Wild Things: Life as We Know It
Octopuses, Dinosaurs, Pandas and More…
![Panda Bear](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/MfOdX3f-NaGsnNRnA3xQHx6RLm8=/1000x750/filters:no_upscale()/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/Wild-Thing-Panda-Bear-631.jpg)
Mating Calls
![Giant pandas](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/GMYbnRXeGUZfeebWsTHsOcccikY=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/Wild-Thing-Panda-Bear-520.jpg)
Learn more about the giant panda at the Encyclopedia of Life.
Travel Shell
![Veined octopuses](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/xH-PDFXKyGBOkF5m6sWADy2hG3I=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/Wild-Thing-Octopus-Coconut-520.jpg)
Learn more about the veined octopus at the Encyclopedia of Life.
Evolution By Bird Feeder
![Blackcap birds](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/xyMwBZeZP0MU4YZG1Gg2ZVut2_M=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/Wild-Thing-Bird-Feeder-520.jpg)
Learn more about the blackcap at the Encyclopedia of Life.
Invasive Species
![Tawa hallae](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/rULGffx5fGRNsMsQn7MswUWUUOg=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/Wild-Thing-Tawa-hallae-520.jpg)
For more on Tawa hallae check out our "Dinosaur Tracking" blog.
Observed
![Impatiens pallida](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/P3s0PTKswpjqEg8uwrwwmfUm6h8=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/Wild-Thing-impatiens-pallida-520.jpg)
In The Dark: Like some other plants, I. pallida can tell with its roots whether a neighboring plant is its sibling.
In The Light: With unrelated neighbors, I. pallida grows short, leafy stalks. With sibling neighbors, it grows taller stalks with fewer leaves, thus sharing the sunlight, says a study from McMaster University in Ontario.
Under Scrutiny: Other plant species have been shown to take up fewer nutrients through their roots when siblings are growing nearby, but this is the first time a plant has been shown to conspire with kin above ground.
Learn more about Impatiens pallida at the Encyclopedia of Life.