Wild Things: Life as We Know It
Wolves, hibernating animals, spitting cobras and more
![Gray wolves](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/iU3mbd-iuPZaXmZ8zoiuvVb49NY=/1000x750/filters:no_upscale()/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/gray-wolves-black-coat-631.jpg)
A Wolf In Dog's Clothing
![Wolves come in gray, white and, in North America, black](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/PFZFDKpyQr-Tv_zISDlvnRQ92-4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/gray-wolves-black-coat-520.jpg)
Proto Whale
![Maiacetus inuus was a land animal highly adapted to life in the sea](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/V6WyFY-rEpt3feliTStNUoLieOA=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/Maiacetus-inuus-whales-520.jpg)
How Fish Recycle
![So, how many fish are in the sea?](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/q0HGKPTf6VbnDbJwhQ5R9MB0ZOY=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/blackfin-barracuda-520.jpg)
Sleep It Off
![Nestling in burrows, tree holes or caves conserves energy and may buffer these species against environmental change](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/J5hybK3Gh1NuOlfa-dvNY_SaZVQ=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/hibernating-dormouse-520.jpg)
Observed
![Spitting cobras, snakes in the genus Naja](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/EhsSRRt5gCWEQ9mdqLd3Jqxo1Ys=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/spitting-cobra-naja-520.jpg)
Evil Eye: They spit a blinding venom at prey up to six feet away.
Bull's Eye: In a study of spitting accuracy, one species hit its target 80 percent of the time and another never missed.
Snake Eyes? Sure, a cobra can see its prey's face, but the key lies in the snake's neck, according to a new study out of the University of Bonn in Germany. A striking snake shakes and twists its head, dispersing venom in a pattern that makes the drops almost impossible to avoid. The researchers, though, worked behind glass.