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Mammals

A dark cloud of starlings shapeshifts over Rome.

A Closer Look at the Kestrels, Hedgehogs and Other Wild Animals That Inhabit Rome

From antiquity to modern times, the city has been rife with creatures that creep, slither, scurry and nest among its pillars and palaces

Two killer whales "allokelping" with a kelp stem between them

These Killer Whales Make Tools From Kelp to Massage Each Other in a Newly Discovered Grooming Behavior

Dubbed “allokelping,” it might be a unique cultural phenomenon that’s as endangered as the orca population itself

One of the Central Park coyotes trots by with the New York City skyline as a backdrop.

In a Milestone for Manhattan, a Pair of Coyotes Has Made Central Park Their Home

For six years, two photographers have carefully followed the canines and documented their secret lives

I have an ancestor who was in Massachusetts in 1640. What is the best way to research ships that arrived before that time? 

How Do I Research Ancestors Who Sailed to America in the 1600s? And More Questions From Our Readers

You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts

Scavengers like turkey vultures remove millions of tons of waste each year by consuming carrion.

Scavenger Animals Are in Trouble, and That Could Spell Bad News for Human Health

More than one-third of species that eat some amount of carrion are threatened or declining, a new analysis finds, and that could lead to a rise in zoonotic diseases

Pangolin species across Africa and Asia are under threat from poaching, climate change and habitat loss.

The World’s ‘Most Trafficked Mammal’ Might Soon Be Protected by the U.S. Endangered Species Act

The Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed listing seven species of pangolin, often poached for their scales and meat, as endangered

A long-billed curlew flies over the Great Plains. New research suggests the birds react to danger more quickly when they hear prairie dog alarm calls.

Nesting Birds Eavesdrop on Prairie Dog Alarm Calls to Keep Their Eggs Safe From Grassland Predators

New research suggests long-billed curlews keep an ear out for warnings from prairie dogs in order to hide from predators and protect their nests

Wild pigs are becoming increasingly problematic in California's Bay Area.

Wild Pigs Are Causing Big Problems in California’s Bay Area, and Their Population Seems to Be Growing

Land managers and other authorities are ramping up efforts to trap and kill the destructive, non-native animals

Before her rescue in 2010, the Asiatic black bear Suki had been kept in a shipping container with 18 other bears. Now, she’s known at her new sanctuary home as a bear who loves to climb up high and survey the open space.

These Asian Bears Were Cut Open for Their Bile. Here’s What’s Being Done to Rehabilitate Them

Veterinarians in Vietnam perform surgeries, prepare special diets and craft recovery routines for moon bears to give them a better life

Burmese pythons—like this one photographed at Everglades National Park—are decimating animal populations in South Florida.

Florida Bobcat Kills 13-Foot Python for the First Time on Record. It’s a Sign of Nature ‘Fighting Back’ Against the Invasive Snakes

Burmese pythons are wreaking havoc on the Everglades ecosystem, but some native animals have been known to prey on the enormous reptiles

A little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) is seen with white fuzz on its nose, a characteristic of the deadly white-nose syndrome.

A Fungal Disease Ravaged North American Bats. Now, Researchers Found a Second Species That Suggests It Could Happen Again

White-nose syndrome caused millions of bat deaths, and scientists are sounding the alarm that a second fungus could be disastrous if it reaches American wildlife

Researchers revealed that differences in sloth habitats drove the wide variation in size seen in extinct species.

Giant Sloths the Size of Elephants Once Walked Along the Ground. Here’s How the Massive Animals Evolved and Declined

Researchers analyzed fossils and DNA to get a big-picture view of sloth evolution and determine what drove their immense size variation

Stone Age humans were likely scavenging the remains of whales that washed ashore along the Bay of Biscay and fashioning them into tools. This projectile point made from a gray whale bone was found in Landes, France, and dated to between 17,500 and 18,000 years ago.

Scientists Discover the Oldest Known Tools Made From Whale Bones, Crafted in Western Europe 20,000 Years Ago

Stone Age humans scavenged the skeletons of several whale species along the Bay of Biscay in what is now southwestern France and northern Spain, according to a new study

A grizzly bear walks along a road in Lake Louise, Alberta. 

To Reduce Human and Grizzly Bear Conflicts, Both Species Must Change Their Behavior

Rural Alaskan and Canadian communities are trying to get along with the large mammals

Humpback whales have poorer eyesight than previously thought, according to a new study.

Humpback Whales Can’t See as Well as Scientists Thought, and It Might Explain Why They Keep Getting Tangled in Fishing Gear

Despite having big eyes, the whales can’t make out details of objects more than a few body lengths away, according to a new study

A mother and baby whale spotted swimming near Kiama, New South Wales, Australia. 

Humpback Whales Give Birth Much Farther South Than Previously Thought, Study Finds

Researchers in Australia found records of humpback whale calves more than 900 miles farther south than expected

A howler monkey infant, only a few days old, clings to a subadult white-faced capuchin monkey as it uses tools.

Capuchin Monkeys Caught on Camera ‘Abducting’ Baby Howler Monkeys in a Strange Tradition Seen for the First Time

Scientists on Panama’s Jicarón Island were mystified by photos and videos of young male capuchins carrying howler monkeys on their backs for days at a time

The female elk was spotted grazing and lounging around Estes Park, Colorado.

‘1 Out of Every 100,000’: This Rare Piebald Elk Is Turning Heads in Colorado With Her Unusually Splotchy Fur

The female ungulate has white patches on her face and body, likely because of an uncommon genetic condition that affects pigmentation

A new study suggests chimpanzees don't just perform self-care—in some cases, they look out for each other.

Chimpanzees Perform First Aid on Each Other, Study Finds, and It May Shed Light on the Evolution of Human Health Care

Researchers describe cases of chimps tending to others’ wounds, as well as a chimp that freed another from a snare

Grizzly 399 (left) reigned as the "Queen of the Tetons" until her death in October 2024.

Male Offspring of Grizzly 399—the ‘World’s Most Famous Bear’—Killed by Vehicle in Grand Teton National Park

The 5-year-old boar known as Grizzly 1058 was part of a rare litter of four cubs born in 2020

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