Elephants Aren’t People and Can’t Sue to Leave a Zoo, Colorado’s Top Court Rules
The court rejected a case to send five African elephants to a sanctuary, saying they have no legal right to demand release under habeas corpus
A Sunfish Got ‘Lonely’ When Its Aquarium Closed for Renovations. Then, Staff Found a Creative Way to Cheer It Up
The solitary fish named Mambo stopped eating and seemed to be missing its human visitors—so aquarists attached photos of human faces and uniforms to the side of its enclosure
Freshwater Animals Are More Fragile Than Thought, With Nearly a Quarter Threatened With Extinction, Study Finds
Species in Lake Victoria, Lake Titicaca, Sri Lanka’s Wet Zone and the Western Ghats of India are particularly vulnerable to the effects of agriculture, human infrastructure and climate change, per the paper
A Virginia Zoo Now Has Its Own Moo Deng—See the ‘Adorable’ Baby Pygmy Hippo Born in December
The young female made her public debut this week, and the Metro Richmond Zoo is asking fans to vote on her name—a choice between Poppy and Hammie Mae
Once Feared Extinct, 1,329 Pea-Sized Snails Have Been Released on an Atlantic Island After Captive Breeding Effort
Goats, rodents and habitat loss threatened the snails on Deserta Grande Island, so the mollusks were reintroduced on a neighboring island that’s free of invasive species
Australian Zoo Asks Residents to Capture the World’s Most Venomous Spider: the Deadly Sydney Funnel-Web
The Australian Reptile Park’s annual callout is crucial to creating life-saving antivenom
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
See New Images of Pesto, Australia’s Enormous Baby Penguin, in His ‘Awkward Phase,’ Molting His Downy Feathers
The viral king penguin chick at Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium is beginning to lose his youthful down, a process that will give him his distinctive and waterproof adult plumage
After the Death of Cassius, the World’s Largest Captive Crocodile, Scientists Are Trying to Solve the Mystery of His Age
The beloved reptile in Australia died last weekend and was thought to be up to 120 years old, though that age is only an estimate. Research on his bones might reveal a more exact number
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
A Simple Chemical Shift Explains Why Parrots Are So Colorful, Study Suggests
Unlike other birds, which get pigments from their diets, parrots produce their own—but scientists never fully understood the underlying mechanisms, until now
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
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 Smithsonian National Zoo’s New Giant Pandas Will Make Their Public Debut on January 24
A pair of 3-year-old giant pandas—a male named Bao Li and a female called Qing Bao—have officially arrived at the Zoo, where they will first acclimate to their new home
Bottlenose Dolphins ‘Smile’ at Each Other During Playtime, Study Finds
Researchers still don’t know what the open-mouth facial expression means or whether it’s akin to smiling in humans—but several animals make a similar face during play
Coyotes Might Make ‘Puppy Eyes,’ Suggesting the Facial Expression Evolved for More Than Just Cuteness
The wild canines have the same muscles used by domestic dogs to create the wide-eyed, pleading look that captures humans’ hearts
These Fish Have Legs—and They Can Use Them to Taste Prey
Sea robins have “the body of a fish, the wings of a bird and multiple legs like a crab”
‘Adorable’ Baby Hippo Moo Deng Is More Than a Viral Sensation. She Offers a Rare Glimpse of an Endangered Species
The baby pygmy hippopotamus in a Thailand zoo has taken the internet by storm, and keepers hope she will help gain momentum for conservation efforts
A Runaway Capybara Is Evading Capture and ‘Living Her Best Life’ in England
The “beloved” rodent named Cinnamon was spotted this week with help from drones. She has been wandering and eating grass after escaping her zoo enclosure last Friday
These Fish Transformed Their Dorsal Fins Into Taste Buds
From tasting to hunting to hitching a ride, some fins have evolved for a variety of uses beyond swimming
Page 2 of 12