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Animals

The giant, newly discovered harvestman from Laos.

Giant, Foot-long Daddy Longlegs Discovered in Cave

A huge, 13-inch long harvestman - better known as a daddy longlegs - turned up in Laos

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Dolphins Sleep With Only Half Their Brain at a Time

Dolphins sleep with only half of their brains at a time, bestowing them with the uncanny ability to stay constantly alert for at least 15 days in a row

Scavenging crow

Brain-Eating Crows May Help Spread Prion Diseases

Prions - the infectious proteins that cause illnesses in humans and other animals such as mad cow disease - can pass through the digestive systems of crows

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This Feeder Doubles as a Photo Booth for Birds

A bird feeder with a built-in camera housing could economize wildlife photography

City Birds Are Evolving To Be More Flexible and Assertive Than Their Country Cousins

Animals are adapting to life in the big city

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100-Million-Year-Old Spider Caught in the Act of Pouncing on Its Prey

A rare fossil captured a 100-million-year-old moment in time, a spider attacking an insect trapped in its web

Kenai lived to be 23, much longer than the 15-18 years of a typical sea otter.

Kenai the Sea Otter, Rescued From Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Has Died

One of the last two otters rescued from the Exxon Valdez oil spill has just passed away

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There’s a 235-Pound, 15-Week-Old, Cuter Than Cute Baby Walrus Coming to NYC

A 15-week-old baby walrus rescued from Alaska arrives in New York City tomorrow

This lobate ctenophore is another bioluminescent creature that lives off the coast of the Americas.

Bioluminescent Worms Welcomed Columbus to the New World

Before Columbus made landfall in the New World 520 years ago today, glowing green worms engaged in a mating dance may have welcomed him first

Like Salamanders, African Spiny Mice Can Grow New Tails

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Watch Young Whooping Cranes Prepare for Flight

Crane enthusiasts now enjoy live streaming of this year’s batch of endangered young Whooping Cranes as they prepare for their first migration south

New Zealand’s kakapo

Fossilized Dung Hints That One Endangered Species Might Be the Savior of Another

A black mamba strikes

Black Mamba Venom Beats Morphine as a Painkiller

Black mambas’ toxicity turns out to have applications other than rodent-killing

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Tree Gangsters Are Killing the Rainforest

Organized criminal syndicates are responsible for most illegal logging, which accounts for up to 30 percent of timber traded globally

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This Camera Trap Snared a Bonanza of Indonesian Wildlife

Sit back and enjoy the stunning wildlife of northern Sumatra

Fish to Shrink in Warming Waters

Climate change could lead to a sizable drop in fish sizes in coming decades

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Watch From Inside a Mussel As It Gets Eaten by a Distended Sea Star Stomach

Watch from inside a mussel as a hungry sea star descends and dissolves it from the inside

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Even Close Subspecies of Migrating Birds Can’t Agree on the Best Route

Scientists in British Columbia attached tiny ‘backpacks’ to birds and mapped their winter migration from Canada to Central America and back again

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Stressed Out Species Aren’t Adapting in the Ways We Think They Should

Some animals are adapting to habitat destruction, but not always in the way that we would like

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Science Images that Border on Art

This year’s Wellcome Image Award winners pull at your “art” strings. The curious seek out the science behind them

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