Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Animals

Art Meets Science

Explore the Secret Lives of Animals With These Marvelous Maps

A new book considers how sophisticated tracking technology and the data it collects can improve conservation strategies

Japanese sea slugs that washed ashore in Oregon in 2015

New Research

The 2011 Tsunami Flushed Hundreds of Japanese Species Across the Ocean

After the Fukushima disaster, a surprising number of coastal creatures survived a multi-year journey by clinging to floating debris

Pandamonium

Panda Habitat Is Severely Fragmented, Placing Pandas at Risk

Despite recent habitat improvements, roads and development are isolating panda populations

Could New York be the Gotham we prize without the Guggenheim?

What to Know About the Controversy Surrounding the Chinese Art Exhibit Coming to the Guggenheim

As questions of animal cruelty, artistic freedom swirl, three major works were pulled from “Art and China after 1989: Theater of the World”

Toad bones

Cool Finds

Jar of Headless Toads Found in Bronze Age Tomb

Found in Jerusalem, the little hoppers could have been an afterlife snack or a symbol of rejuvenation

The elusive Vangunu giant rat lives in trees, a habitat under attack from deforestation in the Solomon Islands.

New Research

Fall in Love With This Newly Discovered Giant Island Rat

The Vangunu rat is the first rodent species to come to light on the Solomon Islands in 80 years—and it’s already endangered

"You're talking about little me?!"

Four Incredible Facts About Sea Otters

We thought you otter know these

A woolly rhinoceros painted by a prehistoric artist on the wall of Chauvet cave in France

New Research

Why Some Woolly Rhinos Grew Ribs on Their Necks

These misplaced ribs don’t grow unless something unusual is going on in the gene pool

Oxpeckers hang out with large ungulates–animals with hoofs like rhinos, giraffes and water buffalo.

Those Little Birds On The Backs Of Rhinos Actually Drink Blood

You think that’s ticks they’re eating?

"Endangered, you say?"

Five Fascinating Facts About the Amazing Cassowary

They may look pretty scary, but they’re actually pretty cool

A hawksbill sea turtle poses for its close up.

New Research

New Study Offers Glimmer of Hope for Sea Turtles

Turtle numbers are on the rise in many areas of the globe, but the endangered species still needs help

A European bison, also referred to as a wisent

A Wild Bison Was Spotted in Germany for the First Time in Two Centuries. Then It Was Shot

As conservationists work to restore the once mighty European bison, they must face misunderstandings from concerned citizens

Two tree frogs share an intimate moment. The eye-popping yellow of the male only emerges in mating season.

The Color-Changing Marvel of Tree Frogs Looking for Love

A new study sheds light on the wild world of “dynamically dichromatic” amphibians

Dave Eggers

Dave Eggers’ Animals Might Be “Ungrateful,” But They Go to a Good Cause

The author discusses a return to art and his forthcoming book Ungrateful Mammals

A Honey Badger Barrels Through a Sharp Thorn Tree for Lunch

A rock rat is hiding from his predator, a honey badger, in the midst of a Namibian sweet thorn tree. But he doesn’t count on his opponent’s determination

New Research

Is Animal Hoarding a Distinct Mental Disorder?

There are many differences between people that hoard objects and those that collect critters

A gloomy octopus among piles of discarded shells at Octlantis

New Research

Octopus ‘City’ Found Off the Coast of Australia

Expected to live as loners, gloomy octopuses may actually live in groups bustling with activity

Taken in 1938, this image captures one of the once abundant Javan tigers. Hunting drove the big cats to extinction.

Long Thought Extinct, Javan Tiger May Have Been Spotted in Indonesia

Last sighted in 1976, many are hopeful that the Javan tiger still lives

White giraffes found in Kenya

Cool Finds

Two Rare White Giraffes Filmed in Kenya

The leucistic mother and baby were filmed by local rangers in August

In an era of rapid change, the managers of our nation's wild spaces are asking: What counts as natural anymore?

The National Parks Face a Looming Existential Crisis

Political uncertainty and a changing climate converge to forge the park system’s biggest challenge yet

Page 144 of 232