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Wildlife

Mary, the 54-year-old Asian elephant at the Berlin Zoo, loves using a hose to rinse off.

These Elephants Can Use Hoses to Shower—and Even ‘Sabotage’ Each Other, Study Suggests

Mary, a 54-year-old Asian elephant at the Berlin Zoo, is the “queen of showering,” but her companion Anchali seems to have figured out how to exploit that habit to play pranks

By examining the fossils of ancient creatures, scientists are able to see the origins of features that make mammals different from other animals.

How to Make a Mammal in Nine Evolutionary Steps

From the formation of inner ear bones to the rise of hair to cover our bodies, these developments made us distinct from other animals

The penguin was malnourished after swimming thousands of miles from Antarctica.

Surfer Spots an Emperor Penguin on a Beach in Australia, Thousands of Miles From Its Antarctic Home

It’s not clear how the juvenile male ended up so far north, but experts suggest he was motivated by his appetite

Vampire bats are the only mammals that feed solely on blood.

New Research

Watch Vampire Bats Run on a Tiny Treadmill to Shed Light on Their Blood-Fueled Metabolism

In a rare technique among mammals, the bats burn proteins from blood, rather than carbs or fat, to power their pursuits of prey, according to a new study

A Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander rests on a log.

Hurricane Helene Battered the ‘Salamander Capital of the World’ With Floods and Landslides. Will the Beloved Amphibians Survive the Aftermath?

The storm decimated a region rich with dozens of species already struggling with habitat loss and disease

Haggis joins Moo Deng as a popular ambassador for the pygmy hippopotamus species, which is endangered.

Trending Today

Meet Haggis, the Latest Baby Pygmy Hippo to Win Over the Internet

Born October 30 to parents Gloria and Otto at the Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland, the hippo is already gaining popularity, following in the footsteps of viral sensation Moo Deng

Moira was released into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego last month. Activities conducted under the Stranding Agreement between NMFS and SeaWorld California under the Authority of the MMPA.

After Months of Rehab, Moira the Cold-Stunned Sea Turtle Has Been Returned to the Wild

When fishermen found the endangered loggerhead sea turtle off Vancouver Island in February, she was listlessly floating in a bed of kelp

Artist Ron Louque designed the 2002 federal duck stamp with this portrait of two snow geese soaring through the air.

Art Meets Science

The ‘Super Bowl of Wildlife Art’ Is All About Ducks, and It Has Protected America’s Wetlands for 90 Years

Introduced in 1934, the federal duck stamp contest has raised more than $1.2 billion and protected at least 6.5 million acres across the nation. Now, an art exhibition at Connecticut’s Bruce Museum honors the competition’s history

The rats let their handlers know when they've found something by tugging on a ball attached to the front of their custom vests.

These Giant, Vest-Wearing Sniffer Rats Could Help Combat the Illegal Wildlife Trade, Scientists Say

Researchers trained African giant pouched rats to detect commonly smuggled items, including rhino horns and elephant tusks

At least 16,425 of the 47,282 tree species examined in a new IUCN report are at risk of extinction.

More Than One in Three Tree Species Around the Globe Are at Risk of Disappearing, New Report Finds

An assessment from the International Union for Conservation of Nature paints a grim picture of the extinction risk of the world’s trees

Grizzly 399, along with one of her cubs, in Grand Teton National Park in 2021.

The ‘World’s Most Famous Grizzly’ Was Killed by a Car. Was Her Death Preventable?

Grizzly 399 became a celebrity of Grand Teton National Park in her lifetime. Now, her death has drawn attention to wildlife-vehicle collisions and how they might be reduced

Researchers are trying to "bring back" the thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger, a species that has not been officially recorded since 1936.

A 110-Year-Old Pickled Thylacine Head Helped Build the Most Complete Ancient Genome to Date, Says ‘De-Extinction’ Company

Colossal Biosciences reports it extracted DNA and RNA from the Tasmanian tiger specimen, a key step forward in its effort to create a modern proxy of the extinct species. Other scientists are calling for data to back up the claim

Tourists watch leatherback sea turtle hatchlings crawl toward the sea under the glow of less intrusive red lights. Artificial white lighting can attract the hatchlings away from the ocean, where predators may be lurking.

From Prolonging Wallaby Pregnancies to Disorienting Hatchling Turtles, 11 Ways Artificial Lights Affect Animals

From the busy cities to ocean waters, our need to illuminate the world has had some strange and tragic consequences

Polar bears are spending more time on land as sea ice shrinks.

Polar Bears Are Exposed to More Parasites, Viruses and Bacteria as the Arctic Heats Up

Pathogens are more common in polar bears living in the Chukchi Sea now than they were three decades ago, a new study suggests—but it’s not yet clear what that means for the mammals’ health

Jonathan Shapiro, a Vermont-based wilderness instructor and certified “specialist” tracker on the East Coast, during an evaluation in the California desert.

Even as A.I. Technology Races Ahead, the Prehistoric Science of Wildlife Tracking Is Making a Comeback

Humans perfected how to identify wild animals over millennia, and now biologists are rediscovering the exceptional worth of the tracks and marks left behind

The free museum is located in Williams, Arizona, about an hour south of the Grand Canyon.

Admire the World’s Largest Collection of Fossilized Poop at the New ‘Poozeum’ in Arizona

Owner George Frandsen has some 8,000 coprolites from dinosaurs, sharks and other creatures

After female penguins lay eggs, parents take turns warming the nest during the roughly 43-day incubation period.

How Scientists’ Tender Loving Care Could Save This Endangered Penguin Species

From fish smoothies to oral antibiotics, researchers are taking matters into their own hands in a radical effort to save New Zealand’s yellow-eyed penguins

Oregon residents spotted a rare Arctic fox, which does not live in the region. Now, the animal is receiving care at a wildlife rehabilitation hospital.

Experts Don’t Know How This Mysterious White Fox Ended Up in Oregon, More Than 1,000 Miles Away From Home

Identified as an Arctic fox, the animal is believed to have been kept in captivity far from its native habitat in the tundra. Now, it’s receiving care from wildlife officials

Cats are known for their ability to squeeze into tight spaces.

Cats May Be Aware of Their Body Size, Suggests Study of Their Famously ‘Liquid’ Behavior

A scientist used at-home experiments to test whether cats hesitated when moving through increasingly shorter or narrower openings

The lions have been housed as taxidermy specimens at the Field Museum in Chicago since 1925.

Two Lions Went on a Man-Eating Spree in 1898. Now, DNA Evidence Reveals Their Diets

The notorious predators, nicknamed the “Man-Eaters of Tsavo,” terrorized railway workers in Kenya for roughly nine months

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