Articles tagged as Animals | Smithsonian Magazine

Doing Laundry Can Be Deadly for Clams, Mollusks and Other Marine Animals

Pick your wardrobe carefully—the lives of sea animals may depend on it

October 13, 2016

The walrus diorama at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, photographed in 2009, includes a "realistic" marine background.

The History and Future of the Once-Revolutionary Taxidermy Diorama

In their heyday, these dead animal displays were virtual reality machines

October 11, 2016

New Research

Coming Soon: Otter-Inspired Wetsuits

A team at MIT has figured out exactly how otter and beaver fur keeps the animals warm in cold water

October 10, 2016

The National Zoo's resident cassowary in 2010.

Behind the Scenes at the National Zoo With the World’s Most Dangerous Bird

The zoo’s cassowary “still has that mysterious aura about her—that prehistoric, dinosaur-walking-through-the-rainforest-quality.”

October 7, 2016

A judge recently ordered the Fish and Wildlife Service to let the endangered wolves stay where they are

October 6, 2016

New Research

Cod May Have Regional “Accents” That Could Spawn Trouble When Breeding

Recording fish communication could help scientists learn more about the impact of underwater noise pollution

October 6, 2016

The southern African nation now supports protection for the animals instead of limited sales of ivory

October 4, 2016

Kure Atoll, the northernmost reef in the Hawaiian archipelago, hosts mesophotic reefs with the most species unique to a specific location found in any marine ecosystem on Earth.

New Research

Here’s What Scientists Found in Hawaii’s Mysterious “Twilight Zone”

Deep coral reefs reveal their secrets in a study two decades in the making

October 4, 2016

Bermuda

The Strange Reappearance of the Once-Vanished Green Sea Turtle

It’s a conservation biology riddle wrapped in a mystery inside a hard shell

October 4, 2016

Since his discovery in 2005, Toughie the frog has been the face of amphibian extinction

October 4, 2016

A spotted hyena in South Africa's Kruger National Park.

North America Used to Have its Very Own Hyena

These giggly beasts didn’t just roam Africa and the Middle East. They were right here in our backyard

October 3, 2016

New Research

Doggonit: Genes That Make Fido Human Friendly Also Linked to Mental Disorders

Dogs’ diversity could make them vulnerable to disorders similar to OCD and autism

September 30, 2016

These are the creatures snakes have nightmares about.

The Animals That Venom Can’t Touch

Meet the creatures who look into the face of venomous death and say: Not today

September 30, 2016

Two students stole and released an endangered African penguin from an Oceanarium. The problem is Buddy doesn’t have the skills to survive

September 29, 2016

What Living Like Goats and Badgers Can Teach Us About Ourselves

Two Englishmen won the Ig Nobel Prize for eating grass, earthworms and worse in the name of science

September 29, 2016

Scaly, ant-eating mammals, pangolins curl up when they're scared.

It’s a big win for a weird little creature

September 28, 2016

Ask Smithsonian: When Did People Start Keeping Pets?

The human-pet timeline is still being put together, but turns out man’s best friend might also be his oldest

September 28, 2016

New Research

New DNA Analysis Shows How Cats Spread Around the World

Felines spread in two waves including moving around Europe on Viking ships, according to researchers

September 27, 2016

Mall rats aren't the only animals to be found in China's gigantic shopping centers.

As cities spread, so do depressing mall zoos

September 26, 2016

Why Do We Still Have Morse Code and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answer

October 2016