Wildlife(Page 22)

The latest on the fascinating flora and fauna of our planet.

Latest in Wildlife

a yellow wheeled robot approaches a colony of penguins in the snow

The march of the penguins has a new star: an autonomous robot

By Lauren J. Young

Small brilliant colored reef fish with a pink face, yellow fins, and purple tail on a black background

This rainbow reef fish is just as magical as it looks

By Purbita Saha

Map of vulnerable species in the United States.

Endangered Species

Here’s where biodiversity is disappearing the quickest in the US

By Sara Kiley Watson

An image of a spider web to illustrate a story about a South American species of social spiders.

These spiders go off vibes to hunt in packs

By Maggie Galloway

A galloping horse.

Ancient sea creatures pioneered the gallop

By Kate Baggaley

A black bear, which people can struggle to distinguish from other bears.

Burglar bear Hank the Tank might be even tougher to catch. Here’s why.

Northern fulmar seabird sitting on a grassy hill with small pink flowers

Can birds smell? This ornithologist is debunking a long-standing myth.

By Danielle J. Whittaker

birds flying across the moon at night

A moon-watching robot can demystify what migrating birds do at night

By Charlotte Hu

A black bear in the woods.

A 500-pound black bear keeps breaking into California homes. What’s next?

a bald eagle perched on a branch

Eagles face another major threat in the US: lead poisoning

By Kate Baggaley

Why young orphans were once used as human refrigerators

Why young orphans were once used as human refrigerators

By Popular Science Team

A white polar bear standing on snow in a zoo with blue bars in the background.

Secrets from zoo polar bears could help conservation efforts in the wild

By Maggie Galloway

a gray wolf looks over its shoulder in the snow

Endangered Species

Snowy weather could determine life or death for Wisconsin’s poached gray wolves

By Kate Baggaley

Orca whale pod in a line in the ocean while hunting

Even blue whales aren’t safe from orcas

By Purbita Saha

Red and white heart balloons released into blue sky which can become hazardous.

Do something sweet for Earth—ditch balloons this Valentine’s Day

By Maggie Galloway

Feathered Caudipteryx dinosaurs drinking from a sandy river among palm trees before the asteroid hit

June was probably a terrible month to be a dinosaur. Here’s how we know.

By Michael J. Benton / The Conversation

a large, dark globe-shaped fish with a striking rod on the crown of its head. the bulb at the tip of the rod glows a cobalt blue

This anglerfish has mastered a trick to light up the depths of the Pacific Ocean

By Lauren J. Young

a brown bat in flight

The secret to these bats’ hunting prowess is deep within their ears

By Kate Baggaley

Light brown tarantula with white discharge around mouth being attacked by a nematode worm on a bacteria backsplash

What do you call a tiny tarantula killer? Jeff Daniels.

By Purbita Saha

a humpback whale breaching the surface of the water with its mouth open

Baleen whales have an ‘oral plug’ to help them guzzle down food without choking

By Kate Baggaley

Icefish nests encircled in stones on the ocean floor

Icefish build bizarre undersea nests—and that’s just the beginning

viper illustration

This noxious island is so full of snakes, people can’t even visit

By Popular Science Team

Scientists discovered new shark species with chainsaw-like noses

By Kate Baggaley

Female house sparrow and brown-headed cowbird, both potential vectors for bacteria that cause food-borne illnesses, feeding on birdseed on the ground

These bird species are most likely to contaminate our fruits and veggies

Nutrient-rich fish are thriving in a coral graveyard off the coast of Africa

Nutrient-rich fish are thriving in a coral graveyard off the coast of Africa

By Sara Kiley Watson

a woman in a face mask and blue protective gloves holds up a black collection apparatus in the air in a densely forested environment. a sloth hangs from a tree nearby

Endangered Species

Airborne animal DNA could help biologists track endangered species

By Philip Kiefer

an illustration of a marine reptile

These ancient marine reptiles got very big, very fast

By Kate Baggaley

One of the best-preserved dinosaur embryos ever found.

This fossilized dinosaur embryo is curled up just like a baby bird

By Kate Baggaley

More skunks can do handstands than we thought

Endangered Species

More skunks can do handstands than we thought

By Kate Baggaley

robot fish that mimics mosquitofish predator

Need to fight invasive fish? Just introduce a scary robot

By Charlotte Hu

a color illustration of a brown and white bird in a lush forest

This 120-million-year-old bird could stick out its tongue

By Kate Baggaley

Northern pike underwater

Fish can bounce back quickly from mercury pollution

By Kate Baggaley

The salmon of 2100 will have new habitat: the remains of melted glaciers

The salmon of 2100 will have new habitat: the remains of melted glaciers

By Kate Baggaley

Fish sounds tell us about underwater reefs—but we need better tech to really listen

By Charlotte Hu

Wildlife officials are taking radical steps to save Florida’s starving manatees

Wildlife officials are taking radical steps to save Florida’s starving manatees

Brown and white extinct Haast's eagle with talons sunk into a furry carcass

This 30-pound eagle would take down 400-pound prey and dig through their organs

By Margo Milanowski

bird bot stanford

This bird-legged quadcopter can easily perch in the treetops

By Margo Milanowski

Munu the black rhino in his enclosure

Endangered Species

This blind rhino’s infrared security system could help stop poachers

By Rachael Zisk

Greater roadrunner racing across a street in the desert

Las Vegas bird can’t remember how it ended up in Maine

By Margo Milanowski

Crow over a green art illustration background

Even more proof that crows are terrifyingly smart

By Popular Science Team

female zebra finch inspects male

When female finches fail to find mates, they dump their eggs and move on

By Margo Milanowski

Biologists vastly underestimated how much whales eat and poop

Biologists vastly underestimated how much whales eat and poop

By Philip Kiefer

Wild deer are giving each other COVID—a lot

Wild deer are giving each other COVID—a lot

a small brown and red bird perched on a branch

You’ve heard of truffle pigs. Now get ready for truffle birds.

By Kate Baggaley

Great white shark that has the potential to bite a swimmer that it mistakes for a seal

Great whites don’t hunt humans—they just have blind spots

Two gray pigeons in a spotlight in a Rosemary Mosco cartoon

How to speak city pigeon

By Rosemary Mosco

moose in a lake with mountains in the background

How to track and spot a wild moose

By Noah Lederman

As El Niño years get worse, right whales suffer

By Margo Milanowski

A bird flying near a concrete commercial building with large windows on a sunny day.

How to help birds avoid crashing into your windows

By Natalie Wallington

Green Southern cassowary egg drawing

Ancient humans might have bred one of the scariest birds on the planet

By Elana Spivack

an illustration of a huge group of small dark birds flying in a cloud-like formation against a colorful sunset

This annual starling murmuration is so dense it’s called ‘The Black Sun’

By Chris Iovenko

Whatever you do, don’t set your pet goldfish free in a stream

Whatever you do, don’t set your pet goldfish free in a stream

By Mary Beth Griggs

A small snake rearing up and looking forward.

The best ways to wrangle, repel, and just get snakes out of your home

By Natalie Wallington

A bear sleeping, maybe after eating its fill of trash.

How to keep fat bears (and other bears) out of your trash

By Natalie Wallington

Parasitic birds like cuckoos seem to target victims who can’t see well

Parasitic birds like cuckoos seem to target victims who can’t see well

By Kate Baggaley

vampire bats hanging inside a tree

Vampire bats rendezvous with their friends when dining out

By Elana Spivack

Lockdown made cities friendlier for some birds

Lockdown made cities friendlier for some birds

By Kate Baggaley

A frog in a dark pond with its vocal sac filled up with air.

The next generation of skincare might come from frog foam

North american porcupine sitting on the ground among wild flower

How to not get pricked by a North American porcupine

By Natalie Wallington

This 120-million-year-old bird may have been one of the first to shake its tail feathers

This 120-million-year-old bird may have been one of the first to shake its tail feathers

By Kate Baggaley

An illustration of an extinct species of giant penguins. Two penguins stand upright and one huddles down on a rocky island.

Schoolkids in New Zealand discovered a new species of giant penguin

Cyclones can be fatal for seabirds, but not in the way you think

Cyclones can be fatal for seabirds, but not in the way you think

By Kate Baggaley

A humpback whale breaches water and hangs in mid-air, in front of forested cliffs.

A rare humpback whale ‘megapod’ was spotted snacking off the Australian coast

Humans are pushing into animals’ homes, but nature is as rebellious as ever

Humans are pushing into animals’ homes, but nature is as rebellious as ever

By Sara Kiley Watson