Animals

Diploscapter pachys hasn't had sex for 18 million years, and is doing just fine

This Worm Hasn't Had Sex in 18 Million Years

By fusing its chromosomes, the creature could essentially clone itself while still maintaining genetic variation

What can humans learn from this master of disguise?

Like Octopus Skin, This New Material Goes From 2D to 3D in Seconds

Octopi are masters of disguise, able to change both the color and texture of their skin. Engineers have developed a material that can do similar tricks

Anthrax Outbreak May Have Caused Mass Die-off of Hippos in Namibia

More than 100 hippos have been found dead over the past week

A harmless toilet plunger really takes the snap out of a snapping turtle.

The Musk Turtle Beer Koozie and Other Household Items We Use for Science

When the going gets tough, creative researchers turn to plastic lizard protectors, monkey loofahs and deer vagina trackers

Older, soot-covered horned larks on the left and cleaner specimens on the right

Sooty Bird Feathers Reveal a Century of Coal Emissions History

A story of pollution hides in the grime of museums' birds specimens

Stunning Video Captures Humpback Whales Catching Fish With Nets of Bubbles

It's a complicated but ingenious way to catch a meal

Today's Galapagos tortoises mostly feature dome-shaped shells, like the one shown here. But researchers have found some that have the saddleback-shaped shells and longer necks that once characterized extinct Floreana and Pinta tortoises.

The Island Where Scientists Bring Extinct Reptiles Back to Life (Nope, Not That One)

Reviving a long-dead Galapagos tortoise will take Jurassic Park-esque tactics—but have humans already intervened too much?

The Unlikely Animal That Built Australia's Ghan Railway

In the 1860s, the Australian Outback was the scene of major railroad expansion. At the heart of it was an unusual animal helping haul people and cargo

Mad cow disease, like other prion diseases, is still not fully understood.

More Than 30 Years Since Their Discovery, Prions Still Fascinate, Terrify and Mystify Us

Figuring out what they were was just the beginning of a field of research into prions and prion diseases that's still growing

Mike deRoos and Michi Main rebuild skeletons of marine mammals for their company Cetacea. Here, deRoos adjusts a blue whale chevron bone placement.

How to Give Dead Animals a Second Life: The Art of Skeleton Articulation

Mike deRoos and Michi Main build beautiful models from the remains of Pacific sea creatures

The brown rat is among the few hundred animal genomes that have been sequenced. Only 8.7 billion more to go...

How Scientists Decide Which Animal Genomes to Sequence

There are an estimated 8.7 million species on Earth–it's unlikely scientists will ever sequence them all

Explore the Secret Lives of Animals With These Marvelous Maps

A new book considers how sophisticated tracking technology and the data it collects can improve conservation strategies

Japanese sea slugs that washed ashore in Oregon in 2015

The 2011 Tsunami Flushed Hundreds of Japanese Species Across the Ocean

After the Fukushima disaster, a surprising number of coastal creatures survived a multi-year journey by clinging to floating debris

Panda Habitat Is Severely Fragmented, Placing Pandas at Risk

Despite recent habitat improvements, roads and development are isolating panda populations

Could New York be the Gotham we prize without the Guggenheim?

What to Know About the Controversy Surrounding the Chinese Art Exhibit Coming to the Guggenheim

As questions of animal cruelty, artistic freedom swirl, three major works were pulled from "Art and China after 1989: Theater of the World"

Toad bones

Jar of Headless Toads Found in Bronze Age Tomb

Found in Jerusalem, the little hoppers could have been an afterlife snack or a symbol of rejuvenation

The elusive Vangunu giant rat lives in trees, a habitat under attack from deforestation in the Solomon Islands.

Fall in Love With This Newly Discovered Giant Island Rat

The Vangunu rat is the first rodent species to come to light on the Solomon Islands in 80 years—and it’s already endangered

"You're talking about little me?!"

Four Incredible Facts About Sea Otters

We thought you otter know these

A woolly rhinoceros painted by a prehistoric artist on the wall of Chauvet cave in France

Why Some Woolly Rhinos Grew Ribs on Their Necks

These misplaced ribs don't grow unless something unusual is going on in the gene pool

Oxpeckers hang out with large ungulates–animals with hoofs like rhinos, giraffes and water buffalo.

Those Little Birds On The Backs Of Rhinos Actually Drink Blood

You think that’s ticks they’re eating?

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