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Animals

New Research

Genetically Edited Hercules Dogs Can Pack on Extra Muscles

Scientists use a natural mutation that produces extra muscle to tweak dogs genes

Chelonoidis donfaustoi was named after Ecuador’s oldest park ranger.

New Research

New Species of Galapagos Tortoise Found on Santa Cruz Island

The newly recognized reptile was thought to be part of a more populous species of tortoise sharing the island

The black-footed ferret's tale of near-extinction is just one of many stories of endangered animals.

Age of Humans

How We Decide Which Animals Become Endangered

It wasn’t too long ago that the idea of “endangered animals” didn’t even exist.

The red-necked wallaby has a powerful nose, according to a new study.

Wallabies Can Sniff Out Danger in Poop

Like sommeliers of poop, the pint-sized marsupials can smell what species left it behind and what that creature last had for dinner

The wings of the Arctic fritillary butterfly have decreased in size since 1996.

Age of Humans

Greenland’s Butterflies Are Shrinking as Temperatures Rise

In the high Arctic, hotter summer weather may be taxing insect metabolism

A young chimpanzee sets out for a stroll in Tanzania's Mahale Mountains National Park.

New Research

Walking Chimps Move in Surprisingly Similar Ways to Humans

Motion-sensor studies showing how chimpanzees walk upright could help scientists better understand the evolution of bipedalism

The Kirtland's warbler needs humans to cut and replant the trees it nests in. Without this work, the species' painstaking recovery from less than 1,000 males to over 2,000 could be erased.

Age of Humans

This Bird Didn’t Start the Fires, But It May Need Them to Survive

An endangered bird once threatened by humans now relies on us for its survival

The flat-tail horned lizard's desert habitats in the American West are changing rapidly, thanks to us humans.

Age of Humans

Even Desert Lizards Are Feeling the Heat Due to Climate Change

But Smithsonian scientists are probing the flat-tail horned lizard’s DNA to save the rare species

Setting up sound monitors in Papua New Guinea.

Scientists Are Recording 24-Hour Soundtracks of Rainforests

The bioacoustic data gives Nature Conservancy researchers clues about the health of an ecosystem

New Research

King Crabs Are About to Take Over Antarctica

As oceans warm, Antarctica braces for an invasion of shell-cracking crabs

An adult tammar wallaby on Kangaroo Island, Australia.

New Research

Mother Wallabies Are Delaying Births Due to Bright Lights

Marsupials exposed to artificial light had their babies a month later than those that spent nights solely lit by the stars and moon

A spectacled fruit bat hangs out in search of its next meal. Many bats eat nectar with grooved tongues that are posing quite a mystery for scientists.

New Research

This Bat’s Tongue Works Like a Conveyor Belt

The unique tongues are raising new questions for scientists

Trending Today

PETA Wants a Selfie-Snapping Monkey to be Granted Copyright to its Photo

PETA Wants a Selfie-Snapping Monkey to be Granted Copyright to its Photo

South Dakota’s Buffalo Roundup Is Pure Americana Spectacle

Watch wranglers bring in a free-roaming herd of 1,300 bison. Just be sure to get out of the way.

Age of Humans

Electric Fishing Puts a Rare Dolphin-Human Partnership at Risk

Illegal fishing practices are threatening traditional cooperation between humans and river dolphins in Burma

A 19th-century illustration published by Alphonse Milne-Edwards.

How America Fell in Love With the Giant Panda

A French missionary, Teddy Roosevelt’s sons, and a widowed socialite all factor into the tale of how the nation fell in love with the rare beast

New Zealand North Island Robin

New Research

How to Give a Robin an IQ Test

Testing whether individual animals are smarter than others of their species is tricky

Kapparot for penance and purification at Mahane Yehuda Market, Jerusalem, Israel.

Trending Today

It Is Officially Legal to Ritually Kill Chickens on the Streets of New York City

A judge ruled that there was not enough evidence that the practice was a public nuisance

New Research

Some Ocean Populations Declined by Nearly 50 Percent Between 1970 and 2012

Is there still a chance to stave off a growing crisis beneath the waves?

Great apes, like us, react to a good scare.

New Research

Horror Films for Apes Are Teaching Scientists About Long-Term Memory

Eye tracking during scary shows helped scientists reveal that great apes can access memories of single significant events

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