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Wildlife

Home » Wildlife

The Lyrebird’s Dance

October 30, 2018

The superb lyrebird of Australia combines its songs with specific dance moves to create an elaborate courtship ritual.

Read moreThe Lyrebird’s Dance

Sea Hare Ink

October 26, 2018

Sea hares defend themselves from predators with colorful ink.

Read moreSea Hare Ink

Kangaroos in Trees

October 18, 2018

Tree kangaroos hop up trees instead of swinging through them like monkeys.

Read moreKangaroos in Trees
2017 total solar eclipse photographed from Warm Springs, Oregon. (Susanne Bard)

The 2017 Bee-Clipse

October 16, 2018

The 2017 total solar eclipse captured the public imagination and taught kids about bees.

Read moreThe 2017 Bee-Clipse
A Savannah Sparrow. (Dan Mennill)

Wild Bird Song Learning

October 15, 2018

A new study shows that birds can learn from recordings in the wild.

Read moreWild Bird Song Learning
Baby giraffes inherit their spots (Derek Lee/Wild Nature Institute/Penn State)

Giraffe Spot Inheritance

October 8, 2018

Scientists discover that giraffes inherit their spots.

Read moreGiraffe Spot Inheritance
A striped skunk. (K. Theule/USFWS/CC BY 2.0, via flickr)

Skunk Smell

October 4, 2018

A listener wants to know if skunks are repelled by their own smell.

Read moreSkunk Smell
California two-spot octopus (O. bimaculoides). (Thomas Kleindinst)

Octopuses on Ecstasy

September 27, 2018

An antisocial octopus loosens up under the influence of ecstasy.

Read moreOctopuses on Ecstasy
Tusks from a 2015 ivory seizure in Singapore. (Center for Conservation Biology University of Washington)

IDing Ivory Poachers

September 26, 2018

Elephant DNA and complex data analysis are helping to prosecute poachers.

Read moreIDing Ivory Poachers

Fish-Eating Praying Mantis

September 25, 2018

A giant insect gobbles up guppies - and other small animals.

Read moreFish-Eating Praying Mantis
Baltimore orioles are among the hundreds of birds species that migrate through North America every spring. (Susanne Bard)

Early Spring

September 18, 2018

Spring is arriving early to North American wildlife refuges because of climate change.

Read moreEarly Spring
Cheetahs are the world's fastest land animal. But they spend most of their time at rest. (Malene Thyssen/CC-BY-SA-3.0, via Wikipedia)

Science Explains Tortoise vs. Hare

September 4, 2018

The metaphor of the Tortoise and the Hare can be applied to the speed of life of animals of all sizes, according to new research.

Read moreScience Explains Tortoise vs. Hare

Marmoset Baby Talk

August 31, 2018

A study suggests baby marmosets’ calls change as they grow up - questioning more than 50 years of conventional wisdom about primate vocalizations.

Read moreMarmoset Baby Talk
A male turquoise killifish. (Nothobranchius_furzeri_GRZ, Ugu/ CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikipedia)

Fast-Living Fish

August 21, 2018

An animal that grows up, reproduces and dies of old age in just a few weeks.

Read moreFast-Living Fish
Elephants are surprisingly resistant to cancer. (Pixabay)

Cancer-Resistant Elephants

August 20, 2018

Researchers discover the genetic basis for elephants’ resistance to cancer.

Read moreCancer-Resistant Elephants
Celebrated songsters, zebra finches provide a window into the mechanics of song while dreaming. (Pixel2013/Pixabay)

Birdsong Dreams

August 6, 2018

Researchers have discovered that when songbirds dream, the vocal muscles they use for singing become active.

Read moreBirdsong Dreams

Birds & Alligators

August 3, 2018

Though mortal enemies, alligators and water birds team up against raccoons in the Florida Everglades.

Read moreBirds & Alligators
In a zebrafish larva, a dark umbrella formed by pigmented cells (white arrows point to these black spots in box, left) in the kidney protects vulnerable stem cells from damaging UV light. Right image is a closeup of the box. Scale bars equal 100 micrometers (left) and 50 micrometers (right). (F. Kapp et al./Nature 2018)

Stem Cell Umbrellas

June 19, 2018

Pigmented cells shade blood producing cells from sun damage in the kidneys of fish.

Read moreStem Cell Umbrellas

Bats & Pitcher Plants

June 8, 2018

The echo of a pitcher plant helps bats find safety and helps the plant get food.

Read moreBats & Pitcher Plants

Dolphins at Play

May 11, 2018

Dolphins’ seemingly adorable antics may not actually be all fun and games to them.

Read moreDolphins at Play
A minke whale specimen in two pieces specimen inside an industrial CT scanner (Ted Cranford/San Diego State University)

Whale Hearing

May 7, 2018

Some whales hear with their entire skulls.

Read moreWhale Hearing
Male Costa's hummingbirds create an elaborate visual and acoustic display to attract females. (Alan Schmierer Public Domain, via Flickr)

Hummingbird Tail Feathers

April 24, 2018

A male hummingbird makes sounds with his tail feathers to attract females.

Read moreHummingbird Tail Feathers

Shrinking Mammals

April 23, 2018

Human activity has led to mammal size reductions.

Read moreShrinking Mammals
Bowhead whale and calf. (NOAA/National Ocean Service)

Bowhead Whale Songs

April 9, 2018

The songs of Arctic bowhead whales are constantly changing.

Read moreBowhead Whale Songs
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