Baby Animals

A two-year-old adult female bison named Wyoming Hope gave birth to the 30-pound calf on May 16.

Rare White Bison Born in Wyoming State Park

The 30-pound calf is not albino but gets its pale fur from cattle genes

The new baby western lowland gorilla, which was born on May 27.

See the Endangered Gorilla Born at the National Zoo

The baby western lowland gorilla is the zoo's first since 2018

Murphy with his new charge

Eagle Who Thought Rock Was an Egg Finally Gets to Be a Dad

A lucky coincidence has given Murphy the opportunity to nurture an eaglet of his own

A just-hatched chick stands next to its egg.

Why Newborn Chicks Love Objects That Defy Gravity

A clever new study shows the cute critters will often scuttle toward a video of a rising ball

One of the first-ever photos of a young pink iguana

First Recorded Pink Iguana Hatchlings Found on Galápagos Island

After a ten-month effort, researchers discovered the young endangered reptiles on a remote volcano

New York is now the sixth state to pass a law banning pet sales in stores, following California, Illinois, Maine, Maryland and Washington.

New York Bans Sale of Dogs, Cats and Rabbits in Pet Stores

The law, meant to combat abusive breeders, will take effect in 2024

Upon examination, veterinarians realized Hope, now named Beans, had no internal or external sex organs.

Meet the Rare Gender-Neutral Kitten With No Sex Organs

The formerly homeless cat has now been adopted in the U.K.

An artistic rendering of a multituberculate mother with her litter of offspring.

Just Like Us, Jurassic Mammals Cared for Their Young

Clues from bones reveal multituberculates looked after their offspring for lengthy periods during the Age of Dinosaurs

Amani, the mother, with her two cubs born October 3. 

Two Cheetah Cubs Born at Smithsonian’s Conservation Biology Institute

The twins are an important addition to their vulnerable species and its dwindling gene pool

Five-day-old red-eyed treefrog embryos are tightly curled inside dehydrated eggs packed closely together. It’s dry enough to make them begin to hatch early amid heating.

Panama

When the Heat Is on, Red-Eyed Treefrogs Hatch Early

The embryos make the move from clutches on leaves to rainforest ponds below

César, one of the kidnapped chimpanzees

Three Baby Chimpanzees Kidnapped and Held for Ransom

The abductors are demanding a six-figure sum to return the animals to their sanctuary in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Spotless starling chicks use a bright yellow oil to enhance the color of their mouth, which scientists verified by rubbing a cotton swab over the area.

The Done-Up Bird Gets the Worm

Starling chicks apply their preening oil as a lipstick to get more food from their parents

The trunk, ears and tail of this baby woolly mammoth, named Nun cho ga, are almost perfectly preserved.

Cool Finds

Well-Preserved, 30,000-Year-Old Baby Woolly Mammoth Emerges From Yukon Permafrost

The mummified creature is helping to heal the rift between the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in people and the miners and scientists who came to their lands

On May 26, and endangered baby crane hatched at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute

Good News

Endangered Whooping Crane Hatches at Smithsonian National Zoo Site

An abandoned egg from a wild nest in Wisconsin was given to surrogate parents in Virginia

In total, researchers made CT scans of the inner ears of 147 frog species. With these scans, the team determined that Brachycephalus toads' semicircular canals are the smallest ever recorded for adult vertebrates.

The Pumpkin Toadlet’s Miniature Size Makes It a Lousy Hopper

These amphibians’ tiny inner ear canals make balancing mid-jump a challenge

A Mexican wolf pup less than 14 days old is given a health check before being placed into a wild den in New Mexico.

Eleven Mexican Gray Wolf Pups Released Into the Wild

The pups were part of a cross-fostering program to boost genetic diversity in the endangered subspecies

The Octopus bimaculoides, or the California two-spot octopus

Scientists Figure Out Why Female Octopuses Self-Destruct After Laying Eggs

A new study finds several biochemical pathways, including one that produces a precursor to cholesterol, may be key to this behavior

Peconic, a 3-month-old gray seal, makes his way back to the ocean.

Good News

Baby Seal Found in a Traffic Circle on Long Island Released Back Into the Ocean

The three-month-old gray seal had wandered through streets and parking lots until it was captured by a local nonprofit, rehabilitated and released

"The Mice at Work: Threading the Needle," The Tailor of Gloucester artwork, 1902; watercolour, ink and gouache on paper.

Leap Into the Surprising, Art-Filled Life of Beatrix Potter in a New Exhibition

The beloved author of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" also wrote diaries in code, sketched fungi and raised prize-winning sheep

Betty White poses with a parrot at the Los Angeles Zoo in 2014.

Good News

Animal Shelters See an Influx of Donations in Honor of Betty White

Fans donated thousands of dollars to local animal shelters on what would have been her 100th birthday

loading icon