Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Science / Wildlife

Two skulls belonging to extinct marine mammal herbivores used in the new study, both from the Smithsonian's collections.

When Did Today’s Whales Get So Big?

More recently than you might think, say scientists who scoured the fossil record

After the Deepwater Horizon oil blowout in 2010, rescuers rushed to save birds, like this pelican. In the end, it didn’t really matter, most birds died.

Age of Humans

Why We Pretend to Clean Up Oil Spills

Six years after Deepwater Horizon spewed oil into the Gulf of Mexico, we still have no idea what we’re doing

New research is causing the original keystone species, the ochre sea star Pisaster ochraceus, to lose some of its supposed ecosystem-controlling powers.

Tide Shifts Against the Concept of a Keystone Species

Starfish challenge a key ecological concept, ushering in a slightly-more democratic era for tide pools everywhere

A brown bear hunts for salmon in Silver Salmon Creek.

Smithsonian Journeys Travel Quarterly: Alaska

Where and How to (Safely) Bear Watch in Alaska

Attacks à la Revenant are a statistical blip. An Alaska expert outlines the dos and don’ts of sharing wilderness with the state’s 133,000 bears

Expanding human populations in India have pushed tigers into small, isolated habitats—and resulted in some unusual behaviors.

Anthropocene

Sorry, Tiger Dudes: Your Ladies Are Faking It

India’s tigresses may be feigning interest in sex as the result of shrinking habitat and overlapping territories

A mudskipper clings to a rocky embankment.

Awkward Robots Show How Tails Propelled First Land Walkers to New Heights

A 3D-printed bot designed to move like amphibious fish suggests that the first land animals needed tails to climb slippery slopes

Why Brown Bears Are Misunderstood

Historically feared by humans, brown bears were once aggressively hunted in the contiguous U.S.

Do Insects Have Consciousness?

A new theory has scientists buzzing

Ask Smithsonian

What’s the Difference Between Invasive and Nonnative Species? Plus, More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

For the first time in 32 years, the Smithsonian's National Zoo’s celebrated the arrival of a sea lion pup.

Proud Sea Lion Mom Shows Off Her New Pup in These Adorable Pictures From the Zoo

Calli, the 11-year-old sea lion gave birth on June 26; mother and pup are bonding and doing well

Photographer Neil Ever Osborne photographed king penguins in the Falkland Islands at the height of breeding season.

Shooting Penguins in the Falkland Islands to Save Them

Photographer Neil Ever Osborne hopes that his work helps save the species

Shark Week

Sharks and Humans: A Love-Hate Story

A short history of our relationship with the ocean’s most intimidating fish

Blake Lively in "The Shallows."

Shark Week

How Realistic Is the Shark Science in “The Shallows”?

We ask shark expert Chris Lowe whether the science in the upcoming shark thriller has any teeth. Beachgoers: You’re welcome.

This pesky pest has a tendency to alter world history.

How the Lowly Mosquito Helped America Win Independence

The blood-sucking insect has played a leading role in the rise and fall of empires throughout history

Female Batang and male Kyle mated in January and today, via a Facebook broadcast ultrasound, a pregnancy was confirmed.

With Her Ultrasound Broadcast on Facebook, the Zoo’s Orangutan Is Confirmed Pregnant

The female named Batang should deliver her new infant in mid-September

A male Bombay night frog getting his call on.

The Frog Kamasutra Gains a Chapter, Thanks to Camera-Wielding Biologists

One newly described sexual position for frogs could mean one giant leap for frog conservationists

Science Proves Electric Eels Can Leap From Water to Attack

Biologists confirm the curious case of eels striking animals above the water’s surface

Page 69 of 142