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Animals

Llamas can still be found at Machu Picchu today.

The Secret to Machu Picchu’s Success: Llama Poop

The Incas used llama dung as fertilizer to grow maize, and fuel an empire

Spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) hangs by tail with mouth open.

Wild Things: Spider Monkeys, Fire Ants, Hagfish and More…

Dinosaur “thunder thighs” and fast-flying moths

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge contains vital habitat for polar bears who rely on the border of terrestrial and marine ecosystems.

Fifty Years of Arctic National Wildlife Preservation

Biologist George Schaller on the debate over ANWR conservation and why the refuge must be saved

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Wild Things: Giant Pandas, an Ancient Ibis and More…

Panda-friendly forests, one bizarre bird and foxes on junk food

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Wild Things: Great Whites, Tree Snakes, Drongos and More

These animals redefine life as we know it

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Giant Crayfish Species Found in Tennessee

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Wild Things: Life as We Know It

Flamingos, T. rex Tails, Burmese monkeys and more…

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Wild Things: Life as We Know It

Drought crises, Florida panthers, humpback whales and more…

According to author Richard Conniff, "what really got the species seekers started was that a Swedish botanist named Linnaeus had invented a system of scientific classification."

Richard Conniff on The Species Seekers

The 18th century was an age of discovery when a frontiersman mentality yielded scientific breakthroughs in natural history

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Wild Things: Life as We Know It

Caterpillars, Bonobos, European Songbirds and More…

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Wild Things: Life as We Know It

Caterpillars, Frogs, Big Birds and More…

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Wild Things: Life as We Know It

Orchids, Baboons, Ancient Reptiles and More…

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Toads Closer to Tanzanian Home

The silver spotted skipper butterfly is one of the most common butterflies caught during the census.

Name That Butterfly

Citizen scientists on a sharp learning curve are carrying out an important census in fields and gardens across the country

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Ferrets Have a Record-Breaking Breeding Season at the National Zoo

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Two New Onagers Born Thanks to Artificial Insemination

Common Thresher Shark

Wild Things: Life as We Know It

Cobras, sharks, lemurs, hermit crabs and more…

The discovery of new species is driven by new technologies, targeted surveys of little-studied ecosystems and a determined effort to identify plants and animals before their habitat is lost. The kipunji is one of 300 mammal species discovered in the past decade; it is thought to be Africa’s rarest monkey.

Meet the New Species

From old-world primates to patch-nosed salamanders, new creatures are being discovered every day

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Ants Use Velcro to Catch Large Prey

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Rhinoceroses in Romania

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