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Science / Wildlife

A dragon statue in Ljubljana, Slovenia

Ask Smithsonian 2017

Where Did Dragons Come From?

In honor of the Year of the Dragon, we take a look at some potential inspirations for the dragon myth

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Nine Ways to Lure a Lover, Orchid-Style

Beauty, mystery and deceit—the Smithsonian’s collection of nearly 8,000 live orchids has it all

A reconstruction of Gigantopithecus

Did Bigfoot Really Exist? How Gigantopithecus Became Extinct

Dental, dietary and environmental clues help explain why the world’s largest ape vanished

A good eye will spot the black-marble jawfish next to the mimic octopus's arm

Fish Mimics Fish-Mimicking Octopus

The black-marble jawfish takes advantage of its coloring to blend in with an octopus and stay safe from predators

An elephant running in the Masai Mara, Kenya

14 Fun Facts About Elephants

#5: Cartoons lie—elephants don’t like peanuts

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Wild Things: Killer Whales, Spiders and Woodpeckers

Yellow saddle goatfish, mastodon ribs and more in this month’s summary of wildlife news

Considered a mere scavenger that robbed traps and ransacked cabins, the wolverine has recently earned respect and scientific attention.

The Way of the Wolverine

After all but disappearing, the mammals are again being sighted in Washington’s Cascade Range

A white rhino in Kruger National Park, South Africa

Ten Great Science Stories You Might Have Missed

From zebras in the Kalahari to satellites pointed at the Sun, the magazine has covered a host of interesting science topics this year

Cats and earthquakes were popular subjects this year.

Top Ten Science Blog Posts of 2011

Cats, zombies, earthquakes, chickens—our readers have an eclectic taste

A young echidna in Coles Bay, Australia

What In The World Is An Echidna?

This spiky monotreme can be found in Australia and New Guinea

Reindeer have a few strategies for keeping cool (courtesy of flickr user much ado about nothing

How Rudolph Keeps A Cool Head

Reindeer have several strategies for releasing heat when they get too hot

Mistletoes evolved the ability to grow not on the roots of trees, but instead on their branches.

Mistletoe: The Evolution of a Christmas Tradition

Why does this parasitic plant remind us of romance?

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Evolution, A Book That Turns Science Into Art

See examples of these beautiful photographs of animal skeletons in our image gallery

Aspen trees in Colorado

What Was Killing the Aspens?

Scientists determine it was lack of water, not food, that was responsible for sudden aspen decline

Nephila clavipes, a tropical spider, is big enough that it can keep all its brains in its body rather than in its legs

Some Spiders Have Brains in Their Legs

Just one more reason it’s not nice to pull the appendages off of creepy crawlies

A page from my own calendar, with a photo of giraffes taken at Tarongo Zoo in Sydney, Australia

Should You Buy a Wildlife Calendar?

Not all photographers are ethical about where they shoot their photos

A great white shark off the coast of South Africa

The Secrets of a Shark Attack

In an attack against a Cape fur seal, a great white shark’s advantage comes down to physics

A northern cardinal

The City Bird and the Country Bird

As in Aesop’s fable, there are advantages and disadvantages for birds living in the city

The skeleton of Oreopithecus bambolii

Human Evolution’s Cookie Monster, Oreopithecus

For the past 60 years, scientists have argued over the enigmatic, human-like fossils of the nine-million-year-old Italian ape

Hawkmoths prefer columbines with long, slender spurs.

The Columbines and Their Pollinators: An Evolutionary Tale

New research provides insight into an evolutionary concept introduced by Charles Darwin

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