See 15 Captivating Images From the British Wildlife Photography Awards, From a Majestic Shark to Hungry Pigeons
The winning photographs highlight the diversity of animal and plant life in Britain as well as the often hidden behaviors of wild creatures
Traffic Noise May Be Making These Bright Yellow Birds More Aggressive in the Galápagos Islands, Study Suggests
Male Galápagos yellow warblers appear to be shifting their behavior and adjusting their calls in response to the din of passing vehicles
This Painting of Lounging Lions Was Hanging in a Family’s Living Room. It Turned Out to Be an Original Delacroix
Titled “Study of Reclining Lions,” the previously unknown work by the renowned French Romantic painter has been owned by a family in France since the mid-1800s
Watch an Octopus Hitch a Ride on a Shark—an Unusual Duo Dubbed the ‘Sharktopus’
Researchers in New Zealand captured the odd pairing on video, but they still don’t know how to explain the behavior
A Chicago-Sized Iceberg Broke Off From Antarctica, Revealing a Hidden Ecosystem Never Seen Before
When the A-84 iceberg calved in January, it unveiled a 209-square-mile swath of seafloor. Nearby scientists rushed to the scene for the “unprecedented” look below
Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries
See Fantastic Frogs in 15 Fun Photographs
Hop through these images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest
Can Parrot Brains Teach Us About Human Speech? Study Finds Budgies Have Language-Producing Regions That Resemble Our Own
The parakeets commonly kept as pets could offer fresh clues about vocal learning and potential treatments for speech disorders
Voters Crown the ‘World’s Ugliest Animal’ as New Zealand’s Fish of the Year
The blobfish is specially adapted to life in the deep ocean, but it looks like a shapeless blob when brought to the surface. It beat out the other candidates with its “unconventional beauty”
Paleontologists Stumble Across 15-Million-Year-Old Fish Fossils That Are So Well Preserved, Their Last Meals Are Intact
Discovered in Australia, the fossils represent a new species that lived during the Miocene epoch and highlight how iron-rich rock can protect specimens over time
Iguanas Floated a Whopping 5,000 Miles From North America to Fiji on Rafts of Plants in a Record-Setting Trip, Study Suggests
Since most iguana species live in the Americas, biologists have long debated how they could have arrived on the remote Pacific island in the first place
Cougar Cubs Spotted in Michigan for the First Time in More Than a Century
Two kittens, believed to be between 7 and 9 weeks old, were photographed by a motorist in the western Upper Peninsula
A Hunter Was Out Looking for Deer in West Texas. He Found a Rare Mammoth Tusk Instead
Discovered in the drainage area of a creek bed, the tusk was initially thought to be “just an old stump”
Nine New Tardigrade Species Discovered Thanks to the Efforts of Danish Schoolchildren
The budding scientists collected the tiny water bears in a massive citizen science project that involved almost 30,000 participants
These Male Octopuses Use Venom to Subdue Female Mates—and Avoid Being Eaten After Sex
Scientists observed male blue-lined octopuses injecting tetrodotoxin into females, which rendered them immobile for mating
Megalodon Might Have Been Longer and Skinnier Than Previously Thought, Growing Up to 80 Feet
A new paper suggests the enormous, extinct shark looked less like a bulky great white and more like an elongated lemon shark
These Bird Nests Are Full of Trash, Including Some That’s 30 Years Old
Scientists studying Eurasian coots in Amsterdam found layers of decades-old garbage in their urban nests
How Enormous Glaciers on the Frozen ‘Snowball Earth’ Might Have Bulldozed the Path to Complex Life on Our Planet
A new study suggests glaciers carved metals out from the Earth’s surface 700 million years ago, leading to chemical reactions in the oceans that set the stage for early animal evolution
The World’s Largest Iceberg Runs Aground, Potentially Averting a Collision With Penguin and Seal Breeding Areas
After months of floating, the “megaberg” known as A23a has finally come to a halt roughly 50 miles from South Georgia Island
Greenland Sharks Can Live for 400 Years. Scientists Are Using DNA to Unravel Their Longevity Secrets
These large, mysterious creatures are the longest-living vertebrates on the planet—and their genomes could contain clues to how they prevent cancer and reach such an advanced age
Watch Cuttlefish Use Camouflage to Confuse Crabs, Taking on the Appearance of Coral and Leaves
Scientists have captured footage of the sea creatures using four distinct color-shifting techniques to trick their prey
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