use infrared radiation to find prey to deep sea fishes that communicate via bioluminescence, these creatures flourish without light

A ram's thick skull protects its brain from serious injury.

Ten Reasons Rams Might Be the Perfect Football Mascot

They're light on their feet, and they aren't afraid to butt heads

African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis) were able to regrow a functional limb within 18 months of the novel treatment.

Frogs Can Regrow Lost Legs in the Lab. Now, Researchers Say Human Limb Regeneration Could Happen 'in Our Lifetime'

A 24-hour treatment using a five-drug cocktail kickstarted a yearlong regrowth process in the amphibians

Seahorses build a strong pair bond—but if the couple is forcibly separated, they are more than willing to move on.

Seahorses Aren't as Committed as Previously Thought

Pair bonds between the fish aren't as strong as you think

A queen Oecophylla smaragdina ant

How Can Ant and Termite Queens Live So Long?

Scientists are working to understand the matriarchs, who can survive decades while investing huge amounts of energy into reproduction

The newly recognized species, Taksinus bambus, is the first known tarantula to nest exclusively inside bamboo stalks.

A Wildlife YouTuber Discovered This New Species of Tarantula in Thailand

The bamboo-dwelling spider is so distinct from others that it's been declared a new genus and species

Five cats pile onto a Starlink satellite dish in a snowy yard.

Outdoor Cats Are Using $500 Starlink Satellite Dishes as Self-Heating Beds

The devices—developed by Elon Musk's SpaceX—have a warming feature to prevent snow buildup from disrupting the signal

A female dolphin cald swims about her mother at the Madrid Zoo and Aquarium in 2018.

Female Dolphins Have a Fully Functional Clitoris

A new study finds surprising similarities between human and cetacean sexual anatomy

Little is known about most magnapinnid, or bigfin squid, species. The individual pictured here was spotted by the NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer in the Gulf of Mexico. Recently, a magnapinnid was filmed in the Philippine Trench—the deepest ever sighting of a squid.

Scientists Find the World's Deepest-Dwelling Squid

Researchers went looking for a war wreck roughly 19,000 feet under the sea—and spotted the animal instead

A restoration of the extinct whale Phiomicetus, named by paleontologists earlier this year, preying upon a sawfish.

Whales Once Walked Along the Coasts of North America

Increasing fossil finds are helping researchers understand how such early whales made their way to the continent

The pale millipede E. persephone is roughly three and a half inches long and a millimeter wide.

Finally, a Millipede That Actually Has 1,000 Legs

The title is often a misnomer, with many species falling hundreds of appendages short of a thousand. With 1,306 feet, this new insect lives up to its name

The hydra’s unusual ability to regenerate parts of its body makes the creatures biologically immortal. 

How Tiny, 'Immortal' Hydras Regrow Their Lost Heads

A new analysis pinpoints different genes behind the tiny animal's ability to regenerate body parts

Jan Piecha earned a spot as a finalist with their picture of three young raccoons, titled "Secrets." 

Ten Hilarious Winners of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

The annual contest is a joyful celebration of the natural world

Spider keeper Jake Meney holding the "megaspider" that was donated to the Australian Reptile Park.

This Australian Zoo Is Milking Its Giant Funnel Web Spider to Make Lifesaving Antivenom

The Australian Reptile Park says the arachnid—nicknamed 'Megaspider'—is the largest individual of this species they've ever seen

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