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Wildlife

A research team measured ammonia concentrations from a colony of 60,000 Adélie penguins.

Penguin Poop Helps Drive Cloud Formation Over Antarctica, According to a New Study

The ammonia from Adélie penguin guano reacts with sulfur-containing gases in the atmosphere to aid in forming clouds, which scientists say may be significant to regulating the climate

Cooper's hawks are skilled hunters that feast on small and medium-sized birds.

A Young Cooper’s Hawk Learned to Use a Crosswalk Signal to Launch Surprise Attacks on Other Birds

Researcher Vladimir Dinets watched the bird repeatedly sneak behind a row of cars to ambush its unsuspecting prey

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

Clownfish seem to become shorter during heat waves, according to the new study.

Clownfish Shrink Down Their Bodies to Survive Ocean Heat Waves, New Study Suggests

The adaptation appears to help the fish cope with high temperatures, since individuals and breeding pairs that shrank improved their survival odds

Trail cameras recorded nocturnal subalpine woolly rats roaming around in search of plants to eat.

See the First Photos and Videos of the Rare Subalpine Woolly Rat, a Massive but Elusive Rodent in New Guinea’s Mountains

Working with local Indigenous people, biologist František Vejmělka spent six months surveying the creatures that live on Mount Wilhelm in Papua New Guinea

The newly described octopus, Opisthoteuthis carnarvonensis, has red tentacles.

A New, Shape-Shifting ‘Flapjack’ Octopus Has Been Discovered in the Deep Sea Off the Coast of Australia

The tiny Carnarvon flapjack octopus is the latest of ten species described by Australian scientists after a 2022 research trip

After starring in numerous movies and television shows, Morris retired in 2006 and lived out his final days at the Colorado Gator Farm.

Morris, the Movie Star Alligator Who Appeared in ‘Happy Gilmore,’ Dies of Old Age

Based on his growth rate and tooth loss, the 640-pound gator was estimated to be at least 80. He starred in movies and TV shows between 1975 and 2006

The healthy adult female was covered in curvy circles, similar to leopard spots.

This Eye-Catching Rattlesnake Found in Arizona Has Unusual ‘Leopard Spots,’ Likely From a Genetic Mutation

Snake wranglers safely relocated the healthy, female western diamondback from a backyard in Scottsdale, but they say the find is a first in their experience

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

A new study reveals how Chilean flamingos are so adept at finding food.

Feeding Flamingos Create Underwater Tornado-Like Vortices to Capture Their Prey, Study Finds

Rather than passively filter-feeding, the birds use their heads, beaks and feet to generate motion in the water that funnels invertebrates into their mouths

A new study finds chimpanzees drum against tree roots with rhythm, suggesting they share an evolutionary trait with humans passed down by a last common ancestor.

Researchers Discover That Chimps Drum Rhythmically, Suggesting Human Musicality Originated in Our Last Common Ancestor

Not only do chimpanzees maintain a rhythm while drumming on tree roots, but two subspecies use distinct tempos and techniques, according to a new study

Most babesiosis infections are caused by blacklegged ticks, also known as deer ticks.

A Potentially Life-Threatening Disease Caused by Ticks Is Expanding to New Parts of America

Babesiosis typically occurs in the Northeast and the Upper Midwest, but new research suggests rare cases are emerging in the mid-Atlantic region including Delaware, Maryland and Virginia

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

Sea cucumbers come in a multitude of colors.

Welcome to the Weird and Wondrous World of Sea Cucumbers

These spiny or slimy ocean creatures display an astonishing diversity of appearances, behaviors and lifestyles—and many are increasingly threatened

A Brood XIV cicada in 2008, the last time this group of the insects emerged

Watch for Cicadas: Billions From Brood XIV Will Soon Emerge After 17 Years Underground

The insects from this group were last seen in 2008 and will appear across the eastern U.S. for a brief, dramatic frenzy of mating and dying

The papier-mâché decoys have been placed in a 100-acre field south of the Jackson Hole Airport runway in a bid to attract greater sage-grouse.

Rooted in the American West: Food, History and Culture

Threatened Birds Are Trying to Mate Near a Hazardous Airport in Wyoming. Can Papier-Mâché Decoys Lure Them to Safety?

At Grand Teton National Park, officials have placed handmade look-alikes in a field south of the runway to encourage greater sage-grouse to relocate

A Haast’s eagle attacks a moa pair.

Why Have Birds Never Gotten as Big as T. Rex?

Even the most massive birds have never reached the sizes of their dinosaur relatives

This June, North Carolina's Jockey's Ridge is celebrating 50 years as a state park.

How an Indomitable Environmental Activist Saved the Outer Banks From Impending Development

Fifty years ago, Carolista Baum passionately fought to create Jockey’s Ridge State Park, an unusually biodiverse ecosystem of dunes, thickets and marshes

A researcher swabs a frog. 

Scientists in Australia Mapped the Genome of an Endangered Frog Species in an Effort to Save It

A deadly fungus threatens the southern corroboree frog, which needs a lot of help to survive

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