Animals

Cool Finds

In Microgravity, Some Snakes Tie Themselves in Knots, Others Attack Themselves

Some animals just don’t know how to deal when gravity goes away

July 18, 2014

New Research

Researchers are Tracking House Cats with Tiny Harnesses

GPS measurements and collar cameras will tell them where, exactly, kitty goes all day

July 18, 2014

New Research

Borneo Has Lost 30 Percent of Its Forest in the Past 40 Years

Borneo’s tropical forests have fallen at twice the rate as the rest of the world’s felled rainforests

July 17, 2014

New Research

Baby Turtles Coordinate Hatching By Talking to One Another Through Their Egg Shells

A number of turtle species make sounds, but this is the first evidence that babies do so before they’ve even hatched

July 17, 2014

New Research

Why Freshwater Dolphins Are Some of the World’s Most Endangered Mammals

In Pakistan, dams and drainage has reduced the endangered Indus River dolphin’s range by 80 percent

July 16, 2014

Cool Finds

China Finally Came Clean About Its Shady Tiger Skin Trade

Whether or not this will improve the situation for tigers, however, remains to be seen

July 15, 2014

New Research

A Deadly Fungus Is Wiping Out Frogs and Toads—But Some Can Develop Resistance

Scientists hope it might be possible to develop a vaccine to the fungus, based on the frog and toad’s immunity

July 10, 2014

New Research

Watch the Unnerving Gait of This 410 Million-Year-Old Arachnid

Working from well-preserved fossils, paleontologists reproduced the trigonotarbids’ walk

July 9, 2014

New Research

Fat Corals Fare Best As Climate Changes

Corals with significant energy reserves that welcome all types of symbiotic algae species won’t easily die if hit with multiple bleaching events

July 9, 2014

14 Fun Facts About Piranhas

They’re not cute and cuddly, but they may be misunderstood, and scientists are rewriting the fish’s fearsome stereotype

July 8, 2014

New Research

Chilean Devil Rays Found to Be Among the Deepest-Diving Animals in the Ocean

The surface-dwelling marine creatures regularly dive more than one mile deep, scientists find

July 1, 2014

Cool Finds

UNESCO Just Announced the 1000th World Heritage Site

Botswana’s lush Okavango Delta claims the slot

July 1, 2014

New Research

Cuckoos Don’t Sneak Into Other Birds’ Nests—They Barge Right In

Cuckoos don’t just make other bird’s raise their young, they lay their eggs while the other bird is in the nest

June 30, 2014

Before Pharrell, Smokey Bear Donned This Now-Trendy Hat As a Symbol of Fire Safety

This is the story of Smokey Bear’s hat, and how it was lost—twice—before finally joining the collections at the Smithsonian

June 30, 2014

Do Animals Have Rhythm?

If they did, who could ask for anything more?

July 2014

The Race to Stop Africa’s Elephant Poachers

The recent capture of a notorious poacher has given hope to officials in Chad battling to save the African elephant from extinction

July 2014

New Research

Some Chimps Are Putting Grass in Their Ears For No Particular Reason

Some chimp are creating their own “ear accoutrements,” perhaps the animal equivalent of a fashion statement.

June 30, 2014

Ten Amazing Small Wild Cats

Forget the lions and tigers, these prowling felines have much more to tell us about the natural world

June 24, 2014

New Research

Software Used for Facial Recognition Teases Out Secret Messages Hidden on Bird Eggs

Some bird eggs have visual signatures that help them distinguish they own clutch from impostor cuckoo eggs

June 20, 2014

Cool Finds

Guys: Trying to Attract a Mate by Posing With Captive Tigers Is Not Cool

Some women estimate that up to one in ten men on Tinder have a profile picture featuring a big cat

June 20, 2014