Mammals

These wrinkly rodents continually surprise researchers.

How Eating Poop Makes These Mole-Rats More Motherly

New research suggests a colony’s queen stimulates babysitters by transferring a type of estrogen through her feces

Two tacos, extra ghost pepper sauce, please!

Tree Shrews Love Hot Peppers Because They Don't Feel the Burn

A genetic mutation prevents Chinese tree shrews from feeling the heat of capsaicin, making them the only other mammal besides humans that enjoys hot foods

Coral Reefs Need Fewer Rats and More Bird Poo

A study of rat-infested islands in the Chagos show that a lack of seabirds--and their guano--degrades surrounding coral ecosystems

This scrotal male certainly isn't sheepish.

The Earliest Mammals Kept Their Cool With Descended Testicles

But if free-swinging sperm sacs are the norm, then why did undescended ones evolve four separate times?

Do Marine Mammals Yawn and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

Why People Believed Hippos Were Related to Whales

Hippos were once believed to be related to whales. They're both mammals, they both sleep underwater, and they both rise to breathe in their sleep

I can haz more habitats?

The UK's Hedgehogs (and Other Mammals) Are In Danger

The island nation's mammal populations have seen a steep decline in the last two decades, with hedgehog numbers decreasing by two-thirds

You'd expect to see a raccoon snuffling around at midnight. A sun bear, not so much.

Fear of Humans Is Forcing Daytime Animals Into Night Mode

The stress is pushing some animals to adjust their schedules—but not all will be quick enough to adapt

Don't judge a bat by its cover ... of Barry White.

Like Birds, Some Bats Warble to Woo Their Mates

They join an elite club of mammals—including mice, whales and humans—whose melodies convey complex information

The team’s findings compared the estimated visual acuity, or sharpness, of about 600 species.

How Does Your Vision Compare to Other Critters in the Animal Kingdom?

A new review of visual acuity compares the sight of 600 species, from mosquitoes to eagles

First Yellowstone Grizzly Hunt in 40 Years Will Take Place This Fall

In a controversial move, Wyoming will allow a limited take of the once-endangered species

Scimitar-horned oryx can go for ten months without drinking water.

Smithsonian Researchers Are Bringing the Oryx Back to the Wild

Reintroducing the species back to north-central Africa shows early signs of success

Hundreds of Blue Whales Are Permanent Residents Off New Zealand's Coasts

Survey and genetic data show the whales of South Taranaki Bight are a unique population of non-migratory blue whales

Can Bringing Back Mammoths Help Stop Climate Change?

Scientists say creating hybrids of the extinct beasts could fix the Arctic tundra and stop greenhouse gas emissions

A San Quintin kangaroo rat at rest in the field.

This Kangaroo Rat Was Just Spotted For the First Time in 30 years

A native to Baja California, the San Quintín kangaroo rat hopped back into researchers' lives last summer

“Tattooed Whale, 2016” by Tim Pitsiulak. Screen-print on Arches Cover Black.

Why Scientists Are Starting to Care About Cultures That Talk to Whales

Arctic people have been communicating with cetaceans for centuries. The rest of the world is finally listening in

Why Are Whales So Massive? It's All About Energy

Marine mammal size is a delicate balance between chowing down and chilly waters

For all their flaws, lab mice have become an invaluable research model for genetics, medicine, neuroscience and more. But few people know the story of the first standardized lab mice.

The History of Breeding Mice for Science Begins With a Woman in a Barn

Far more than a mouse fancier, Abbie Lathrop helped establish the standard mouse model and pioneered research into cancer inheritance

Thousands of years ago, a herd of Columbian mammoths trudged across present-day Oregon to an ancient lake, recording their interactions in the muddy sediments.

Rare Mammoth Tracks Reveal an Intimate Portrait of Herd Life

Researchers piece together a 43,000-years-old tableau of an injured adult and concerned young

Many animals, like this red sphinx cat, are bred to be hairless. Other times, animal baldness is a symptom of stress and other factors.

Do Other Animals Besides Humans Go Bald?

From Andean bears to Rhesus macaques, non-human mammals have hair woes of their own

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