Even by primate standards, cotton-top tamarins have highly complex communication abilities. Adults produce 40 distinct sounds–each with their own meaning. They even have one for humans! And while tasks are shared, including raising a family, it’s the alpha female that makes all the big decisions.

These Monkeys Have Complex Communication Skills (2:18)

The great diving beetle is a fast underwater swimmer and a voracious hunter. It can stay submerged for periods of up to 30 minutes a time—thanks to a makeshift oxygen tank in its wing case.

The Great Diving Beetle Is an Impressive Underwater Hunter (2:19)

A male Arctic Fox is searching for his mate amid the snow-cloaked landscape. Arctic foxes separate and unite every year–but their bonds are lifelong.

Arctic Fox Couple Reunites in the Freezing Cold (2:26)

It takes a special breed of animal to handle the Michigan winter—and the river otter is better prepared than most. But preparation is half the battle, and it starts with a roll in the snow to keep its fur coat insulated. The waters in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan freeze over fast in winter–and river otters need to work just as fast to keep holes open in the ice. If they close, the otters lose access to fish.

This River Otter Is Bracing for a Harsh Michigan Winter (3:10)

A pair of leopard cubs chase, pounce and play among the craggy rocks. Their mother is away searching for food, and it’s a great opportunity for them to hone their own hunting skills.

A Pair of Leopard Cubs Take Advantage of Mom's Absence (3:04)

For the female lesser long-nosed bats in the Pinacate Desert, food is scarce. One possible source of nutrients: pollen from the saguaro cactus, whose milk-white petals open up only one night a year.

This Cactus Opens Its Petals Only One Night a Year (2:32)

Sled dogs, such as the Canadian Inuit, are capable of traveling long distances in some of the iciest regions of the planet. It’s a trait that they inherited from their wolf ancestors.

Canadian Inuits Get Their Wilderness Chops From Wolves (3:08)

With a dense coat, a powerful mass of muscle and a large head ideally suited for clearing away snow and locating buried grass, bison are built for frigid conditions in Yellowstone. If it wasn’t for a hidden herd in the deepest reaches of this National Park, bison would have been wiped out in the late 1800s. Today, thousands of them thrive.

Yellowstone Bison Are Built for Winter Survival (3:55)

In just a few months in 2018, the landscape of Mars seemed to disappear, as a thick, red cloud enveloped the planet. It was one of Mars’ signature sand storms–obscuring the entire surface.

How a Powerful Dust Storm Made Mars 'Disappear' In 2018 (2:06)

Mariner 9 showed that the surface of Mars closely resembled that of the moon. But the shape of the craters and canyons found there suggest that at one point, its surface was overrun by flowing water.

How Ancient Water May Have Shaped the Surface of Mars (5:07)

The sinking of the Titanic and the ensuing loss of life was horrific enough to prompt major action. In 1914, 16 nations formed an international patrol to scour the oceans for icebergs.

The Sunken Titanic Led to Iceberg Patrols in the Atlantic (2:34)

A male golden dart frog uses his unique singing ability to attract a mate. It’s hard to believe that such a melodic sound can come from one of the most toxic creatures in the world. But he has to earn the right to sing—by defeating all the rival males in his territory.

The Most Toxic Frog Has a Beautiful Singing Voice (2:49)

In 2014, Alan Eustace accomplished the highest altitude free fall jump ever recorded, from nearly 26 miles above earth. To accomplish this safely, he wore a revolutionary new liquid cooling suit attached to a balloon, to lift him into the stratosphere.

How Alan Eustace Performed the World's Highest Free Fall Jump (3:52)

At the end of the Cretaceous period, only one mega-predatory dinosaur ruled North America: Tyrannosaurus rex. The Borealopelta was alive around the mid-Cretaceous era, so eyes turn to one of T. rex's ancestors to figure out why it disappeared.

The Shift in Prehistoric Apex Predators (2:58)

Humans are the dominant species on the planet—and sometimes, that puts a strain on other animals. But the way coyotes have adapted to urban living is giving scientists hope that co-existence is possible.

Chicago's Urban Coyotes Are Fascinating Scientists (2:01)

A team of vets working to capture a group of orangutans living along the banks of the Rungan River, are waylaid by the leader of the group—an aggressive male, named Kasper.

This Aggressive Male Orangutan Refuses to Be Sedated (3:46)

An outsider male macaque has issued a direct challenge to the leader of a toque macaque clan. If he wins, he'll become the new alpha and could decide to murder his ousted rival's offspring.

A Rival Male Challenges the Alpha for Macaque Supremacy (3:42)

In the late '80s, infamous drug kingpin Pablo Escobar illegally imported a group of hippos for his personal zoo. Today, these hippos are wreaking havoc and are protected by the government.

Pablo Escobar's Hippos Have Created an Ecological Crisis in Colombia (1:09)

Measuring the level of carbon dioxide in an active volcano is an accurate gauge of whether it’s about to erupt. One team of scientists are attempting to fly a drone into a crater of Chile's Villarrica to collect samples.

How Drones Gather Samples From Inside Active Volcanoes (3:54)

The greater one-horned rhino is one of the most vulnerable animals in India—today, only 3,500 remain in the wild, spread out in isolated pockets from Nepal to the Myanmar border.

This Endangered Rhino Is Bigger Than Most Cars (2:14)

Dung beetles, proportionally stronger than elephants, are able to move a ball of dung 40 times their own weight. In fact, for their size, dung beetles are among the strongest animals in the world.

Is This African Insect the Strongest in the World? (2:40)

The nursery class of the Orangutan Jungle School in Borneo are about to visit their new forest classrooms for the first time. Some need a little encouragement—which is where fruit treats come in.

Infant Orangutans Get Ready for Their First Day of School (2:18)

Hornets often build their nests inside hollow trees, putting together an intricate structure that can reach up to 20 inches in height. Despite the effort that goes into it, the colony will only live here for a single summer.

Fascinating: Hornets Build an Elaborate Nest Inside a Tree (2:08)

It’s widely accepted that dinosaurs are the ancestors of birds. What’s less well known is that early feathered dinosaurs didn’t use their primitive wings to fly—they often used them to kill.

Winged Dinosaurs Didn’t Use Their Wings Only to Fly (3:24)

Regular dust bathing removes pest and parasites and keeps the wild bird's iridescent feathers in top condition. (Credit: Carla Rhodes)

Wild Turkey Dust Bathing (1:00)

Gemini 8 was in trouble. After completing the first space docking with another craft, it begins to spin uncontrollably. Ditching protocol, commanding officer Neil Armstrong tries an unorthodox plan.

How Neil Armstrong Saved the Gemini 8 Spacecraft (3:20)

After an epic 3,000 mile journey from Canada and the northern U.S. to the Oyamel fir forests of Central Mexico, these Monarch butterflies are ready to fulfill their purpose: mating.

Mesmerizing Footage of Monarch Butterflies Mating (4:01)

Roughly 20 miles off the coast of West Africa, the island of Bioko sits alone in the Atlantic Ocean. This rainforest-dominated terrain is home to one of the rarest primates in the world: the drill.

Vivid Footage of One of the Rarest Primates in the World (3:57)

A mesmerizing 10,000-shot video captures the dramatic life cycles of several species (Owen Reiser)

Watch an Amazing Time-Lapse of Growing Mushrooms (2:15)

The space suits used by the astronauts on Gemini 7, known as grasshopper suits, were designed for comfort. But after two weeks inside them, that was the last thing on the crew’s minds.

There's a Limit to the Comfort Level of NASA Space Suits (3:32)