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Animals

A common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) stretches out on a reef environment beneath the sea.

Why Don’t Octopus Suckers Stick To Their Own Skin?

A chemical excreted by octopus skin tells their severed arms, “Don’t grab me or eat me!”

New Research

Even Tiny Amounts of Radioactive Food Made Caterpillars Become Abnormal Butterflies

Even a tiny amount of radioactive food can turn caterpillars into mutated butterflies

A red-winged blackbird, the males of which (pictured) feature bright red spots. Females, on the other hand, are a mottled brown.

New Research

Drab Female Birds Were Once As Flashy As Their Male Mates

Biologists always assumed that sexual selection primarily drove differences in looks between male and female birds, but a new study challenges that notion

A different blue whale skeleton rests on Goudier Island, Antarctica.

Trending Today

The Whale That Didn’t End Up Exploding Is Being Chopped Up and Shipped Across the Country

Dismantling a blue whale, piece by piece

The sperm cells were found in Riversleigh, a remote spot in northwestern Australia that was once a teeming rainforest.

New Research

Giant Sperm Cells Belonging to 17 Million Year Old Shrimp Are the Oldest Ever Found

The sperm were longer than the male shrimp’s entire body

Cool Finds

Small, Quiet Drones Let Conservationists Peek Inside Bird’s Nests

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is using remote-controlled drones to monitor nests of endangered species

Cool Finds

In an Emergency, We Act Like Ants

Like many animals, we tend to clump together when danger presents itself

Cool Finds

France Is Spending 3 Million Euros to Save the Great Hamster of Alsace

There are only a few hundred left!

Cool Finds

Butterflies And Bees Drink Crocodile Tears

To the delight of winged invertebrates, crocodiles cry when they eat

An overly alluring research subject.

New Research

Biologists Are Biased Toward Penises

Researchers interested in the evolution of animal genitalia tend to focus on the male side of that equation, often unjustifiably ignoring the female

In Mexico, parasitic corn fungus makes for a great tortilla filling.

Cool Finds

Five Parasitic Species People Love to Eat

From tapeworms to lampreys, some people don’t mind eating the bloodsuckers

New Research

What’s Killing the Sea Stars?

Scientists inch closer to the cause of the mysterious “sea star wasting syndrome”

Trending Today

Watch This Bear Cub Rock Climb!

You have time for one too-adorable-for-words video

This is the face of deception.

New Research

This Bird Tricks Other Animals Into Handing Over Their Meals

The African drongo mimics warning calls of other animals to scare them away from food, but mixes true warnings with lies to keep those animals guessing

Cool Finds

Mosquitoes Kill More Humans Than Human Murderers Do

From a human perspective, this makes them the deadliest animal in the world by far

Not the world's fastest mite, but a related species from the same Family.

Cool Finds

This Obscure Species of Mite Is the Fastest Animal on Earth

The mite just defeated the previous record-holder, the Australian tiger beetle

Cool Finds

This Seal Tried to Steal Another Seal’s Baby Before It Was Fully Born

Nature is not a nice place

None

Decades of Political Strife Have Left Myanmar’s Jungles Unexplored and Unchartered

Now as the country opens up, what will happen to its endangered species? A new three-part series on the Smithsonian Channel explores the issue

A bowl of shark fin soup, which is sometimes made with meat from protected species of sharks

Cool Finds

People Caught Eating Rare Animals in China Might Soon Face Jail Time

Eating endangered species was never kosher, but now legitimate punishments can finally be dished out for this crime

Take in the Sights and Sounds of the National Parks

Enjoy a nature break and listen to birds from America’s greatest natural wonders

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