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Science / Wildlife

Princepajaro, a male California sea lion, swims in a pool during treatment for leptospirosis at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, CA. When a leptospirosis outbreak occurs, the Center’s scientists study the disease to learn more about what causes an outbreak and how we can improve treatment for infected animals.

Major Disease Outbreak Strikes California Sea Lions

Leptospirosis afflicts sea lions on a semi-regular cycle, but warming waters and migrating fish could make the marine mammals more susceptible

Baby bats are born tipping the scales at a third of their adult weight, and since mama bats have to carry them until they can fly, at which point they are nearly full-grown, it’s no wonder they start to get a bit physical.

Mama Bats Literally Nudge Their Babies Out of the Roost

Researchers observed mother bats repeatedly prodding their young to motivate them to fledge

In areas made up of less than 70 percent native plant biomass, Carolina chickadees will not produce enough young to sustain their populations. At 70 percent or higher, the birds can thrive.

Ecologists Have this Simple Request to Homeowners—Plant Native

A new study shows how quickly songbird populations fall off when gardens are planted with exotic trees and shrubs

A North Atlantic right whale rests at the ocean’s surface. With an estimated 100 reproductive females remaining, the species could be unable to reproduce naturally in 20 years.

The Plight of the Right Whale

With dwindling numbers due to snags in lobster traps and collisions with ships, the right whale is looking for a way to make a comeback

Eighty years ago, Seabiscuit trounced Triple Crown winner War Admiral.

Scientists Extract DNA From Seabiscuit’s Hooves To Figure Out How He Was So Fast

Eighty years ago, the horse famously trounced Triple Crown winner War Admiral. Did genetics make him an unlikely success?

Bull Moose, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA by Isaac Spotts (Youth Photographer of the Year): "Cautiously, I slid into the water to be eye-level with them."

Peer Through the Lens of the World’s Best Nature Photographers

Sixty images, including the winners, from the 23rd annual Nature’s Best Photography Windland Smith Rice Awards go on view

Gourds come in all shapes and sizes—some sweet and delicious, some stiff and bitter, and some that are just plain odd.

Halloween

The Science Behind Decorative Gourd Season

Gourds are the runts of their family of fruits, too tough and bitter to eat, but they remain one of the most popular crops of fall

To prevent animal species from going extinct, some ecologists suggest introducing them to urban environments to live alongside humans.

To Save Endangered Species, Should We Bring Them Into Our Cities?

Some ecologists believe our best chance to preserve biodiversity is to introduce non-native species to cities—but others warn of unintended consequences

Buffaloes at Rest recalls a time when bison were plentiful. When the print was created in 1911, only about 1,350 remained.

The Bison Returns to the Great American Plains

After years of fierce debate, the West’s greatest symbol will again roam the countryside

The sicyonia brevirostris, commonly known as a rock shrimp, is one of the several specimens photographed by Darryl Felder prior to preservation.

A Huge Shipment of Crustaceans Is Heading North From Louisiana to D.C.

The Natural History Museum prepares to add 100,000 more specimens to their collection already totaling 11.3 million

The latest dama gazelle, born October 9, is the second to be born at the National Zoo since September.

Dama Gazelle Calf Born at Smithsonian’s National Zoo

Fahima gave birth to a healthy female calf October 9

Hormone signals help ready worker mole-rats to treat pups as their own.

Eating the Queen’s Poop Makes Naked Mole-Rats Better Parents

Hive-minded naked mole-rats work together to care for the queen’s offspring, and eating her poop gives them hormones to boost nurturing instincts

Feast your eyes on the blind Somalian cavefish, which has—like mammals—mysteriously lost the ability to use light to fix damaged DNA.

Blind Cavefish Shed Light on the Dark Days of Mammalian Evolution

Like mammals, these cave-dwelling creatures have discarded a solar-powered system that repairs UV-damaged DNA

In the Pheidole genus of ants, some insects grow into soldiers with disproportionately large heads, while others grow to be smaller workers.

This “Useless” Organ Determines Which Ants Grow Into Large Soldiers

Rudimentary wing discs in ant larvae, which only grow to wings in queens, appear to influence growth into a soldier or worker

A study conducted during the 2017 total solar eclipse in North America found that bees remained active during the partial-eclipse phases both before and after the period of totality, but they essentially ceased flying during totality.

Busy Bees Take a Break During Total Solar Eclipses

The 2017 North American eclipse gave researchers an inside look at how bees respond to light—with the help of a few hundred elementary-schoolers

Dynamoterror was about 30 feet long, hunting prey during the Late Cretaceous.

Newly Discovered Tyrant Dinosaur Stalked Ancient New Mexico

The Dynamoterror, a relative of Tyrannosaurs rex, lived millions of years before other known species of tyrannosaur

The project aims to map the "Big Four," or the four most common venomous snakes in India—the spectacled cobra, saw-scaled viper, Russell’s viper (shown here) and common krait.

This App Is Saving Thousands of Snakes (and Humans) in India

The Big Four Mapping Project’s conservation tool helps prevent snakebites and the killing of common venomous species

“It is especially exciting to see Sukiri bonding with and successfully raising these cubs,” says the Zoo's cheetah biologist Adrienne Crosier.

New Cheetah Mom Earns High Marks Caring for Her Three New Smithsonian Cubs

Cubs born to Sukiri on September 22 are latest in the National Zoo’s efforts to diversify gene pool of captive born cheetahs

Ants and honey bees have been observed reproducing without males before, and now all-female termite colonies join the asexual group.

All-Female Termite Colonies Reproduce Without Male Input

These insects seem to have dispensed entirely of the need for males and their sperm

A record 105 tons of ivory was burned in Kenya in 2016, destroying tens of millions of dollars in illegal wildlife goods.

Rhino Horn and Tiger Wine: How the Illegal Wildlife Trade Is Growing Bolder

Wildlife author and journalist Rachel Nuwer discusses her new book Poached about one of the world’s fastest-growing contraband industries

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