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Science / Wildlife

The Aedes aegypti mosquito is responsible for the spread of the chikungunya virus. The virus causes joint pain so excruciating victims can't stand or sit upright for weeks or months at a time.

The Next West Nile Virus?

The chikungunya virus has escaped Africa and is traveling around the world via a widespread, invasive, voracious mosquito

If you call someone a piranha, first make sure you've got the right fish

Find Your Fishy Metaphor

We’ve all used a fishy metaphor in the past, but use the wrong one and you can look pretty stupid

Still from Cars 2

Top Ten Kids’ Movies With a Green Theme

Loggers, hunters, developers, fishers, polluters and whalers are the evil villains in this movie genre

Scientists are still trying to figure out why primates have excellent vision.

Snake-Spotting Theory Brings Primate Vision into Focus

Do camouflaged predators explain why monkeys, apes and other primates evolved superior eyesight?

Architeuthis dux, better known as the giant squid, is likely the inspiration for the legendary kraken.

The Giant Squid: Dragon of the Deep

After over 150 years since it was first sighted by the HMS Daedalus, the mysterious creature still eludes scientists

One of the most famous hominid fossils is the skull of a 3-year-old child found in Taung, South Africa. The child lived about three million to two million years ago. The skull has holes punched into its eye sockets; they were made by the talons of a large bird akin to an African crowned eagle.

The Top Ten Deadliest Animals of Our Evolutionary Past

Humans may be near the top of the food chain now, but who were our ancestors’ biggest predators?

The Glass Frog (Centrolenella colymbiphyllum) has skin so translucent that you can watch its heart beating.

14 Fun Facts About Frogs

#4: When Darwin’s frog tadpoles hatch, a male frog swallows the tadpoles

The European hamster is bigger than the petstore variety and has a black belly

To Save a French Hamster

A European Union court has ruled that France should be doing more to protect the Great Hamster of Alsace

A population of the wicker ancylid limpet (insert, not to scale) was found recently in Choccolocco Creek in Alabama.

Alabama Snail Returns From the Dead

The wicker ancylid, declared extinct in 2000, has been found alive and well in Choccolocco Creek

A bar-headed goose flies over India

The Goose That Flies Over the Himalayas

The bar-headed goose spends its winters at sea level in India and its summers in central Asia

Chimpanzee Yawning

Wild Things: Yawning Chimps, Humpback Whales and More…

Leaping beetles, Pacific salmon, prehistoric mammals and other news updates in wildlife research

Weighing up to several tons, whale sharks are also notable for their markings. Each pattern of spots is unique and scientists identify individual fish using computer programs first developed to study star constellations.

Swimming With Whale Sharks

Wildlife researchers and tourists are heading to a tiny Mexican village to learn about the mystery of the largest fish in the sea

Feral cats can roam over great distances, a new study finds.

The Secret Lives of Feral Cats

Free-roaming, unowned kitties live differently from our beloved pets

Most fatal black bear attacks are carried out by hungry males

How To Avoid Being Eaten By A Black Bear

A recent study of fatal black bear attacks shows that hungry males are the ones to really worry about

Asian carp, imported from China in 1973 to clean algae from Southern ponds, broke from their confines and infested the Mississippi River waterways.

Making the Best of Invasive Species

Garlic mustard and Asian carp can wreak havoc on their ecosystems, but do they have a future on your dinner plate?

Llamas can still be found at Machu Picchu today.

The Secret to Machu Picchu’s Success: Llama Poop

The Incas used llama dung as fertilizer to grow maize, and fuel an empire

Black-footed ferrets at the National Zoo

Black-Footed Ferrets and Other Endangered Critters

The subject of endangered species can be a depressing one, but there are also many reasons to be hopeful

Kemp's ridleys are the world's smallest sea turtles and are also the most endangered.

North America’s Most Endangered Animals

Snails, marmots, condors and coral reef are among the many species on the continent that are close to extinction

A guanaco in Chile

Vegetation Determines Animal Migration Patterns

Scientists show that patterns in vegetation across a species’ range determine whether and how it moves

In April 2005, Zazi, one of the National Zoo’s female cheetahs, gave birth to six cubs.

What Animal is the Best Mother?

Cheetahs and gorillas have some of the strongest maternal instincts, according to a National Zoo biologist

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