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Stories from Sarah Kuta

The female elk was spotted grazing and lounging around Estes Park, Colorado.

‘1 Out of Every 100,000’: This Rare Piebald Elk Is Turning Heads in Colorado With Her Unusually Splotchy Fur

The female ungulate has white patches on her face and body, likely because of an uncommon genetic condition that affects pigmentation

Mourning doves, European starlings, crows and other common backyard species have been found dead on a residential street in Richmond, California, in recent months.

Birds Are Dying Mysterious, Violent Deaths in This Northern California Neighborhood—and No One Can Explain Why

Residents of Richmond, a city in the Bay Area, say they have watched dozens of birds drop dead in recent months

Argentine black and white tegus (Salvator merianae) were brought to the United States in the 1990s by exotic pet traders. They've since proliferated in the wild and been deemed an invasive species.

Mysterious Fossil Found in Museum Storage Turned Out to Be a New, Extinct Lizard Species

Today, tegus are considered invasive creatures in Florida, but a new paper suggests they’ve lived in the southeastern United States at least once before—millions of years ago

The two eagle sculptures—including one with the wizard Gandalf riding on its back—have soared over visitors at Wellington International Airport in New Zealand for more than a decade.

Say Goodbye to This Massive ‘Hobbit’-Themed Sculpture of Gandalf Riding an Eagle

For more than a decade, the eye-catching artwork had hung from the ceiling of Wellington International Airport in New Zealand, where “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” were filmed

Most babesiosis infections are caused by blacklegged ticks, also known as deer ticks.

A Potentially Life-Threatening Disease Caused by Ticks Is Expanding to New Parts of America

Babesiosis typically occurs in the Northeast and the Upper Midwest, but new research suggests rare cases are emerging in the mid-Atlantic region including Delaware, Maryland and Virginia

The exterior is made of fruitwood adorned with mother-of-pearl inlay and silver banding.

You Can Buy Novelist Charles Dickens’ Personal Travel Writing Desk and Silverware Set

The ornate desk features a silver plaque with a personal inscription that references the English writer’s family nickname, “Venerables”

Located in Northumberland National Park, the Sycamore Gap tree was well-known throughout England and beyond.

Two Men Convicted of Chopping Down England’s Beloved Sycamore Gap Tree in an Act of ‘Mindless Thuggery’

After five hours of deliberation, jurors found Adam Carruthers and Daniel Graham guilty of criminal damage for felling the iconic tree that stood near Hadrian’s Wall

Grizzly 399 (left) reigned as the "Queen of the Tetons" until her death in October 2024.

Male Offspring of Grizzly 399—the ‘World’s Most Famous Bear’—Killed by Vehicle in Grand Teton National Park

The 5-year-old boar known as Grizzly 1058 was part of a rare litter of four cubs born in 2020

Pueblo Bonito is one of the largest "great houses" constructed by the Chacoan people at Chaco Canyon.

DNA Links Modern Picuris Pueblo Tribe to Ancestors Who Lived in Chaco Canyon Hundreds of Years Ago

Tribal leaders partnered with scientists to confirm their connection to the archaeological site in New Mexico

The papier-mâché decoys have been placed in a 100-acre field south of the Jackson Hole Airport runway in a bid to attract greater sage-grouse.

Threatened Birds Are Trying to Mate Near a Hazardous Airport in Wyoming. Can Papier-Mâché Decoys Lure Them to Safety?

At Grand Teton National Park, officials have placed handmade look-alikes in a field south of the runway to encourage greater sage-grouse to relocate

Scientists analyzed more than 20 years of data on 164 wild mountain gorillas living in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.

For Mountain Gorillas, Being Social Comes With Both Benefits and Drawbacks, Study Suggests

A new analysis of wild gorillas in Rwanda indicates the effects of different social styles are dependent on context

The cats that perished aboard the Emanuel Point II were well-fed and may have served as companions for the sailors.

Spanish Shipwreck Reveals Evidence of Earliest Known Pet Cats to Arrive in the United States

The two felines—one adult, one juvenile—appear to have been cared for by the sailors before the vessel sank in a hurricane in 1559, according to a new study

Arborists are reforesting Detroit's Poletown East neighborhood with giant sequoias and other species of trees.

Giant Sequoias Are Taking Root in an Unexpected Place: Detroit

Arborists are planting urban groves of the world’s largest trees in one of the city’s most blighted neighborhoods

Pearl (left) is a 4-year-old Chihuahua, while Reggie (right) is a 7-year-old Great Dane.

When Reggie, the World’s Tallest Dog, Met Pearl, the World’s Shortest Dog

He was a massive Great Dane. She was a pint-sized Chihuahua. During one adorable playdate, the two superlative pups became fast friends

A cache found in the Czech Republic weighed more than 15 pounds.

Hikers Stumble Upon Gold Coins and Treasures That Could Be Worth $340,000

After discovering the 15-pound cache while hiking in the Czech Republic, the two men handed it over to a local museum

Chinese mitten crabs had never been found in the Pacific Northwest, until now.

Invasive Crab With Furry, Mitten-Like Claws Detected for the First Time in the Pacific Northwest

A commercial fisherman nabbed a large male Chinese mitten crab in the lower Columbia River late last month, putting biologists on high alert

Researchers think the chariot tire was made by a highly skilled blacksmith.

Archaeologists Thought They’d Found a Piece of Old Farm Equipment. It Turned Out to Be a Rare Iron Age Chariot Tire

The more than 2,000-year-old tire was found among a trove of artifacts during excavations ahead of construction for a new golf course near Inverness, Scotland

The S.S. Almond Branch was torpedoed by a German submarine during World War I.

Man Who ‘Always Fancied’ Owning a Shipwreck Buys One on Facebook Marketplace for $400

Hobbyist diver Dom Robinson jumped at the chance to purchase the S.S. “Almond Branch,” a cargo ship that’s been resting 190 feet beneath the surface of the English Channel since World War I

Eastern quolls went extinct on mainland Australia in 1963.

See Eastern Quolls Get Released on Mainland Australia in a New Bid to Re-establish the ‘Magic Little Animal’

Conservationists recently introduced 15 of the polka-dotted marsupials into a protected area of New South Wales

Archaeologists unearthed more than 100 equine skeletons near the site of a Roman military base.

1,800-Year-Old Horse Buried With Grave Goods Suggests Deep Bond Between a Roman Soldier and His Steed

Archaeologists were preparing for the construction of a new housing development when they found more than 100 equine skeletons dating to the second century C.E.

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