Wildlife

The Spectacled Flowerpecker

The Spectacled Flowerpecker Is Now Known to Science

First spotted a decade ago, this elusive bird hangs out in the canopy of Borneo’s lowland forests

A reconstruction of a Siamraptor skull based on fossil evidence.

Newly Discovered Dinosaur Was a Giant 'Shark Tooth' Carnivore

<i>Siamraptor suwati</i>, discovered in Thailand, sliced flesh with razor-sharp teeth rather than crushing the bones of its prey

Coyotes are one of the most resourceful and resilient predators and play an important role in controlling populations of small mammals.

Connecting With Coyotes on the Prowl

Biologist Joe Guthrie embarks on a new study to track five adults in the Shenandoah Valley using GPS collars

Climate change is driving a surge in wildfires, and it’s only going to get worse.

This Gel Could Prevent Wildfires

Developed by Stanford researchers, the nontoxic, biodegradable gel can be sprayed on vegetation as a long-term fire retardant

Mexican free-tailed bats near Bracken Cave, Texas.

Halloween

The Best Places Around the World to See Bats (by the Millions)

Bat tourism might sound creepy, but it may be the best way to help bat conservation around the world

Though the Iberian lynx seemed destined for extinction, a conservation effort in Spain and Portugal has helped the population stabilize.

How the Iberian Lynx Bounced Back From the Brink of Extinction

Two decades ago, fewer than 100 Iberian lynx remained, but thanks to captive breeding and habitat management, the population is recovering

Among the many threats facing honeybees in the United States, the Varroa destructor mite could be the most devastating.

Beekeepers Seek to Save Honeybees From a Colony-Invading Pest

Facing the scourge of a parasitic Asian mite, commercial beekeepers are trying to breed a resistant strain of honeybee, but other threats loom

How Zookeepers Built Karl, the Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, a New 3-D Beak

For this species, a beak is everything and Karl has had his old one re-tooled for hunting and communication

In Northern California, purple sea urchins are decimating kelp forests. Though the species of urchin causing problems may vary by region, the damage is the same.

Could Eating Sea Urchins Help Revive Kelp Forests?

A Norwegian 'urchin ranching' company wants to take the echinoderms from the wild, fatten them up and sell them to restaurants

Birds are considered an indicator species, representing the health of entire ecosystems.

North America Has Lost Nearly 3 Billion Birds Since 1970

The staggering population loss of 29 percent of North American birds could signal an ecological crisis

The National Zoo's female panda Mei Xiang (above in 2019) is exhibiting signs of a possible pregnancy. These same behaviors could also mean she is experiencing a pseudopregnancy.

Pandamonium

14 Fun Facts About Giant Pandas

Mother Mei Xiang’s annual ambiguous maternal behaviors always deliver heightened anticipation at the National Zoo

Electrophorus voltai, a newly discovered species of electric eel, pictured swimming in the Xingu River, a southern tributary of the Amazon.

Smithsonian Researchers Triple the Number of Electric Eel Species, Including One With Record-Setting Shock Ability

It’s literally shocking news

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How Scientists Are Learning to Tell a Bird's Age by Its Song

Take a journey into this ornithologist's world tracking a pair of antshrikes in Panama’s Soberania National Park

Fishermen in Milwaukee during the salmon run.

Milwaukee’s Secret Salmon Runs

In the spring and fall, watch huge salmon fly up two rivers in Milwaukee to spawn with the city as a backdrop

Kelsi Rutledge, a UCLA PhD student in biology, and a museum specimen of a new species of ray called a guitarfish from the Gulf of California, Pseudobatos buthi, or "spadefish."

Scientist Lampoons Birth Announcements With Discovery of New 'Spadenose' Ray

The new species sees the light of day after more than 70 years tucked away in museum collections

Images and measurements of the fossil beetle that revealed it was a different kind of beetle than originally thought.

Fossil Mix-Up Could Rewrite the History of Beetles, the Largest Group of Animals on Earth

The reclassification of a 226-million-year-old beetle species could change our understanding of insect evolution

By comparing the skulls of extinct dinosaurs to those of living relatives, such as crocodiles and wild turkeys, researchers have conclude that the prehistoric beasts had sophisticated thermoregulation systems in their skulls.

Special Skull Windows Helped Dinosaur Brains Keep Cool

Dinosaur skulls had many cavities and openings, some of which may have held blood vessels to help cool off the animals' heads

In July 2016, a solar-powered airplane flying over the desert region of Andalusia in Spain photographed breathtaking images of the Gemasolar concentrated solar power plant.

How Engineers of New Energy Technology Are Taking Cues From Nature

From sunflower spirals to schooling fish, renewable energy innovators are uncovering ideas for improving efficiency and output in natural phenomena

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This Smithsonian Scientist Is on a Mission to Make Leeches Less Scary

Curator Anna Phillips is on a quest to make leeches less repulsive to the public

In a fit of pique, according to one of Aesop's fables, the god Hermes made the animal carry its house forever on its back.

How the Turtle Got Its Shell, With Apologies to Aesop

Smithsonian paleontologist Hans Sues unpacks the complicated evolution of how this creature grew a home upon its back

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