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Reproduction

Formosan termites (Coptotermes formosanus) are among two invasive termite species that are interbreeding in South Florida.

Two Invasive Termites Are Interbreeding in Florida, Raising Concerns That the Hybrid Pests Could Spread Around the World

Previous research found that Asian and Formosan termites could produce offspring together, and now, scientists have found these creatures established in the wild

The new study suggests that 73 million years ago, birds and dinosaurs lived side by side in the Arctic.

Scientists Find the First Evidence of Birds Nesting in the Arctic Alongside Dinosaurs

The researchers analyzed rare fossils of hatchling birds found in northern Alaska, which offered the earliest evidence of the creatures reproducing in a polar region

A group of female South Korean free divers on Jeju Island, known as the Haenyeo, exit the water after catching marine snails in November 2015.

South Korea’s Female Free Divers May Have Evolved to Thrive Underwater, Study Finds

The Haenyeo, a group of skilled divers on Jeju Island, plunge beneath the ocean’s surface without any breathing equipment, thanks to a combination of their training and genetics

Rangers witnessed a captive Powelliphanta augusta snail lay an egg from its neck, and they managed to catch it on video for the first time ever.

Watch a Giant Snail Lay an Egg From a Pore in Its Neck in First-Ever Footage Captured in New Zealand

Conservation rangers took a video of an endangered, captive snail laying a large egg, revealing insight into the creature’s reproductive process

Researchers reveal that some superb starlings form long-term, friendship-like relationships.

These Colorful Birds Form Long-Term ‘Friendships’ by Helping Out With Babysitting, Study Suggests

While scientists have observed animals assisting their relatives, a new study reveals that many superb starlings also form supportive relationships with non-relatives that can last for years

Visitors flock to botanic gardens when their corpse flowers are in bloom. But these charismatic plants are threatened by inbreeding and low genetic diversity, in part due to spotty recordkeeping at institutions around the globe.

Stinky Corpse Flowers Face a Recordkeeping Problem at Botanic Gardens, and It’s Leading to Inbreeding, Study Finds

Inconsistent data may be hurting conservation efforts for these endangered plants, known for attracting visitors to their scent of rotting flesh

A female Guam kingfisher (left) and a male (right) perch on a branch on Palmyra Atoll.

Biologists Rejoice as Extremely Rare Guam Kingfishers Lay Their First Wild Eggs in Nearly 40 Years

The brightly colored birds are extinct in the wild, having disappeared from their native Guam in 1988 due to the introduction of the invasive brown tree snake. But now, they’re starting to make a comeback on Palmyra Atoll

The black and peachy-orange orca calf was seen swimming with, Sedna, a descendant of one of the Budd Inlet Six.

New Orca Calf Is a Descendant of the ‘Budd Inlet Six,’ the Last Killer Whales Captured in United States Waters in 1976

The black and slightly orange Bigg’s killer whale was spotted swimming with its mother, Sedna, in the Salish Sea

A newly described wasp species, Sirenobethylus charybdis, had a tail with paddles and trigger hairs that scientists say was used to catch and parasitize insects. The scale bar is 0.5 millimeters.

Ancient, Parasitic Wasp Used Its Rear End Like a Venus Flytrap to Catch Insects and Lay Its Eggs on Them, Study Suggests

Scientists say they’ve never seen anything like this “truly unique” species, which was found encased in amber

When they're alarmed, blue-lined octopuses display iridescent blue rings on their arms to ward off approaching predators.

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

Scientists used fragments of the child's right forearm bone to date the skeletal remains.

Mysterious Skeleton of Child With Human and Neanderthal Traits Has Finally Been Dated by Archaeologists

Discovered in Portugal in 1998, the individual dubbed the “Lapedo Child” has long perplexed scientists, thanks to a curious mix of features

Mother polar bears spend months inside snowy dens with their cubs. Then, the family emerges together in the spring.

Rare Footage Shows Baby Polar Bears Emerging From Their Den in the Arctic

In a new study, researchers used remote cameras and data from GPS tracking collars to learn more about this vulnerable period in the early lives of these marine mammals

Shadow (left) and Jackie (right) are incubating three eggs for the second year in a row. Their nest is perched 145 feet off the ground in a Jeffrey pine near Big Bear Lake in Southern California.

Watch California’s Internet-Famous Bald Eagles Tend to Three New Eggs, Expected to Hatch Soon

Last year, the mated pair Jackie and Shadow also incubated three eggs—but none of them hatched. This year’s “pipping period,” when chicks may break out of their shells, begins in early March

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There's More to That

The Truth About the Sex Lives of Dinosaurs

Fossils are providing more and more clues about how dinosaurs attracted one another and reproduced, which contributed to their remarkable ability to populate much of the Earth

Wisdom the Laysan albatross was banded with a red tag reading Z333 in 1956. She is now raising a newborn chick at the age of at least 74.

See the Adorable Video of Wisdom, the World’s Oldest Wild Bird, Tending to Her New Chick at Age 74

First banded in 1956, the Laysan albatross has become a mother once again at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge

Scientists found biofluorescence in most species of birds-of-paradise, including the emperor bird-of-paradise (Paradisaea guilielmi), shown here from the American Museum of Natural History's collection.

Birds-of-Paradise Glow to Attract Mates, Adding a Flashy Element to Their Impressive Courtship Displays

Scientists find that 82 percent of birds-of-paradise species show biofluorescence, often on their feathers, throat or inner mouth

Eastern gray kangaroo genetic material was used for the study, which produced embryos via IVF.

Scientists Produced the First Kangaroo Embryos Through IVF. They Could Be Key to Marsupial Conservation in Australia

With continued work in the future, the team hopes to promote live births of endangered marsupial species, including Tasmanian devils, koalas and northern hairy-nosed wombats

The swell shark pup at Louisiana's Shreveport Aquarium

Shark Pup Mysteriously Hatches in Aquarium Tank With Only Females. How Could This Birth Happen?

Experts say the case is either a rare form of asexual reproduction or an instance of (very) delayed fertilization

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025 took place in Las Vegas, Nevada, this week.

The Eight Coolest Inventions From the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show

A needle-free injection system, a bug-watching garden camera, a wearable that helps with memory lapses and more were unveiled at the annual Las Vegas trade show

A Surinam golden-eyed tree frog calls for a mate, puffing out its cheeks.

See 25 Incredible Images From the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Contest

Cast your vote for your favorite of the photographs, which are all contenders for the People’s Choice award, through January 29

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