Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Animals

Why Rattlesnakes Are Just as Dangerous Dead or Alive

After receiving bite from decapitated Western diamondback, Texas man required 26 doses of antivenom

New Research

Disgusting Things Fall Into Six Gross Categories

Open sores, body odors and other indicators of possible disease transmission top the list of things that gross us out

Don't you just want to squish that wittle face?

What Dogs Really Think of Your ‘Puppy’ Voice

Dog-directed speech may improve animals’ attention skills and strengthen human-pupper bonds

The team’s findings compared the estimated visual acuity, or sharpness, of about 600 species.

How Does Your Vision Compare to Other Critters in the Animal Kingdom?

A new review of visual acuity compares the sight of 600 species, from mosquitoes to eagles

An artists rendition of the ancient leviathans.

Why Did Most Massive Bony Fish Behemoths Die Out?

Some researchers suggest metabolism might be to blame, but a new study suggests that’s not the case

The first blue whale ever seen in the Red Sea.

Huge Blue Whale Sighted in the Red Sea for the First Time

The massive mammals typically spend their summers in polar waters, but are known to occasionally migrate further

Terrifying Mammals That May Have Greeted Early Humans in America

Arriving in the Chesapeake Bay, the early American inhabitants’ first order of business would have been to craft weapons to defend themselves

Trending Today

DNA Survey of Life in Loch Ness Will Hunt for Its Monster Resident

The goal is to catalog the lake’s diversity of life—including any oversized, prehistoric reptiles

New Research

Humans Make Up Just 1/10,000 of Earth’s Biomass

Plants make up 80 percent, but human activity chopped that number in half over the last 10,000 years

First Yellowstone Grizzly Hunt in 40 Years Will Take Place This Fall

In a controversial move, Wyoming will allow a limited take of the once-endangered species

Scimitar-horned oryx can go for ten months without drinking water.

Future of Conservation

Smithsonian Researchers Are Bringing the Oryx Back to the Wild

Reintroducing the species back to north-central Africa shows early signs of success

Who needs fuzz and pudge when you have this slimy smile?

Future of Conservation

The Adorable Chinese Giant Salamander Is Slithering Toward Extinction

The amphibians could actually be five separate species, some of which may already be extinct

Najin, one of only two female northern white rhinos left in the world, walks in the pen where she is kept for observation.

Can the Northern White Rhino Be Brought Back From the Brink of Extinction?

One beloved African breed is extinct in the wild, but scientists still hope to rescue it from oblivion

“Game abundant, especially rhinoceros,” explorer Henry Morton Stanley noted in the 1870s. Today is different. This blindfolded calf awaits transport.

The Dangerous Work of Relocating 5,000-Pound Rhinos

The race is on to save the species: Ride along with an armed convoy deep into the Okavango Delta

Why Deception Valley’s Deadly Heat is Good for Wildlife

The harsh climate of Deception Valley, a remote section of the Kalahari, deters people from living there

Don't be fooled by this roly-poly furball. These mischevious creatures need constant attention and round-the-clock care.

Pandamonium

Why Photographing Pandas Is More Challenging Than You Might Think

Photojournalist Ami Vitale describes her years of work capturing the lovable furballs

Polar bears have come to be known as climate change's ultimate victim, but in some places, they're still a menace to humans.

Where the Doomed, Beloved Polar Bear Is Still a Dangerous Predator

A grassroots guard in Alaska works to keep people safe from bears, while also keeping bears safe from people

Please for to adopt us, Comrade.

Trending Today

Chernobyl Puppies Going Up for Adoption in the U.S.

Now in quarantine, the pups are expected to come to the U.S. this summer in search of their forever homes

Can Bringing Back Mammoths Help Stop Climate Change?

Scientists say creating hybrids of the extinct beasts could fix the Arctic tundra and stop greenhouse gas emissions

A lithograph from printers Currier & Ives depicted swill milk as the root of many vices

The Surprisingly Intolerant History of Milk

A new book provides an udderly fascinating chronicle of the controversial drink

Page 132 of 229