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Mammals

Appearing in a landscape that looks as though it were painted in watercolor, a male red deer roars in the rain. This photograph was the runner-up in the animal behavior category.

See 15 Captivating Images From the British Wildlife Photography Awards, From a Majestic Shark to Hungry Pigeons

The winning photographs highlight the diversity of animal and plant life in Britain as well as the often hidden behaviors of wild creatures

Gelada monkeys are known for long, flowing manes that continue down their backs.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

See Magnificent Monkeys From Around the World in These Shots From the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest

You don’t have to swing from treetops to get a close-up look at these curious creatures

The title page painting in Jay Matternes: Paleoartist and Wildlife Painter features a dynamic scene from the Pliocene.

See Stunning Illustrations of Prehistoric Life From One of the Most Renowned Paleoartists in the World

A new book highlights the beautiful work of Jay Matternes, an accomplished artist who drew everything from mammoths to early humans

Mother polar bears spend months inside snowy dens with their cubs. Then, the family emerges together in the spring.

Rare Footage Shows Baby Polar Bears Emerging From Their Den in the Arctic

In a new study, researchers used remote cameras and data from GPS tracking collars to learn more about this vulnerable period in the early lives of these marine mammals

Nutria have voracious appetites for vegetation, leading them to destroy wetland ecosystems.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wants You to Eat These Giant, Invasive Rodents

As part of National Invasive Species Week, the agency is calling on Americans to “eat the invaders,” including swamp-dwelling nutria

A new study suggests lab mice will open the mouths and pull on the tongues of their unconscious companions.

Lab Mice Appear to Offer ‘First Aid’ Care to Their Unconscious Companions, Even Pulling on Their Tongues

A new study finds that mice will sniff, lick and pull the tongue of other mice that are under anesthesia, serving to open their airways

Dolly was a female sheep—and the first mammal ever cloned from an adult cell. Her preserved remains are on display at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

On This Day in History

Why Scientists Kept the Birth of Dolly, the World’s First Cloned Mammal, a Secret for Seven Months

The scientific breakthrough, announced on this day in 1997, proved that geneticists could clone an adult mammal, giving rise to a new era of ethical debate and experimentation

Police helped keep the baby seal out of harm's way until help could arrive.

Lost Baby Seal Found Wandering in Downtown New Haven Has Been Rescued—and Attained Local Fame

The juvenile gray seal recently weaned off his mother’s milk and ventured five miles into the coastal Connecticut city

A pod of 157 false killer whales washed up on a beach in Tasmania.

Pod of 157 False Killer Whales Stranded on a Tasmania Beach Could Not Be Rescued, Wildlife Officials Say

In the area’s largest stranding event for the species since the 1970s, experts decided euthanasia was the most humane course of action

A pangolin emerges from an underground tunnel at night at Save Vietnam’s Wildlife, a group that runs a pangolin conservation program inside the Cuc Phuong National Park in Vietnam.

Will the Traditional Chinese Medicine Industry End the Pangolin?

The creature is being trafficked across Africa and Asia to fuel a steady demand for their scales, an ingredient in unproven remedies

The 166-pound Florida panther is an adult male around ten years old.

Scientists Find the Heaviest Florida Panther on Record, a Giant Cat Tipping the Scales at 166 Pounds

Wildlife officials in Florida captured and collared the adult male feline during a routine population check in late January

An albino squirrel peeks out from within a tree.

Can a Small Town’s Protections for Albino Squirrels Inspire Other Cities to Guard Wildlife Against Cats?

Olney, Illinois, has taken steps to protect an iconic mammal from domesticated felines, setting a possible model for other places to follow

Mexican long-nosed bats were detected in Arizona for the first time, using environmental DNA.

Scientists Confirm Endangered Bats Are Migrating in Arizona for the First Time, Using DNA Clues Found in the Environment

Researchers and citizen scientists took samples of environmental DNA from saliva on backyard hummingbird feeders and agave plants to identify Mexican long-nosed bats

The Punta Medanosa colony of Magellanic penguins on the coast of Argentina has nearly 8,000 breeding pairs. Other colonies number in the hundreds of thousands.

What Did Scientists Learn After Thousands of Penguins Were Slaughtered by Mountain Lions?

The thriving bird colonies likely grew over several decades because local shepherds had temporarily eliminated pumas

Weighing up to 1,100 pounds, Risso's dolphins live throughout the world's temperate and tropical oceans.

See a Rare ‘Super Pod’ of More Than 1,500 Risso’s Dolphins Spotted off the Coast of California

Whale-watching tour operators encountered the mass gathering of cetaceans while looking for migrating gray whales

A humpback whale

Humpback Whale Song Shares a Key Pattern With Human Language That Might Make It Easier for the Animals to Learn

Despite humans and whales being separated by millions of years of evolution, our vocalizations follow the same principle outlined in Zipf’s law

Doctors at NYU Langone Health recently performed a transplant surgery using a gene-edited pig kidney. The patient, Towana Looney, is now more than two months out from surgery and recovering well,

FDA Approves Transplant Trials for Gene-Edited Pig Kidneys

Two biotechnology companies will begin testing the procedures in patients suffering from kidney failure

The coast horned lizard (Phrynosoma blainvillii) depends on chaparral habitat to survive. It has declined across much of its range due to habitat loss, whether from development or invasion of non-native grasses. After fires, non-native grasses often fill in habitat and create problems for the species.

Here’s How the Los Angeles Wildfires Are Affecting Animals, From Fish to Snakes to Birds

While scientists were able to save and move some creatures in the aftermath, researchers are worried about the prospects for other species

Nyota, a 25-year-old male bonobo at Ape Initiative in Iowa, participated in the study.

When Bonobos Know What You Don’t, They’ll Tell You. It’s a Sign of a Cognitive Ability Called ‘Theory of Mind’

A first-of-its-kind study suggests bonobos, like humans, can understand someone else’s lack of knowledge—and adjust their actions accordingly

The mammoths were not all related to each other, according to the new analysis.

Mammoth Bones Used to Build Mysterious 25,000-Year-Old Site in Russia Came From Different Herds

DNA and radiocarbon dating analyses of the bones are offering new insights into the ambitious Ice Age site constructed by hunter-gatherers

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