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Animals

Female Butterflies Can Sniff Out Inbred Males

Unlike in humans, butterfly females can actually distinguish between inbred and outbred males by their scent

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Some Insect Wings Are Natural Antibiotics

Dotted with tiny spikes, this cicada’s wings are naturally antibiotic

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2000-Pound Camels Used to Live in the Arctic

Living in the forest alongside bears and beavers, the ancient Canadian Arctic camel

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That’s Some Pig!

An Iowa farmer’s quest to breed the perfect pig

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The U.S. And Russia Agree on One Thing: They Want to Save Polar Bears

In a rare moment of partnership, the U.S. and Russia are trying to join together to save the polar bear

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The American Bumblebee Is Crashing, Too

Colony Collapse Disorder targets honey bees. But now American bumblebees are missing, too

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Why Did (or Didn’t) the Meerkat Cross the Road?

Dominant female meerkats hang back to let subordinates cross busy, dangerous roads first

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Contributors

Red pandas receive state-of-the-art care at the Conservation Biology Institute.

A Visit to the Natonal Zoo’s “Ark of Life”

Smithsonian Secretary G. Wayne Clough journeys to Front Royal, Virginia, to find out the latest in animal research

Off the Auckland Islands, a southern right whale moves in for a closer look at Skerry’s diving partner.

Brian Skerry Has the World’s Best Job: Ocean Photographer

The freelancer’s new exhibit at the Natural History Museum captures the beauty, and fragility, of sea life

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Could Spider Silk Stop a Moving Train?

Spiderman really could have stopped that train from falling, so long as his silk resembled that produced by the Darwin’s bark spider

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Why Are Our Brains Wrinkly?

Brain wrinkles naturally develop as the brain gets larger in order to lend more surface area and help white matter fibers avoid long stretches

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Why Do We Care Whether Animals Appreciate Our Art?

In a recent study, researchers put seven Java Sparrows in a cage with a bunch of artwork and watched them to see which ones they preferred

A giant goldfish recovered from Lake Tahoe.

Giant Goldfish Have Invaded Lake Tahoe

Populations of native fish have decreased tenfold in Lake Tahoe, and this new invader could only exacerbate the situation

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Overzealous Male Frogs Practice a Practical Sort of Necrophilia

Both males and females still get to pass on their genes to the next generation, despite one of them being dead

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Investigation: China Covertly Condones Trade in Tiger Skins and Bones

The Chinese government says it is committed to saving tigers from extinction, yet it legalized trade in captive-bred big cats’ skin and bones

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Snakes in a Frame: Mark Laita’s Stunning Photographs of Slithering Beasts

In his new book, Serpentine, Mark Laita captures the colors, textures and sinuous forms of a variety of snake species

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Chemicals in Water May Be Messing With Otters’ Sexual Mojo

Scientists examined hundreds of otters to arrive at these grim findings

Ask Smithsonian 2017

Could a Whale Accidentally Swallow You? It Is Possible

Whale sharks probably can’t fit you down their esophagus, but mariners claim that sperm whales have swallowed people in the past

A golden mole

For Female Golden Moles, Size Does Matter

Females judge potential mates by their penis sizes, which they use to gauge a male’s attractiveness for copulation

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