Wildlife (Page 4)

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

Latest in Wildlife

P. Mikazuki Portuguese Man O'War

Portuguese Man O’War species honors ‘One-Eyed Dragon’ samurai

An orca swims next to a shark with a visible wound. Image by Marco Villegas.

Orcas are hunting young great white sharks for their livers

Eastern hellbender salamander underwater in river

Hellbender salamanders are huge—and in trouble

a plump brown spider

Beware, beachgoers: New spider discovered in California’s sand dunes

By Margherita Bassi

Bat flying down to attack a frog in rainforest pond

This tiny bat is one of the world’s deadliest hunters

A dark, grainy infrared or night-vision security camera image shows a mouse or rat on a ledge or windowsill, grappling with and biting a flying bat. The bat is visible on the left, upside down in mid-air with its wings spread, as the rodent lunges at it. The entire scene is dominated by shades of white and gray against a dark background.

Caught on camera: Rats hunting bats mid-flight

A wasp spider in its web inside Sierra Mariola Natural Park in Bocairent, Valencian Community, Spain.

Spiders ‘decorate’ their webs to help trap dinner

By Laura Baisas

Side-by-side of a coiled green mamba and a white llama

The secret ingredient in a snake antivenom? Llamas.

a zombie worm, it is long and cylindrical with tentacles

Zombie worms have gone missing

By Laura Baisas

Screenshot of ROV video showing icefish nests on floor of Weddell Sea

The quest to find Shackleton’s ship uncovered an Antarctic mystery

Artist's recreation of ‘Epiatheracerium itjilik’ in its forested lake habitat, Devon Island, Early Miocene, 23 million years ago. The plants and animals shown, including a rodent, rabbit and the transitional seal ‘Puijila darwini,’ are all based on fossilized remains found at the site.

Rhinos once lived in Canada

By Laura Baisas

Two close up shots of two tube-nosed bat species

Six new bat species discovered in the Philippines

The blue marked Queen of a Carniolan honey bee (Apis mellifera carnica) colony is searching for a place to insert an egg.

Queen bees are violently ousted if worker bees smell weakness

By Laura Baisas

a dolphin blowing bubbles under water

Dolphins may be getting an Alzheimer’s-like disease due to this neurotoxin

By Margherita Bassi

a close up of leopard spots

Why do animals have spots and stripes?

By Laura Baisas

Northern right whale.Eubalaena glacialis.Courting group. Several males approach a female (on left). Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, Canada

Endangered North Atlantic right whales are making a slow comeback

By Margherita Bassi

a big cat with flamingo in its mouth dead

13 riveting images from the 2025 Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards

By Popular Science Team

the head of a large brown horse

Why do horses have eyes on the side of their head?

By Katie Navarra Bradley

feather in dirt

You’re actually not allowed to keep bird feathers you find on hikes—and it’s all thanks to two women who got really mad about hats

By Popular Science Team

A ringworm mosquito (Culiseta annulata) is seen on a control monitor connected to a microscope in the laboratory for mosquito monitoring at the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI) on the island of Riems in Germany.

Iceland was the only country in the world without mosquitos—now they’ve found three

By Margherita Bassi

a rattlesnake with an open mouth bearing its fangs

How snake bites really work

By Laura Baisas

Close up of bearded dragon against black background

Reptile ‘pee crystals’ might help treat kidney stones and gout

A red cusk-eel burrowed in among tubeworms at a methane seep off the coast of El Quisco in central Chile. Credit: Schmidt Ocean Institute

Tiny spider crabs snack on parasites from Chile’s favorite fish

World’s only flightless parrot doing okay against ‘crusty bum’ disease

By Laura Baisas

Big bison in the National Park on the shore of a lake or river

This national park uses helicopters for bison round-up duty

A family of grizzly bears, including a mother and three cubs

18 triumphant images from the 1839 Photography Awards

By Popular Science Team

Security camera footage of bear entering grocery store in Japan

Bears have attacked over 100 people in Japan since March

a lemur in a tree

Lemurs keep evolving new species, even after 50 million years

By Margherita Bassi

Close up of stink bug on leaf

These stink bugs use cordycep-like fungus to fend off parasitic wasps

a baby sea turtle crawling on sand

Endangered Species

Green sea turtle no longer Endangered

By Laura Baisas

ASU marine biologist and conservation scientist Jesse Senko fishes a solar-powered illuminated net off the coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico.

Endangered Species

Saving sea turtles with solar-powered fishing nets

By Laura Baisas

bat hanging upside down from tree branch at night

Why do bats spread so many diseases? They’re evolutionary marvels.

a lobster with orange and black coloring

Rare 1-in-30-million calico lobster makes her spooky debut

By Laura Baisas

a group of bird surround a rhino

13 stunning and award-winning black and white photographs

By Popular Science Team

two baby rabbits sit in an open box with grass

Endangered Species

15 baby rabbits born at an NYC zoo released in New England

By Margherita Bassi

Research team lowering Redwing submersible into ocean from a boat

Self-piloting submarine set to begin historic mission to circle Earth’s oceans

Greater noctule bat mid-flight

Europe’s biggest bat captures and devours birds while flying

two baby komodo dragons

Endangered Species

These butter-sized hatchlings will someday be the biggest lizards on Earth

By Margherita Bassi

three birds crowding around a white foraging puzzle

Young birds get by with a little help from their…siblings

By Laura Baisas

Smelt fish under ice. Fish spawning in river. Pacific smelt

Fake fish blood may save your ice cream from freezer burn

Front and rear view of small porcelain crab

Newly discovered deep-sea lanternshark glows in the waters near Australia

a bird with aqua green feathers and red feathers that look like cheeks

Explore a bird database with 11,500 species

By Margherita Bassi

a purple octopus on the bottom of the ocean

13 inspiring photos of thriving deep-sea animals

By Popular Science Team

Close up view of bearded vulture

Multi-generational vulture nests hold 700 years of human artifacts

an older couple holding hands as the sun sets

Women really do live longer than men. Here’s why.

By Laura Baisas

A reconstruction of Breugnathair elgolensis

Cat-sized Jurassic reptile had the jaws of a python

Pippistrellus etula bat on tree branch

1,500th discovered bat species is a ‘god of the island’

group of king penguins emerging from the ocean on a cloudy day

15 gorgeous images from the 2025 Bird Photographer of the Year awards

By Popular Science Team

Several starfish hang out on a cream-colored piece of discarded metal under the sea.

Sunken WWII bombs make a surprising home for sea life

Schimpanse Chimpanzee Pan t. troglodytes Adult weiblich female mit Jungtieren with youngs spielend playing Vorkommen: Africa Afrika

Wild chimps consume the equivalent of two glasses of wine a day

By Margherita Bassi

a sea otter with its paw on its head

6 fun photos to celebrate Sea Otter Awareness week

By Popular Science Team

a squirrel on a tree branch

‘Attack squirrel’ sends two people to the ER

By Margherita Bassi

several rescue technicians hold a stranded dolphin in a net before releasing it

11 dolphins stranded in Cape Cod rescued by nonprofit

By Margherita Bassi

a great white shark biting an orange test fabric

Shark bite-resistant wetsuits could save lives

By Laura Baisas

Homo habilis mandible shown with the two tooth pits that were documented and magnified separately.

Leopards may have feasted on our earliest ancestors

Three leopard sharks mating in water

Endangered Species

First-ever footage of leopard shark sex shows an unexpected trio

an orcar breeches the water as two humans look on

14 winning images from the Ocean Photographer of the Year awards

By Popular Science Team

Pile of fall leaves with fan rake on lawn

The pros and cons of not raking leaves

By Debbie Wolfe

a small, brown prairie dog popping out of a hole

Tiny prairie dogs’ poop play a mighty role in grasslands

By Margherita Bassi

a red panda in a tree

Endangered Species

11 adorable photos of red pandas to celebrate International Red Panda Day

By Popular Science Team

Side by side comparisons of a blue jay, green jay, and a hybrid between the two birds with green plummage and a blue head

First known wild ‘grue jay’ hybrid spotted in Texas

fake spider webs for halloween

Beware! Your Halloween decorations could be a nightmare for wildlife

By Margherita Bassi

Red Hind Grouper in coral reef

Eavesdropping on grunting groupers reveals how the fish communicate

Coral formation with long branches that make it look like Chewbacca

New species of coral named after Chewbacca