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Wildlife

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

The well-preserved cubs—which turned out to be sisters—were discovered in 2011 and 2015 in northern Siberia.

14,000-Year-Old ‘Puppies’ Found in Siberia Were Wolf Littermates Who Dined on Woolly Rhino

Researchers studied chemicals found in the animals’ bones, teeth and tissues, as well as genetic material from their stomach contents

During mating season in fall, this male hellbender wanders along the bottom of a stream in North Carolina in search of a den site. Hellbenders rely on pristine streams and well-oxygenated flowing water. As they have declined across much of their range, sights like this have become uncommon.

Why Has This North Carolina Town Embraced a Strange Salamander?

The city of Boone has put a giant mural of the eastern hellbender downtown and its residents often imbibe a local Hazy IPA named after the amphibian

The mosquitoes are dropped from drones inside small, cylindrical, biodegradable containers.

Scientists Are Using Drones to Unleash Thousands of Mosquitoes in Hawaii in a Bid to Save Native Birds. Here’s How It Works

The lab-raised, non-biting male mosquitoes are meant to breed with the invasive ones on the islands and produce sterile eggs that will help suppress avian malaria

In December 2024, a trail camera installed on private property in Oklahoma's Cimarron County photographed an adult mountain lion with three kittens.

Rare Mountain Lion Kittens Spotted on Trail Cameras Suggest the Big Cats May Be Re-establishing a Population in Oklahoma

Two separate adult mountain lions were recorded with cubs in different parts of the state last year, offering the first evidence confirmed by state biologists that the cats could be breeding there

Axolotls are helping scientists understand the key to limb regeneration.

Axolotls May Hold the Key to Regrowing Limbs, and Scientists Are Unraveling Their Secrets to Help Humans Do the Same

With the help of gene-edited axolotls, researchers have gotten one step closer to enabling human limb regeneration

A flamingo peeks from behind its feathers at the North Carolina Zoo.

Engineers Are Racing to Harness the Dazzling Magic of Feathers. They Haven’t Solved the Mystery Just Yet

The natural marvels, which do everything from enabling acrobatic flight to insulating against Antarctic cold, continue to inspire new designs and technologies

Hikers spotted the creature at the 10,882-acre Joseph D. Grant County Park last week.

A Large, Invasive Lizard Was Spotted in a California Park

Hikers at Joseph D. Grant County Park, just outside of San Jose, saw an Argentine black and white tegu last week—and rangers are now searching for the out-of-place reptile

Perched on the southern edge of the picturesque Monterey Bay, Pacific Grove, California, is home to the Monarch Grove Sanctuary, one of the largest overwintering sites of monarch butterflies in the region.

The 15 Best Small Towns to Visit in 2025

From a barbecue capital in Texas to the site of the first offensive victory for American forces in the Revolutionary War in New York, these spots are worthy of a visit this year

A dehorned rhino walks alongside a calf. 

Dehorning Rhinos Curbs Poaching, New Study Finds

Researchers in South Africa find that cutting the animals’ horns reduces poaching by almost 80 percent

Many sea horse traders operate on the black market.

Sea Horse Smuggling Is a Big Problem, Despite Global Efforts to Protect These Beloved Aquatic Creatures

Between 2010 and 2021, authorities seized around five million individual sea horses worth more than $21 million

An estimated 4,000 Leadbeater's possums live in Victoria, split between highland and lowland populations.

A Tiny Endangered Creature That ‘Moves Like Greased Lightning’ Has Been Found in an Unexpected Place

Trail cameras captured an elusive Leadbeater’s possum in the Australian state of New South Wales, where they were thought to be locally extinct

Cockatoos in the western suburbs of Sydney, Australia, will wait in line for a taste of drinking fountain water.

These Australian Cockatoos Learned to Operate Drinking Fountains With Their Feet to Quench Their Thirst

Birds in Sydney’s western suburbs have figured out how to get a sip from the fountains, even though they have access to nearby streams

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

Crossing roads is a dangerous part of the migratory journey for many amphibians. In Monkton, Vermont, two tunnels beneath a street are helping frogs, salamanders and other creatures reach their destinations safely, according to a new study.

Two Wildlife Tunnels Are Saving Thousands of Amphibians From Being Crushed by Cars in Vermont

New research finds a pair of underpasses installed under a road that crosses a migration corridor have led to an 80.2 percent reduction in amphibian deaths

Two male polar bears square off for battles over territory and, ultimately, mating rights.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

Explore the Spectacular Landscapes and Awesome Animals of Western Canada

Enjoy some northern exposure with these 15 images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest

A baby Atlantic sturgeon caught from Virginia’s James River is measured by Matt Balazik, a research ecologist with Virginia Commonwealth University.

Once in Dire Straits, Atlantic Sturgeon Are Staging a Comeback on the East Coast

From Maine to Florida, the endangered, prehistoric fish is rebounding, but a recent study shows just how vulnerable the U.S. population remains

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

Anna's hummingbirds seem to be thriving amid urbanization in California, even as other hummingbird species have declined due to human activity.

California’s Hummingbirds Have Changed Their Beaks in Response to Backyard Feeders, Study Finds

With plenty of artificial nectar available, Anna’s hummingbirds have expanded their range northward and their beaks have tended to become longer and larger

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