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Weird Animals

This is the first time that dwarfism has been documented in captive or wild giraffes.

Scientists Report First Instances of Dwarf Giraffes

Two individuals spotted in the wild seem to have classic long necks but unusually short, stubby legs

Alice is unlike any other Stanley crane.

Smithsonian Voices

Eight Aww-Inspiring Videos of the Year’s Best Animal and Conservation Stories

From a litter of chirping cheetahs and the birth of a lovable giant panda cub to groundbreaking coral reef research and new strides in animal care

This year's top stories included an explainer on murder hornets, a list of fun facts about love and sex in the animal kingdom, and a look at the true history behind Hulu's "The Great."

Our Ten Most Popular Stories of 2020

From Anglo-Saxon artifacts to copper’s antibacterial properties, systemic racism and murder hornets, these were the most-read stories of the year

An octopus in the Red Sea engaged in a collaborative hunt with several fish.

New Research

Watch Octopuses Sucker-Punch Fish

Researchers caught the eight-armed sea creatures in the Red Sea slugging fish during collaborative hunts

One specimen of the ultra-black fish species Anoplogaster cornuta.

Innovation for Good: Game Changers

Ten Scientific Discoveries From 2020 That May Lead to New Inventions

From soaring snakes to surfing suckerfish, nature is an endless source of inspiration

Taxidermied bare-nosed wombats glowing under a black light at the Western Australia Museum.

Wombats and Tasmanian Devils Glow Under Ultraviolet Light

Preliminary experiments suggest even more species of mammals may possess the UV glow

Encounters with the giant oarfish—the world's largest bony fish—may have inspired sailors to tell tales about fantastical sea serpents.

Virtual Travel

Meet the Real Animals Behind Mermaids, Dragons and Other Mythical Creatures

You can now take a virtual tour of a “Harry Potter”–inspired exhibition exploring the origins of fantastical beings

Two sequential photos showing a kangaroo alternating its gaze between a box full of food it can't open and a human.

New Research

Kangaroos Communicate With Humans Like Dogs in Experiments

The study suggests people may have previously underestimated the communication abilities of other non-domesticated species

The Schmidt Ocean Institute’s submersible SuBastian, which was responsible for several discoveries in 2020, is retrieved from the water.

The Top Ten Ocean Stories of 2020

From the discovery of a giant coral reef pinnacle to a shocking estimate of plastics on the seafloor, these were the biggest marine moments of the year

Asian honey bees applying animal feces at the entrance of their hives to ward off attacks from hornets.

New Research

Asian Bees Plaster Hives With Feces to Defend Against Hornet Attacks

Researchers say the surprising behavior could constitute tool use, which would be a first for honey bees

Researchers caught an 81-year-old midnight snapper (Macolor macularis) like the one pictured here off the coast of Western Australia. The fish is the oldest coral reef fish ever discovered.

New Research

Researchers Catch Oldest Tropical Reef Fish Known to Science

Researchers caught the 81-year-old midnight snapper off the coast of Western Australia

A group of shrimp that have left the safety of the water to parade upstream in Thailand.

New Research

The Science Behind Thailand’s Great Shrimp Parade

New research begins to unravel the secrets of a strange natural phenomenon in which thousands of freshwater crustaceans march on land

This year's top ten titles explore the cosmos, fear and cleanliness alongside narratives about owls, fish and eels.

The Ten Best Science Books of 2020

New titles explore the mysterious lives of eels, the science of fear and our connections to the stars

A male wrinkle-faced bat (Centurio senex) seen dangling from his perch. Beneath his chin is a furry skin fold that he pulls up to cover the lower half of the face like a mask during courtship.

New Research

These Bats Mask Up to Woo Mates

Male wrinkle-faced bats use a furry neck flap to cover their faces while serenading the opposite sex in never-before-seen behavior

Monarch butterfly caterpillars will headbutt each other when food is scarce, according to new research.

New Research

Monarch Caterpillars Butt Heads Over Milkweed

A new study finds the colorful butterfly larvae will aggressively lunge at each other in pursuit of an extra mouthful of food

A new report finds platypus numbers are declining in Australia, prompting the authors of the report to call for the species to be listed as endangered.

New Research

Platypuses Lost 22% of Their Habitat Over Last 30 Years

The startling finding comes in a report that documents the iconic Australian animal’s decline and recommends increased legal protections

Echidnas have a four-headed penis, though only two heads are put to use at a time.

Nine of the Weirdest Penises in the Animal Kingdom

A short list of some of nature’s most curious phalluses, from the echidna’s four-headed unit to the dolphin’s prehensile member

A view inside the Asian giant hornet nest that Washington State entomologists destroyed last month.

Asian Giant Hornet Nest May Have Contained 200 Queens

Officials say they’ve counted roughly 500 hornets in various stages of development after examining a nest they found and destroyed last month

Two banded mongoose groups face off.

New Research

Warmongering Female Mongooses Lead Their Groups Into Battle to Mate With the Enemy

New research finds females of this species engineer conflicts with rival groups to gain sexual access to males outside their group and combat inbreeding

A round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) in a plastic pipe in the lab.

New Research

Some Fish Fins Are as Sensitive as a Primate’s Fingertips

Experiments reveal fish fins aren’t just for getting around. They could have implications for underwater robotics

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