Animals

A wolf enters the Colosseum via the lift in the hypogeum.

A New Recreation Shows How Ancient Romans Lifted Wild Animals Into the Colosseum

An elaborate system of elevators and trap doors lifted ferocious beasts onto the Colosseum floor

Lions and Tigers are on the Loose After Floods in Tibilisi, Georgia

Wild animals escaped a Tibilisi, Georgia zoo when their enclosures were destroyed

The founders of NecropSynth use SketchUp Pro to design the external shell of a 3D printed model of a rat.

How a Cheap Plastic Rat Could Change Biology Class

With a couple of 3D printers, a husband and wife team is building accurate replicas of rats that could one day eliminate the need for dissection specimens

Ask Smithsonian: What Makes Skunk Spray Smell So Terrible?

When the omnivorous cat-size mammals take aim, the malodorous spray can hit with pin-point accuracy up to 20 feet away

West African Chimps Regularly Drink Alcoholic Palm Sap

Observations over 17 years show this isn’t just an experiment for the apes

Six Ways to See Bioluminescence in the World's Oceans

From shimmering squid in Japan to illuminated clams in France, here are some of the top spots for basking in nature's glow

An Oregon Town Tried (and Failed) to Scare Off Sea Lions With a Fake Orca

“Fake Willy" nearly drowned on its mission to drive sea lions out of Astoria, Oregon

Fossils of an ancient mini beaver suggest it may be related to the modern American beaver (Castor canadensis)

Mini Beavers Once Roamed Oregon

Fossils of a squirrel-sized from in eastern Oregon may be related to modern beavers

The attack on a female tourist should serve as a reminder that lions are not only wild animals, they're perceptive predators.

Yes, Lions Will Hunt Humans if Given the Chance

The tragic attack at a South AFrican park serves as a reminder that lions are predators and humans are prey

Chimpanzees Can Learn to Cook

Given a microwave-like tool, chimpanzees become chefs

The nose knows.

Mouse Noses Can Bypass the Brain to Make Females Blind to Males

Hormones direct the nose to signal when potential mates are about—and when to erase their scent

Male wolf spiders vibrate dead leaves to create purring noises and court females.

Listen to the Dulcet Purr of a Wolf Spider

Males seduce females by making leaves vibrate

The dusty white rock of the Las Vegas Formation, near the edge of Tule Springs National Monument, bakes in the midday heat.

Discover a Fossil Jackpot Off the Las Vegas Strip

Remains of mammoths, camels and other beasts of the Ice Age tempt visitors out of Sin City and into Tule Springs National Monument

The Grevy's zebra (left) and the plains zebra may be tough to tell apart—until you examine their dietary preferences via their poop.

Big African Animals Are Pickier Eaters Than We Imagined

To the surprise of ecologists, plant-eaters manage to coexist on the savanna by each choosing different favorite foods

Texas longhorn cattle.

How "Meat Banks" Are Helping Farmers Preserve Precious Livestock

Frozen sperm and tissue are being stored to protect commercial animals and help save rare heritage breeds

New lanes on London's Regents Canal urge human bikers, runners and walkers to break for ducklings.

London Adds Special Lanes for Ducks

A city charity has painted pathways for waddlers on Regents Canal walkways

Unearthed at the Cova Negra site in Spain, skull fragments from a Neanderthal child have telltale punctures in the right parietal region.

Ancient Carnivores Had a Taste for Neanderthal Meat

Researchers link bite marks on a Neanderthal skull to the fangs of an ancient big cat

Shortly after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill, dolphins were observed swimming through an oil slick. Their exposure to petroleum fumes may have wrought serious consequences.

Research Confirms Fears that Deepwater Horizon Spill Contributed to Dolphin Deaths

Dead bottlenose dolphins stranded in the Gulf of Mexico had lesions linked to petroleum exposure

Java sparrows are both vocalists and percussionists.

These Sparrows Sing to the Beat of Their Own Drum

Java sparrows amp up their tunes with acoustic beak taps synchronized with chirps

What Makes the "Lion Whisperer" Roar?

He's famous for getting dangerously close to his fearsome charges, but what can Kevin Richardson teach us about ethical conservation—and ourselves?

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