Animals

Horses race in the 2015 Belmont Stakes. Researchers have found that horse race speed has increased since 1850.

Racehorse Speed Hasn’t Peaked Yet

But how will horses fare in the race to get faster?

A reconstruction of "grandfather turtle."

This Ancient Creature Shows How the Turtle Got Its Shell

The 240-million-year-old "grandfather turtle" may be part of the evolutionary bridge between lizards and shelled reptiles

As the price of their wool rises, vicuñas, like the one picture here near the ALMA telescope in Chile, faces threats from poaching gangs.

Poachers Are Killing Andean Camels for Their Wool

To meet a growing demand for vicuña wool in Europe and Asia, gangs are massacring herds of the animals in South America

Poop or a caterpillar? The giant swallowtail caterpillar is one of a few species that elude birds by pretending to be their poop.

Here Are The Animals That Are the Best at Pretending to Be Poop

Moth caterpillars change their posture to look like bird dung, and they’re not alone

A chimpanzee family in Uganda in 2010.

What Does it Really Mean to Be 99 Percent Chimp?

This video breaks down our statistical similarity to chimpanzees

Allis Markham puts the finishing touches to her entries at the World Taxidermy & Fish Carving Championships in Springfield, Missouri, on May 6.

Why Taxidermy Is Being Revived for the 21st Century

A new generation of young practitioners is leading a resurgence in this centuries-old craft

Maker’s Week at the Zoo is Business as Usual

When the right product doesn't exist for a fish ultrasound or other procedure, scientists build it themselves

A customs officer in Thailand examines specimens from a three ton ivory seizure, estimated to be worth $6 million.

DNA and Databases Help Untangle the Web of the Illegal Wildlife Trade

Two new data-driven approaches help identify key hotspots for poaching and trafficking

A wildlife camera captured this image of an adult Louisiana black bear foraging in a forest clearing.

Louisiana's Bears Are Making a Comeback

The state thinks the bears are doing well enough to merit removal from protected status. Others disagree

Kangaroos Are Lefties, and That Can Teach Us About Human Handedness

The discovery strengthens the case that upright posture drove the evolution of dominant hands in humans

Flamingos at the the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo in Israel, possibly contemplating their escape

Forget Llamas and Lions, Flamingos Are the Best Escape Artists

The pink birds are tougher than they look

U.S. Grants Captive Chimpanzees Endangered Species Status, Prohibiting Most Research on Them

Captive chimps now have the same protections as wild ones

Polar Bears are Eating Dolphins, Probably Thanks to Climate Change

A warmer winter lured a pod of white-beaked dolphins north but then ice trapped them, sealing their fate as a polar bear's meal

A wolf enters the Colosseum via the lift in the hypogeum.

A New Recreation Shows How Ancient Romans Lifted Wild Animals Into the Colosseum

An elaborate system of elevators and trap doors lifted ferocious beasts onto the Colosseum floor

Lions and Tigers are on the Loose After Floods in Tibilisi, Georgia

Wild animals escaped a Tibilisi, Georgia zoo when their enclosures were destroyed

The founders of NecropSynth use SketchUp Pro to design the external shell of a 3D printed model of a rat.

How a Cheap Plastic Rat Could Change Biology Class

With a couple of 3D printers, a husband and wife team is building accurate replicas of rats that could one day eliminate the need for dissection specimens

Ask Smithsonian: What Makes Skunk Spray Smell So Terrible?

When the omnivorous cat-size mammals take aim, the malodorous spray can hit with pin-point accuracy up to 20 feet away

West African Chimps Regularly Drink Alcoholic Palm Sap

Observations over 17 years show this isn’t just an experiment for the apes

Six Ways to See Bioluminescence in the World's Oceans

From shimmering squid in Japan to illuminated clams in France, here are some of the top spots for basking in nature's glow

An Oregon Town Tried (and Failed) to Scare Off Sea Lions With a Fake Orca

“Fake Willy" nearly drowned on its mission to drive sea lions out of Astoria, Oregon

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