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Conservation

Though they feed along coral reefs, hawksbills return to the beach to nest. Shane Gross, recently named 2024 Wildlife Photographer of the Year, captured this image in Barbados.

Can a New DNA Database Help Save This Incredible Sea Turtle?

The shells of the hawksbill sea turtle have been used for luxury items for centuries, but with the species now endangered, new technology is pinpointing where protections are needed most

One in ten southern right whales lives past the age of 131, new research suggests.

Some Whales Live Much Longer Than Previously Thought, a Discovery That Could Change How We Protect Them

In a new study, researchers use novel techniques to uncover more accurate life expectancy estimates of southern and North Atlantic right whales

The Amazon tree boa (Corallus hortulana) is not a new species, but it's one of the reptiles documented on a 2022 expedition to the Alto Mayo region of Peru.

Expedition Discovers 27 New Species in Peru, From an ‘Exceedingly Rare’ Amphibious Mouse to a Blob-Headed Fish

The hidden creatures were found in a densely populated region known for its successful—and controversial—conservation tactics

Sombrero ground lizards (Pholidoscelis corvinus) are endemic to Sombrero Island, north of Anguilla, which means they're found nowhere else on the planet.

This Once-Rare Lizard Bounced Back From the Brink of Extinction After ‘Painstaking’ Restoration Efforts in the Caribbean

In 2018, fewer than 100 Sombrero ground lizards remained on Sombrero Island—but now, more than 1,600 of the critically endangered reptiles are scampering around the limestone landscape

A red-bellied woodpecker peers into a hole in a tree and spots a very alarmed-looking young screech owl. The photograph, which was highly commended in the contest, is titled "You're not my mother."

Check Out 14 Hilarious Winners From the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards Contest

From an “awkward” smiling frog to embarrassing owl parents, this year’s winners of the entertaining annual competition won’t let you down

Siberian tigers Boris and Svetlaya lounge together in the wild. Boris walked 120 miles to reunite with her after their release from a rehabilitation program.

Two Orphaned Siberian Tigers Reunite as Mates After a 120-Mile Trek Through Russian Wilderness

Conservationists hope the love story between Boris and Svetlaya might indicate a new, successful chapter in tiger repopulation efforts

Monarch butterflies are well-known and beloved migratory pollinators in North America.

Monarch Butterflies Might Soon Be Listed as Threatened Under the Endangered Species Act

If a new proposal is adopted, the insects would become the most commonly seen species to be the subject of federal protection under this law

Smithsonian magazine’s top science titles this year.

The Ten Best Science Books of 2024

From a deep dive on a fatal space shuttle disaster to a study of a dozen iconic trees, these are our favorite titles this year

Hawaiian crows, or ʻalalā, are intelligent birds that play an important role in Hawaiian culture. (This is not one of the five individuals taking part in the pilot release on Maui.)

Scientists Release Five Hawaiian Crows on Maui, Giving the Imperiled Birds a Second Chance—on a New Island

Only about 110 individuals of the species, called ʻalalā, are left in the world, making them the most endangered crows on Earth

New England Aquarium staff treat a cold-stunned sea turtle.

Hundreds of Sea Turtles With Hypothermia Are Washing Up in Cape Cod, Cold-Stunned as Temperatures Drop

New England Aquarium staff and volunteers are treating the reptiles, which have gotten trapped after venturing north earlier in the year. Experts say climate change is leading more turtles to get stranded in the bay

An Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis) licks nectar from the Ethiopian red hot poker flower (Kniphofia foliosa).

New Research

These Endangered Wolves Have a Sweet Tooth—and It Might Make Them Rare Carnivorous Pollinators

Ethiopian wolves like to lick up the flower nectar of red hot poker plants, and researchers have caught the behavior on camera

Over the last few decades, wild turkeys have moved into cities, where they thrive thanks to few predators, abundant food and plenty of space to roam and roost.

Why Are Urban Turkeys Thriving?

As many wild populations decline, some city dwellers flourish—and may become a source for reintroductions to rural areas

Gus did not hesitate to belly flop into the ocean.

Gus, the Young Emperor Penguin Who Made a Surprise Appearance in Australia, Is Now Heading Home

Wildlife caretakers released the bird into the Southern Ocean after he’d put on some weight and regained his strength

The book recently underwent a three-month conservation process.

A Rare Atlas of Astronomy From the Dutch Golden Age Goes on Display in England

The copy of “Harmonia Macrocosmica” dates back to the 17th century and includes ancient theories of the universe

A view of the soft-bottomed Los Angeles River below the 400-foot-long Taylor Yard Bridge in Elysian Valley. The newest Taylor Yard parcel, currently fenced off as it undergoes toxic remediation, can be seen on the far right.

How the Arrival of an Endangered Bird Indicates What’s Possible for the L.A. River

Could the waterway that the city was built around make a comeback?

In Ecuador, a glass frog from a new species identified in 2022, Hyalinobatrachium nouns, hangs from the underside of a leaf, seen from below.

The Andes’ Translucent Glass Frogs Need to Be Seen to Be Saved

The amphibians are at the mercy of mining operations that are destroying their ecosystems, but local communities throughout South America are fighting back

An armored mist frog warms itself on a wet rock. Once thought extinct, this species was rediscovered in locales where it has access to the sun’s warmth, which can help frogs fight the often-deadly fungal infections.

How Frogs Are Kicking Back Against a Lethal Fungus

Scientists are seeing signs of resistance to the infections that have been wiping out the world’s amphibian populations—and they’re developing methods to fight the pathogen

This adult Partula tohiveana snail doesn't have a dot of UV-reflective paint on its shell, meaning it was born in the wild.

These Tiny Snails Are Breeding in the Wild for the First Time in 40 Years in French Polynesia

During a release of captive-bred snails in September, researchers discovered wild-born individuals from the Partula tohiveana species—which had been considered extinct in the wild—marking a huge milestone in a global effort to save them

A sperm whale swims away, leaving a cloud of feces.

Scientists Are Crafting Fake Whale Poop and Dumping It in the Ocean

The artificial waste could fertilize the ocean and sequester carbon

A Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander rests on a log.

Hurricane Helene Battered the ‘Salamander Capital of the World’ With Floods and Landslides. Will the Beloved Amphibians Survive the Aftermath?

The storm decimated a region rich with dozens of species already struggling with habitat loss and disease

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