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Weird Animals

Meet the Ozark hellbender, an elusive creature that has become only more so as of late.

Future of Conservation

What the Heck Is a Hellbender—And How Can We Make More of Them?

Why the Saint Louis Zoo decided to invest in this slimy, surprisingly adorable amphibian

Typhlonus nasus, the Faceless Cusk

Cool Finds

“Faceless” Fish Found off the Coast of Australia

The rare creature was dredged up from some 13,000 feet below the surface

Hyalinobatrachium yaku

New Research

This Glass Frog’s Heart Is Visible Through Its Skin

The new species of frog has a transparent underside, offering a glimpse of its beating heart inside

This celestial chart from 1687 is one of many illustrations from books, charts, and maps showing artists’ imaginings of polar bears.

How Polar Bears Became the Dragons of the North

Renaissance maps depicting the “white bears” say more about our own fears and fantasies than about the predators themselves

Jeremy the snail, with the baby of his unrequited lovers.

A Lonely Snail With an Unusual Shell Strikes Out in Love

Researchers brought Jeremy two potential partners who went on to mate with each other

Behold T. Rex the ant

New Research

T. Rex Ants Found Alive for the First Time

It is not nearly as formidable as its namesake

Cool Finds

New Drone Footage Shows One Way Narwhals Use Their Tusks

The narwhals were observed using their signature appendages to hit and stun prey

An illustration of the spiky new dinosaur Zuul.

New Research

Introducing ‘Zuul,’ an Ankylosaur That Could Really Make Your Ankles Sore

A finely preserved fossil sheds new light on the curious tail of armored dinos

The deer holds the bones in its mouth "like a cigar," the researchers write in their paper.

New Research

Deer Caught Gnawing on Human Bones

For the first time, researchers spotted a white-tailed deer chewing on a rib bone at a body farm

New Research

How Glaciers Gave Us the Adorable, Handstanding Spotted Skunk

DNA tests suggest ancient changes in climate shaped the creatures’ evolution

Stay back! A beached Portuguese man o’war

New Research

Urine Luck: Vinegar Is the Best Treatment for a Man O’ War Sting

A new study suggests urine, sea water and lemon juice all do more harm than good on painful stings

The female cuttlefish and her two angry suitors

New Research

Watch Two Cuttlefish Fiercely Battle Over a Mate

This is the first time researchers caught the creatures locked in a vicious fight in the wild

Sirocco, currently MIA, has helped millions connect with the island’s endangered wildlife.

Future of Conservation

Seduced By a Rare Parrot

What can conservationists learn from New Zealand’s official “spokesbird,” a YouTube celebrity who tries to mate with people’s heads?

An artist's rendering of the new species Teleocrater rhadinus hunting a cynodont, a close relative of mammals.

New Research

Before There Were Dinosaurs, There Was This Weird Crocodile-Looking Thing

A new analysis of an ancient enigma offers clues as to how dino evolution unfolded

From Jellyfish to Crocodiles: Where to See Unusual Migrations

Butterflies and wildebeests aren’t the only species you can find migrating en masse

New Research

Web-Slinging Snails Discovered on Sunken Ship

Scientists worry that their presence spells trouble for threatened coral reefs

In times of desperation, female sawtooth sharks have been known to reproduce sans males. For other species, solo reproduction is downright vanilla.

New Research

Meet Eight Species That Are Bending the Rules of Reproduction

Spice up your mating life with relationship tips from rock lizards, sharks and water fleas

Nearly blind, Typhlomys cinereus thrives in the high forests of southeastern China and Vietnam—with a little help from another sense.

New Research

This Echolocating Dormouse Could Reveal the Origins of One of Nature’s Coolest Superpowers

Mice, moths and even humans use clicks and echoes to “see” the world around them

The notorious RPB: the rusty patched bumble bee.

Future of Conservation

The Bee That Breaks Your Heart

Insects are hard-pressed to get protection as endangered species. Can one fuzzy anomaly beat the odds?

The heroes of the movie Kong: Skull Island prepare to encounter the 104-foot-tall ape King Kong.

Science in the Movies

How Big Can a Land Animal Get?

King Kong’s biggest enemy isn’t humans—it’s the laws of physics

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