Mammals

Manatees have rebounded since the 1970s but still face myriad threats.

Archaeologists Piece Together the Origin Story of Florida's Manatees, Revealing They Were Once Tourists

A new study suggests manatees weren’t permanent residents in the Sunshine State until around the 20th century, drawn in by a warming climate and construction of power plants

By examining the fossils of ancient creatures, scientists are able to see the origins of features that make mammals different from other animals.

How to Make a Mammal in Nine Evolutionary Steps

From the formation of inner ear bones to the rise of hair to cover our bodies, these developments made us distinct from other animals

Vampire bats are the only mammals that feed solely on blood.

Watch Vampire Bats Run on a Tiny Treadmill to Shed Light on Their Blood-Fueled Metabolism

In a rare technique among mammals, the bats burn proteins from blood, rather than carbs or fat, to power their pursuits of prey, according to a new study

Cloned black-footed ferret Antonia's kits at three weeks old, on July 9, 2024.

A Cloned Ferret Has Given Birth for the First Time in History, Marking a Win for Her Endangered Species

Antonia, a cloned black-footed ferret at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, has produced two healthy offspring that will help build genetic diversity in their recovering population

Haggis joins Moo Deng as a popular ambassador for the pygmy hippopotamus species, which is endangered.

Meet Haggis, the Latest Baby Pygmy Hippo to Win Over the Internet

Born October 30 to parents Gloria and Otto at the Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland, the hippo is already gaining popularity, following in the footsteps of viral sensation Moo Deng

Tourists watch leatherback sea turtle hatchlings crawl toward the sea under the glow of less intrusive red lights. Artificial white lighting can attract the hatchlings away from the ocean, where predators may be lurking.

From Prolonging Wallaby Pregnancies to Disorienting Hatchling Turtles, 11 Ways Artificial Lights Affect Animals

From the busy cities to ocean waters, our need to illuminate the world has had some strange and tragic consequences

Polar bears are spending more time on land as sea ice shrinks.

Polar Bears Are Exposed to More Parasites, Viruses and Bacteria as the Arctic Heats Up

Pathogens are more common in polar bears living in the Chukchi Sea now than they were three decades ago, a new study suggests—but it's not yet clear what that means for the mammals' health

Researchers collect exhaled breath from a wild bottlenose dolphin during a health assessment conducted by the National Marine Mammal Foundation and its partners in Louisiana's Barataria Bay.

Scientists Have Found Microplastics in Dolphin Breath for the First Time

Each of the 11 dolphins sampled exhaled at least one suspected particle of microplastic, which researchers say “highlights how extensive environmental microplastic pollution is”

A great white shark known to researchers as "Koala" washed ashore on Cape Cod in Massachusetts earlier this week. Scientists are still trying to figure out why.

A Great White Shark Mysteriously Washed Ashore in Cape Cod, and Researchers Don't Know Why

Authorities have not yet identified the cause of death for the 12.5-foot-long shark, which was named Koala

Oregon residents spotted a rare Arctic fox, which does not live in the region. Now, the animal is receiving care at a wildlife rehabilitation hospital.

Experts Don't Know How This Mysterious White Fox Ended Up in Oregon, More Than 1,000 Miles Away From Home

Identified as an Arctic fox, the animal is believed to have been kept in captivity far from its native habitat in the tundra. Now, it's receiving care from wildlife officials

Dime Melovski gestures at lynx displayed in a hunter’s lodge in North Macedonia. The hunters found the lynx dead on the road and asked the scientists for permission to taxidermy it.

Can Lynx Be Saved in the Balkans?

A small team of local scientists are fighting rapid industrialization, misinformation and more to save Europe’s iconic cat

The lions have been housed as taxidermy specimens at the Field Museum in Chicago since 1925.

Two Lions Went on a Man-Eating Spree in 1898. Now, DNA Evidence Reveals Their Diets

The notorious predators, nicknamed the “Man-Eaters of Tsavo,” terrorized railway workers in Kenya for roughly nine months

Elephants' wrinkly trunks might serve a purpose and reveal whether the individual prefers to bend the handy appendage to the right or the left.

How an Elephant's Wrinkles Reveal Whether It Is Right- or Left-Trunked

A new study sheds light on the muscular, dexterous appendage, suggesting trunk wrinkles are more important than many people realize

Two lynx shelter from the wind behind their parent, who looks into the camera.

See 15 Winning Images From the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Contest

Breathtaking shots shine a light on the wonders of wildlife and the threats that human activities pose to the natural world

Dolphins living in captivity often make an open-mouth facial expression while playing with each other.

Bottlenose Dolphins 'Smile' at Each Other During Playtime, Study Finds

Researchers still don't know what the open-mouth facial expression means or whether it's akin to smiling in humans—but several animals make a similar face during play

Scientists observed two bowhead whales synchronizing dive schedules whenever they were within earshot of each other.

How Did Two Bowhead Whales That Were 60 Miles Apart Sync Their Diving?

Researchers suspect the marine mammals may have been communicating across the vast distance

Orcas are the oceans’ apex predator, even outranking the great white shark, but their hunting behaviors are still not fully understood by scientists.

Rare Drone Footage Captures Orcas Feeding on Dusky Dolphins

The predatory pod hunts off the coast of Chile and is led by a matriarch called Dakota

A Bryde’s whale photographed in the Mariana Archipelago

Mysterious 'Mechanical-Sounding' Noise Near the Mariana Trench May Now Have an Explanation

An acoustic survey in 2018 and new analysis with A.I. suggest the sounds are vocalizations from the elusive Bryde’s whale

Moo Deng, born this summer, with her mother Jona at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand.

'Adorable' Baby Hippo Moo Deng Is More Than a Viral Sensation. She Offers a Rare Glimpse of an Endangered Species

The baby pygmy hippopotamus in a Thailand zoo has taken the internet by storm, and keepers hope she will help gain momentum for conservation efforts

The Horned Serpent Panel, painted by the San people in southern Africa, shows a mysterious creature's tusks in blue at the upper right.

Remarkable 200-Year-Old Rock Painting May Depict a Strange Animal That Went Extinct 250 Million Years Ago

The Horned Serpent Panel from southern Africa predates the first Western scientific description of the dicynodont, a large mammal ancestor with tusks, by at least a decade

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