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Animals

The technology uses thermal cameras and artificial intelligence to detect whales based on the water spewed from their blowholes, which is slightly warmer than the surrounding water.

Gray Whales Are Getting Struck by Ships in San Francisco Bay. Could This New A.I.-Powered Tech Save Them?

The recently launched system involves two thermal cameras that can detect gray whales up to four miles away, giving ships enough time to slow down or change course—and avoid running into the marine mammals

The spiders build spring-loaded, cone-shaped webs that catapult green tree ants.

This Newly Discovered Spider Builds a Unique Web That Catapults Ants Through the Air

Flung prey can reach speeds of up to 14.4 feet per second, or a little less than ten miles per hour. An insect will land in the spider’s main web about a foot above the spring-loaded trap

Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins live in the tropical waters of the Indian and western Pacific oceans.

Female Dolphins Seem to Remember Which Males Were Aggressive During Mating Season—and May Try to Avoid Them

When researchers played underwater recordings of pushy males, females that were capable of becoming pregnant swam away from the sounds

The researchers tracked eye and body movements of larval zebrafish.

Fish and Humans Share Surprisingly Similar Sleep Habits, Including Daytime Naps

A recent study suggests that zebrafish have four sleep substates, just like humans do—and one of them is akin to an afternoon snooze

A male red fox (silver morph) with a playful kit on San Juan Island in Washington State, May 17, 2024

These Devoted Dads Across the Animal Kingdom Will Warm Your Heart This Father’s Day

From foxes that bring home dinner to fish that keep watch over their young, male animals across several species take an active role in building nests and caring for their babies

Two fossils of juvenile embolomeres—crocodile-like creatures, illustrated here—suggest that they did not undergo metamorphosis to become adults and that the ancestors of today’s birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians might not have had a tadpole life phase.

A Vietnam Veteran Collected Fossils for 66 Years. One, Mislabeled ‘Baby Lamprey,’ Made Paleontologists Reconsider How Vertebrates Moved From Water to Land

The fossil turned out to be a hatchling of a crocodile-like creature, and it suggests, according to a new study, that early animals did not use metamorphosis to evolve to dwell on land

The new species is covered in spots and dashes.

Scientists Discover a New Species of ‘Walking’ Shark in Papua New Guinea. They Suspect It’s at Risk of Going Extinct

The creature belongs to a unique group of sharks whose members can use their strong pectoral fins like legs to get around

A city-dwelling male bowerbird near the structure that it built to woo mates, called a bower.

Male Bowerbirds in Australian Cities Are Turning Human Trash Into Treasure to Impress Potential Mates

Even rural birds prefer human-made objects, such as colored glass and wire, when given the choice between them and natural decorations, like leaves and shells, according to a new study

The adult male fox was evaluated by veterinarians and released three days later into the Laguna Colombia State Reserve, where conservationist Rafael Chacón snapped additional photos.

See the First-Ever Photographs of Cozumel’s Elusive Dwarf Fox, One of the Rarest Canids in the World

No one had seen the creatures in more than two decades, leading scientists to wonder whether they’d gone extinct. That changed in September 2023

Goblin sharks have elongated snouts and extendable jaws, which they use to snatch prey.

‘Ugliest Shark on the Planet’: See the Elusive Goblin Shark, Filmed for the First Time in Its Deep-Sea Habitat

Scientists spotted the enigmatic creatures in 2019 and again in 2024, marking the first times they’ve been observed alive in the wild. The sightings drastically expand the animals’ known geographic and depth range

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is one of Colorado's International Dark Sky Parks.

Stay Up Late and Admire the Cosmos With This New ‘Stargazing Trail’ That Links Certified Dark Sky Destinations

The initiative debuts as Colorado gears up to celebrate the 150th anniversary of its statehood

Some tasks involved grabbing food in tricky situations.

Is Your Dog Right-Pawed or Left-Pawed? Here’s How to Figure It Out, According to a New Study

Researchers devised a series of tests to measure your furry friend’s laterality, which can be associated with behavior, emotion and cognition

Crews are wrapping up work on a new wildlife crossing in Northern California.

Mule Deer Are Already Using California’s First Wildlife Crossing—and It’s Not Even Finished Yet

Construction on the $20 million bridge in Siskiyou County began last year and is expected to be complete by this fall, with miles of eight-foot-high fencing along the highway to help funnel animals toward it

Researchers recovered environmental DNA from ancient ground squirrel poop.

Researchers Investigated Ancient Squirrel Poop Frozen in Permafrost and Found Enlightening Details About the Animal’s Ecosystem

Up to 700,000 years ago, ground squirrels in modern-day Canada collected tons of helpful genetic information on their bygone environment through their diet

The bees had to roll the ball under a blue "flower," then stand atop the moved object to access a sweet treat.

Bumblebees Can Solve Problems on the Fly, Adding to the Insects’ List of Impressive Cognitive Abilities

In a series of experiments, the fuzzy pollinators figured out how to use a ball as a tool to access a sugary treat. The study further highlights that the critters are quite clever despite their tiny brains

In many animal species, males display showier features than females. Among humans, however, women are popularly described as the "fairer sex."

People Across Cultures Find Women’s Faces to Be More Attractive Than Men’s, a New Study Suggests

In many species of wild animals, males have flashier features than females to help them attract mates. But scientists have long noticed that humans seem to be an exception, with women often being considered the “fairer sex”

The new species was named Microeledone galapagensis ​​​​​​in honor of the location where it was collected.

Cool Finds

‘Cute Little Guy’: Scientists Discover a Tiny Blue Species of Octopus by the Galápagos Islands

The palm-size creature was spotted and collected during a research expedition more than a decade ago, but scientists have just identified it as a previously undescribed species

The seizure included Madagascar hissing cockroaches—some of the largest roaches in the world—and dubia cockroaches.

More Than 100,000 Illegal Exotic Cockroaches Were Seized by Australian Authorities in a Record-Setting Bug Bust

The insects are estimated to be worth up to $141,000, according to Australia’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water. Exotic cockroaches could harm the country’s wildlife and agriculture

A young male bongo photographed in Maasai Mau, Kenya

Trail Camera Photos Capture Rare Antelopes in a Kenya Forest Where Conservationists Once Feared They Had Vanished

Fewer than 100 mountain bongos are thought to live in the wild, and the new discovery reveals a crucial habitat for the critically endangered creatures

An artistic rendering of Labrujasuchus expectatus

Meet the ‘Witch Croc,’ a Strange Ancient Crocodile Relative With Two Legs and No Teeth That Roamed New Mexico During the Triassic

The reptile, a dinosaur look-alike called a shuvosaur, represents a long-awaited discovery that helps paleontologists fill a gap in the fossil record

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