Animals

Illustration of Smilodon fatalis cubs playing together.

The Softer Side of Sabercats

The iconic fanged predators may have raised their young for years—dragging baby mastodon bones home for them and slowly teaching them how to hunt

A wild giant otter photographed in the Bermejo River in Argentina's El Impenetrable National Park. This is the first time the species has been seen in Argentina in more than 30 years.

Giant River Otter Spotted in Argentina for First Time in Decades

The first wild sighting of the species in Argentina since the 1980s, this surprise offers hope to conservationists looking to bring the otters back

Aussie Ark and other conservation groups collaborated to release 26 Tasmanian devils into a nature preserve north of Sydney. Their goal is to bring this species back to mainland Australia 3,000 years after they went locally extinct.

Tasmanian Devils Born on Mainland Australia Offer Hope for a Species at Risk of Extinction

Seven infant devils born inside an enclosed nature preserve represent a conservation milestone

Iztuzu Beach in Turkey was closed during part of the pandemic. Around the world, lockdowns to combat Covid-19 forced people to stay home and halt activities—with mixed results for ecosystems and the living things within them.

The Positive and Negative Impacts of Covid on Nature

The absence of humans in some places led animals to increase, while the cancellation of conservation work in other places harmed species

Each year, nearly 20,000 Wisconsin residents collide with deer each year, which leads to about 477 injuries and eight deaths annually.

By Creating a 'Landscape of Fear,' Wolves Reduce Car Collisions With Deer

A new study in Wisconsin suggests the predators keep prey away from roads, reducing crashes by 24 percent

Ravenmaster Chris Skaife holds Branwen, the newest bird to join the Tower of London's roost.

Tower of London Reveals Newest Raven's Mythical Name

The public voted to call the bird Branwen in honor of a Celtic goddess

Giraffes are just as astonishing on the inside as they are to look at. Standing up to 19 feet tall, they require enormously high blood pressure to pump blood up to the head, yet they suffer few, if any, of the consequences that people with high blood pressure would.

The Cardiovascular Secrets of Giraffes

Because of their height, giraffes require scarily high blood pressures—yet they escape the massive health problems that plague humans with hypertension

NASA's Ingenuity helicopter arrived on Mars on February 18, 2021.

Why Did NASA Test a Helicopter on Mars?

You've got question. We've got experts

The researchers identified 65 species that make noise when they play by looking at existing studies. They estimate there certainly could be more chuckling critters out there.

Dogs Do It, Birds Do It, and Dolphins Do It, Too. Here Are 65 Animals That Laugh, According to Science

Researchers suggest that laughter in the animal kingdom may help creatures let each other know when it's playtime, so that play fights don't escalate

Researchers study burial sites like the Falcon Necropolis at Quesna to learn more about ancient Egyptian culture and biodiversity. The site is protected by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

Mummified Shrew Discovery Unearths Ancient Egypt's Wetter Climate

The mummified Güldenstaedt's White-toothed shrew adds to scientists’ understanding of climate in the region more than 2000 years ago

Bats, whales, naked mole rats, elephants, albatrosses, certain dog breeds and a few other animals live unexpectedly long lives. Can scientists discover their secrets?

Why Scientists Are Studying the Genetic Tricks of the Longest-Lived Animals

Researchers are investigating how some species live unexpectedly long lives in order to pinpoint factors affecting human longevity.

The Irish elk, or Megaloceros giganteus, ranged across northern Eurasia from Siberia to Ireland and shed its giant antlers every year. It is on display in the David H. Koch Hall of Fossils—Deep Time at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.

Biggest. Antlers. Ever. Meet the Irish Elk

On view at the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum, this specimen of the extinct species unlocks an evolutionary mystery

Stress-relief programs that integrate therapy pets can help students relax as they talk and think about their stressors without overwhelming themselves and may be more effective at providing relief than academic approaches to stress management.

For Stressed-Out College Students, Petting Therapy Dogs Has Long-Lasting Benefits

Compared to other experimental groups, undergrads who interacted with pups experienced improved executive functioning skills

Freckles the lobster was kept in a fishtank with other lobsters at the restaurant until the Virginia Living Museum employees rescued him.

Virginia Museum Rescues 'Freckles' the Calico Lobster From the Dinner Menu

Most lobsters are brown, but about one in 30 million of the crustaceans are calico-colored

Just one section of a marine worm with a strange, branching body. This species usually lives inside the many-chambered body of a sea sponge

This Marine Worm Sprouts Hundreds of Butts—Each With Its Own Eyes and Brain

When it’s time to reproduce, each of the worm’s many rear ends will swim off to get fertilized

One of the cats from the experiment sits in a Kanisza square, which is four Pac-Man-like circles positioned to create four corners of a square.

Why Cats Love to Sit in Boxes—Even Fake Ones, According to Science

Scientists tested what the Internet has long known to be true: Our feline friends have an "if I fits, I sits" approach to picking the coziest spot

Supporters of the law argue wolves are a threat to livestock. However, only 102 sheep and cattle were killed by wolves last year. Idaho loses about 40,000 cattle to non-predator factors each year.

New Idaho Law Allows Killing of 90 Percent of State's Wolves

The law allows almost unrestricted hunting methods, including the use of night-vision goggles and shooting from helicopters

A young green sea turtle with a solar-powered satellite tag that was used to track it to the Sargasso Sea.

Baby Sea Turtles Spend 'Lost Years' in Sargasso Sea

Researchers used tracking tags to solve the mystery of where young green sea turtles go after they hatch on the beach

Recent research unearthed a trove of remains at a site that first yielded a Neanderthal skull in 1939.

Remains of Nine Neanderthals Butchered by Hyenas Found in Italian Cave

The fossilized bones appear to belong to one woman, seven men and a young boy

A California condor photographed in Tehachapi, California where this past week a group of the endangered raptors descended on a woman's back porch.

Group of Critically Endangered California Condors Trash Woman's Deck

The group included 15 to 20 of the massive birds, which amounts to nearly 10 percent of the remaining wild population

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