wildlife

Many animals like corals release eggs and sperm into the water on just the right nights of the month.

How Lunar Cycles Guide the Spawning of Sea Creatures

Researchers are starting to understand the biological rhythms that sync worms and corals to phases of the moon

Tourists on a cruise spotted a rare, giant phantom jellyfish in Fournier Bay of Anvers Island off the Antarctic Peninsula last year.

How Vacationers on Antarctic Cruises Are Filling in Scientific Gaps

From ships and submarines, citizen scientists can access remote areas ripe for new discoveries. But does the research make up for the climate impact?

Scientists at North-Eastern Federal University in Russia conducted a necropsy, or animal autopsy, of the bear in late February.

Researchers Examine 3,500-Year-Old Brown Bear Preserved in Siberian Permafrost

Found in 2020, the animal was originally declared to be a cave bear from the Ice Age

Thor rests in Scarborough Harbor in England on December 31, 2022.

The Unusual European Journey of Thor the Walrus

It's rare to see one of these massive marine mammals in Western Europe, but Thor spent several months delighting crowds in multiple countries

Giant lacewings date back to the Jurassic Era and hadn't been seen in eastern North America for more than 50 years, until this discovery.

Rare Jurassic-Era Insect Discovered at Arkansas Walmart

The species had not been recorded in eastern North America for more than 50 years—and never documented in the state

After nearly 40 years, desert lions are once again hunting marine prey along Namibia’s Skeleton Coast, where scientists believed the knowledge had been lost.

In Namibia, Lions Are King of the Beach

As the big cats return to hunting fur seals on the Skeleton Coast, a new project tries to keep people out of the way

Sharpshooters use an appendage called an anal stylus to catapult droplets of pee.

These Tiny Bugs Urinate by Flinging Droplets of Pee

Sharpshooters are the first example of “superpropulsion” in a living organism, according to new research

Emperor penguins rely on sea ice to reproduce and, as a result, are vulnerable to global warming.

The Wonderful World of Birds

Scientists Discover an Emperor Penguin Colony From Poop Stains in Satellite Images

Researchers pinpointed the group of roughly 500 birds in West Antarctica

Musk ox calves vie for grass on a farm near Palmer, Alaska.

Alaska

Author Jan Brett Pans for Creative Gold in Alaska

Trips to the 49th state inspired the characters in the writer-illustrator's latest children’s book "Cozy in Love"

The Mexican government has banned shark-related tourism activities, including cage diving, at Guadalupe Island.

Mexico Bans Great White Shark-Related Tourism on Guadalupe Island

The government cited bad practices in the industry as a reason for the ban, which has sparked concerns for the local economy

The serval surveys her new recovery enclosure at the sanctuary in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

Farmers Find Wild African Cat Wandering Around Missouri

A wildlife refuge took in the serval last month and is nursing it back to health

The Tongass National Forest is home to a variety of wildlife, including bald eagles, salmon, brown bears and wolves.

Alaska

U.S. Restores Protections for Alaska’s Tongass National Forest

A new federal rule restricts road construction and logging in the country’s largest national forest

A bear in Colorado took a liking to a wildlife camera, capturing hundreds of selfies.

This Black Bear Took Hundreds of ‘Selfies’ on a Wildlife Camera

Of the 580 images captured by the camera in November, about 400 were of the bear

The twilight sky as seen in Coonabarabran, Australia

Light Pollution Is Outshining Stars Faster Than Thought

The artificial glow threatens astronomy, migrating birds and human health

A snowshoe hare in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado

See 25 Stunning Images From the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Contest

Vote for your favorite among these photos shortlisted in the People's Choice category until February 2

Tyrannosaur fossils show the animals squared off and bit each other in the face.

Busted and Broken Fossils Show How Dinosaurs Fought

From locking horns to biting each other in the face, this is how dinos of the same species battled

Boat docks sit on dry, cracked earth at the Great Salt Lake's Antelope Island Marina on August 1, 2021, near Syracuse, Utah.

Drying Great Salt Lake Could Expose Millions to Toxic Arsenic-Laced Dust

The largest saline lake in North America is on track to collapse within five years, a new report finds

A Pasadena resident photographs a peacock as it spreads out its tail feathers on the front lawn of her home in 2021.

California City Relocates Noisy Peacocks

The colorful birds have sparked disputes between residents in South Pasadena, with some enjoying the animals and others wanting them gone

Copepods at various life stages teem inside a water droplet. The creatures go through six larval and six juvenile stages between egg and adulthood. They grow a new pair of legs at each stage.

These Gorgeous Photos Capture Life Inside a Drop of Seawater

A passion for the infinitesimal leads a photographer to discover the countless creatures that live unseen in the ocean

An impala runs away from a cheetah.

How the Brain Calculates a Quick Escape

Scientists are beginning to unravel the complex circuitry behind the split-second decision to beat a hasty retreat

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