https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/zoology/RSS feed for ZoologyenTue, 01 Sep 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-ancient-insect-had-24-legs-and-could-help-explain-how-the-ancestors-of-modern-day-bugs-took-over-the-land-180989420/A previously undescribed critter that lived 324 million years ago appears to have been a transitional species that lived between land and sea. It could help researchers fill an 80-million-year gap in the fossil record of how crustaceans evolved into insectsTue, 01 Sep 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-ancient-insect-had-24-legs-and-could-help-explain-how-the-ancestors-of-modern-day-bugs-took-over-the-land-180989420/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-dont-insects-live-in-the-ocean-scientists-just-ruled-out-one-possible-explanation-thanks-to-deep-diving-fly-larvae-180989348/Researchers thought that insects might not live there because their respiratory systems would implode from water pressure. But certain fly larvae in East Africa make daily trips toward the bottom of Lake Malawi with the help of strong air sacs that contain a stretchy proteinWed, 19 Aug 2026 20:52:52 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-dont-insects-live-in-the-ocean-scientists-just-ruled-out-one-possible-explanation-thanks-to-deep-diving-fly-larvae-180989348/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/do-monkeys-keep-pets-study-finds-widespread-primate-interactions-with-other-animal-species-from-mice-to-deer-180989356/This social behavior might reveal the evolutionary roots of traits that underlie pet-keeping in humans, scientists say, from caregiving to tolerance and curiosity. But it's not the same as a person keeping a cat or a dogTue, 18 Aug 2026 20:22:41 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/do-monkeys-keep-pets-study-finds-widespread-primate-interactions-with-other-animal-species-from-mice-to-deer-180989356/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-north-american-mammals-may-have-gathered-in-mexico-and-diversified-before-moving-to-south-america-priming-them-to-thrive-there-180989251/An analysis of fossils from the country hints that animals from the north stayed in a "holding pen" between seven million and ten million years ago. The timeline might help explain why so many South American mammals have North American ancestry, but not vice versaTue, 04 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-north-american-mammals-may-have-gathered-in-mexico-and-diversified-before-moving-to-south-america-priming-them-to-thrive-there-180989251/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-premature-baby-giraffe-born-via-c-section-is-fighting-for-her-life-at-a-zoo-in-kansas-180989214/According to officials with the Tanganyika Wildlife Park, no known giraffe calf has ever survived the procedure. The youngster, who was recently named Milani, was born on July 11, likely three to seven weeks earlyWed, 29 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-premature-baby-giraffe-born-via-c-section-is-fighting-for-her-life-at-a-zoo-in-kansas-180989214/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-are-these-whales-floating-upside-down-they-might-just-be-moms-who-need-a-break-from-feeding-their-babies-180989184/Each year, southern right whales migrate thousands of miles from their feeding grounds to breed, give birth and raise their young. Taking rests and regulating their calves' nursing schedules might help mothers conserve energy while they're far from foodFri, 24 Jul 2026 13:39:39 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-are-these-whales-floating-upside-down-they-might-just-be-moms-who-need-a-break-from-feeding-their-babies-180989184/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/double-puggles-see-the-adorable-twin-echidnas-born-at-the-san-diego-zoo-safari-park-180989165/The two babies hatched this year to one mother during the same breeding season—an extremely rare occurrence, according to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife AllianceWed, 22 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/double-puggles-see-the-adorable-twin-echidnas-born-at-the-san-diego-zoo-safari-park-180989165/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/poop-from-southern-right-whales-reveals-that-the-animals-might-be-more-resilient-to-climate-change-than-we-thought-180989131/Scientists long believed that these whales, which swim throughout the Southern Hemisphere, mainly feasted on krill and small crustaceans called copepods, which are disappearing from the warming ocean. A new study suggests that the cetaceans have a more varied, flexible dietMon, 20 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/poop-from-southern-right-whales-reveals-that-the-animals-might-be-more-resilient-to-climate-change-than-we-thought-180989131/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/meet-the-orange-lipped-likweli-monkey-a-new-species-that-was-discovered-in-the-congo-rainforest-180989140/The creatures, which weigh about the same as a small dog, have spiky black hair, orange-cream skin around their mouths and a white patch on their rear ends. Scientists say that they're probably endangeredFri, 17 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/meet-the-orange-lipped-likweli-monkey-a-new-species-that-was-discovered-in-the-congo-rainforest-180989140/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/giraffes-might-be-even-smarter-than-we-thought-some-can-solve-simple-math-problems-a-new-study-suggests-180989124/Two of four tested giraffes seemed to be able to mentally combine numbers to get one of their favorite treats: carrots. But all the animals failed at tasks involving subtraction or multiple calculationsThu, 16 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/giraffes-might-be-even-smarter-than-we-thought-some-can-solve-simple-math-problems-a-new-study-suggests-180989124/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-ranked-hundreds-of-spider-species-by-running-speed-australias-huge-hairy-brown-huntsman-came-out-on-top-180989132/The brown huntsman can sprint at a maximum speed of eight miles per hour, although it can only maintain that pace for a fraction of a second. The research will lead to a better understanding of the evolution and biomechanics of arachnidsWed, 15 Jul 2026 20:02:54 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-ranked-hundreds-of-spider-species-by-running-speed-australias-huge-hairy-brown-huntsman-came-out-on-top-180989132/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-just-learned-that-this-bat-eats-birds-midflight-a-renaissance-painter-may-have-known-about-it-hundreds-of-years-ago-180989096/Last fall, scientists reported the first known recordings of greater noctule bats hunting and feasting on songbirds during night flights. But a 17th-century artwork by Jan Brueghel the Elder seems to depict the species flying with feathered prey in its mouthThu, 09 Jul 2026 16:17:58 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-just-learned-that-this-bat-eats-birds-midflight-a-renaissance-painter-may-have-known-about-it-hundreds-of-years-ago-180989096/