Animals

J2, better known as "Granny," was the oldest-known living orca.

World’s Oldest-Known Orca Is Missing and Believed Dead

Over a century old, "Granny" hasn't been spotted since early October

Several armed guards accompanied Luiz Rocha and his colleagues throughout their work in Somaliland.

Meet the Researchers Who Scour the World's Most Dangerous Corners in Search of Biological Riches

Militants, malaria and pirates are just some of the challenges these scientist-explorers face in their quest to map the world’s diversity

Yosemite National Park

The Year in National Parks

From people stealing baby bison and Yosemite trademarks to epic blooms in Death Valley, 2016 has been an eventful centennial year for the NPS

Pan Pan sired around 25 percent of all pandas in captivity.

Goodbye, Pan Pan: World’s Oldest Male Panda Dies

He was a prolific panda papa

Ocean Legacy has a task not even Sisyphean would envy: picking up, sorting and recycling the vast amount of plastic that ends up on our shores.

Turning Ocean Garbage Into Gold

From the common plastic water bottle to the shoes of tsunami victims, one recycling organization tries to find a home for all ocean refuse

Leah Desrochers, a former employee of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, holds a stranded Kemp's ridley sea turtle.

Why Are Endangered Sea Turtles Showing Up Cold and Seemingly Lifeless on Northeastern Shores?

In the past three decades, scientists have confronted a worsening epidemic of stranded Kemp's ridley sea turtles

Thousands of lab rodents disposed of at Dartmouth College are being blamed for radioactive contaminations and carcinogens in local groundwater.

Residents Claim Ivy League College Polluted Water With Dead Lab Rodents

Burial of lab animals in the ‘60s and ‘70s have been linked to groundwater contamination in Hanover, New Hampshire

A painted lady butterfly, Vanessa cardui, one of thousands of insect species that migrate over southern England

Researchers Record Trillions of Migrating Insects Swarming Through the Skies

Though bugs make up a large amount of biomass, little was known about their migrating habits, until now

Incredibly Cute Polar Bear Cubs See the World for First Time

After a long winter in their den, a polar bear mother and her cubs emerge at the first signs of spring.

These ancient amber fossils from Burma in Southeast Asia help complete the patchy record of lizard evolution.

This Year in Ancient Amber: Prehistoric Feathers, Mushrooms, Lizards and More

It’s no <i>Jurassic Park,</i> but this treasure trove of new creatures will still transport you to an ancient world

Pangolins are prized for their meat and their scales, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Chinese Officials Seize 3.1 Tons of Pangolin Scales

The record-breaking bust shines a spotlight on the plight of the pangolin

In Mexico's Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, America's most beloved native insect faces threats from illegal loggers and avocado growers.

The Best Way to Protect the World’s Forests? Keep People in Them

Instead of kicking indigenous groups out, let them continue to manage these lands effectively, argues a new report

Cheetah Populations Plummet as They Race Toward Extinction

Hunting, habitat loss and the pet trade have reduced the fastest land animal to roughly 7,100 individuals

The Risky Way a Polar Bear Attack Victim Confronts Her Fear

For Erin Greene, walking up to a polar bear requires even more courage than most of us can imagine

A Fertile Polar Bear's Hard Journey From Mating to Motherhood

After mating takes place, a female polar bear will prepare for her impending pregnancy by eating voraciously. In all, she will pack on more than 400 pounds

This year's science left us speechless and maybe a tiny bit more knowledgeable.

The Top 9 Baffling, Humbling, Mind-Blowing Science Stories of 2016

From gravity's song to the evolutionary secrets of dogs, this year unlocked a treasure trove of scientific discovery

Two of the last remaining wolves on Isle Royale

Park Service May Boost Wolf Pack on Isle Royale

The NPS has proposed a plan to boost the wolf population on the island where currently only two inbred canines remain

Why the U.S. Army Guarded the 23 Remaining American Buffalo

In 1882, General Philip Sheridan's expedition to the protected buffalo haven in Yellowstone National Park revealed a gruesome reality

Polar Bear Mom and Cub Accidentally Separated by a Car

A car horn outside Churchill, Manitoba, causes a curious polar bear mom and her cub to scurry in opposite directions

Dwarf minke whale

Unidentified Complex Sound From Earth's Deepest Trench May Be New Whale Call

Known as the Western Pacific Biotwang, researchers believe it may be a previously unrecoreded call from a dwarf minke whale

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