Animals

A Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris ssp. sumatrae) at the National Zoo in Washington, DC.

This Song (And This Tiger) Will Go Extinct Unless We Save It

Smithsonian magazine editor Michael Caruso is among the 400 influencers asked to protect and save the "Endangered Song"

"Fellow hermit crab? I'll eat you up!"

Cannibalistic Hermit Crabs Salivate at the Smell of Their Dead

Instead of responding to the smell of a relative’s death as the sign that a predator could be about, hermit crabs interpret this cue as fresh dinner

When Museum Specimen Get Infested With Bugs, Curators Have to Freeze Them

Freezing and heating can oftentimes keep invertebrate enemies at bay

Scientists Confirm That Cats a) Are Pretty Smart, b) Don't Really Care What You Want

Cats' impressive individuality makes it hard to study their smarts

Greater Rhea trio

The U.K. Is Weirdly Obsessed With Rhea Birds—Which Keep Escaping Their Owners

A rhea went on the lam in the U.K.—and is far from the first giant, flightless bird to do so

Mom's ample body serves as this baby's bed for now, but soon she'll grow up to build sleeping nests of her own.

Chimpanzees Are Extremely Picky About Where They Sleep

The primates painstakingly rebuild their nest from scratch every night—a pre-bed ritual reminiscent of the "Princess and the Pea"

A wolfdog.

Dogs That Should Be Guarding Sheep Are Mating With Wolves Instead

Intimate encounters between dogs and wolves are relatively common in Georgia's Caucasus Mountains

You're next.

This Poor Chicken Got Eaten by a Cow

Herbivores don't always stick to their diet

Ice-Age Bees Uncovered at the La Brea Tar Pits

The samples were actually excavated back in 1970, but were set aside because there wasn't a way to analyze them at the time

Researchers say they've developed a system that allows them to use dolphins' own language to communicate with the animals.

Checking the Claim: A Device That Translates Dolphin Sounds Into English

Researchers used new technology to interpret a dolphin noise they say translates loosely to "seaweed"

Sea Otters Can Get the Human Flu

Scientists have no idea how the otters contracted the H1N1 virus, however

Horses Can Do Yoga

"The method is to tame the horse according to its nature , avoiding cause fear and pain, and by earning their trust and loyalty"

Thanks to New Shipping Guidelines, the Ocean Might Finally Become a Quieter Place

Noise from the shipping industry can stress and harm marine animals

This Winter Was Hard on Animals, Too

As tough as it was on humans, it may have been even harder on the animals who don’t get to curl up in front of the fire

Could it be true vole love, or just a casual encounter? Depends on whether booze is involved.

Drunken Prairie Voles Help Explain Alcohol’s Demons

Why do some people become more prone to attachment and sentimentality when drunk, while others tend to stray?

None

This Rare Footage Shows Two Live 15-Foot-Long Oarfish Swimming in the Ocean

Two very shy oarfish were seen swimming near the shoreline in Mexico

Dingoes Aren’t Just Wild Dogs

Rather than being the descendants of feral mutts, dingoes are actually in their own unique taxonomical corner

How the Zebra Got Its Stripes, According to Science

Rather than acting as camouflage or social signals, zebra stripes seem to deter biting flies

"Make eggs, make eggs!"

A Loving Touch Triggers Cockroaches to Make Babies Faster

Female cockroaches make eggs more quickly if they cuddle with other roaches, but artificial antennae delivering gentle touches can also speed egg growth

A Virus—Possibly Spread by Pig Feed—Has Killed Millions of Piglets

The virus poses no threat to humans, but is deadly to piglets

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