Animals

Emperor penguins standing on sea ice at the Brunt ice shelf in Antarctica.

Satellites Spy Poop-Stained Ice, Revealing New Emperor Penguin Colonies

Researchers found eight new colonies, but all were small and located in parts of Antarctica predicted to be ravaged by climate change

A hypothetical escape route for Regimbartia attenuata

When This Beetle Gets Eaten by a Frog, It Heads for the 'Back Door'

New research details how this Japanese water beetle travels through the bowels of its predator to emerge out the other end, alive and unharmed

North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis) at Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida.

River Otters Take 'Party Pooping' to a New Level

Latrines keep otters up to date on who is around, how they are feeling, and who’s ready to have babies

Newly discovered fossils indicate the Asio ecuadoriensis owl hunted and ate various smaller species of owl.

This Giant Prehistoric Owl Was an Actual Cannibal

Fossils found in the Ecuadorian Andes suggest the creature was a formidable predator

Two sociable weaver birds being recognized by a new artificial intelligence-powered software.

This A.I. Can Recognize Individual Birds of the Same Species

Humans can’t reliably tell birds of the same species apart, limiting our ability to study their behavior, but the new A.I. is 90 percent accurate

The comparatively massive female anglerfish (Melanocetus johnsonii) with her tiny mate permanently fused to her belly.

Anglerfish Drop Their Immune Defenses to Find Love

Male anglerfish are major clingers. To avoid mistaking mates as foreign tissue, the deep sea couples lost part of their immune system in evolution

Side-by-side renderings of the marsupial saber-tooth Thylacosmilus atrox (left) and the saber-tooth cat Smilodon fatalis (right).

This Marsupial Sabertooth Was No Killer Cat

Long fangs caused many to assume Thylacosmilus was a slashing predator, but new research suggests it was a scavenger with a preference for leftovers

This "grain mummy" honors the Egyptian god Osiris.

CT Scans Reveal Miniature Mummies' Surprising Contents

One appears to hold the skeleton of a bird, while the other contains a tightly packed lump of grain and mud

On the shores of Pechevalavato Lake in Russia's Yamalo-Nenets region, people dig for more pieces of a mammoth skeleton first found by reindeer herders.

Woolly Mammoth Skeleton With Intact Ligaments Found in Siberian Lake

Part of the extinct animal's foot was recovered from the water with well-preserved, millennia-old soft tissue

Release the Kraken!

The Legend, the History and the Science Behind Seattle's New Hockey Team Name

NHL fans, meet the Seattle Kraken—named for a mythical beast that may have been inspired by the very real giant squid

All grizzly bears in the United States are considered "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act and cannot be hunted, a federal appeals court ruled this month.

Protections for Grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone Area Upheld in Court

For over a decade, the protected status of grizzly bears under the Endangered Species Act has been under fire

The top fish is a Russian sturgeon and the bottom is an American paddlefish. In between, two varieties of hybrid 'sturddlefish' created by accident.

Scientists Accidentally Bred a School of 'Sturddlefish'

Researchers mixed paddlefish sperm with sturgeon eggs because the fish seemed too dissimilar to form a hybrid

Like statues, animals named after controversial historic figures are sparking a conversation about "relics of systemic oppression" in science.

A Bird Named for a Confederate General Sparks Calls for Change

McCown’s longspur has launched a renewed reckoning over the troubling histories reflected in taxonomy

Researchers unearthed this bison-bone hoe in Manitoba, Canada.

Centuries-Old Gardening Hoes Made of Bison Bone Found in Canada

The tools provide evidence that the region's Indigenous population practiced agriculture pre-European contact

In planning to re-open, Zoo staff have spent several weeks consulting scientific experts and preparing rigorous healthcare guidelines.

The National Zoo Will Reopen to the Public on July 24

Two bison, an Andean bear and a baby wallaby are among the new animals ready to welcome visitors back

At 33 pounds, Andean condors are the heaviest soaring birds on Earth, but a new study finds they can stay airborne for up to five hours at a time without flapping at all.

The Andean Condor Can Soar 100 Miles Without Flapping

The impressively efficient flight was recorded during a new study of the giant scavenger’s aerial prowess

Black-tailed prairie dogs are prolific diggers and construct complex burrow systems.

Why Prairie Dogs Are Ecological Heroes

Although many people view prairie dogs as pests, ecologists absolutely dig them

Llamas, alpacas and other camelids produce a special kind of antibody called nanobodies, which may be used to treat and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Llama Cells Could Help Scientists Create a COVID-19 Treatment

Scientists are re-engineering llama antibodies to neutralize the virus

This beluga whale was spotted off the coast of San Diego, California in late June. The sighting was the farthest south the normally polar species has ever been seen.

In a Rare Sighting, Wayward Beluga Spotted Off San Diego

The whale was seen thousands of miles south of its usual habitat, the farthest south the species has ever been seen

A North Atlantic right whale off the coast of Cape Cod in 2015

North Atlantic Right Whales Now Listed as 'Critically Endangered'

Just about 400 of the whales survive in the wild, and they continue to die at an alarming rate

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