Wild Animals

Whether they crawl, fly, swim, slither, walk, run or pounce, wild animals rely on their instincts. Read about all kinds of wild animals, mammals, birds, fish, insects, reptiles and amphibians.

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There's a lot of conversation around what we should be feeding our backyard hummingbird visitors, so we threw the question, along with others, to an expert.

By Jamie Allen

Snakes and lizards share a common ancestor, and snakes still have the genetic coding for legs and feet. So where did those appendages go?

By Nathan Chandler

Your favorite cashmere sweater is super-soft and luxurious. It probably cost you an arm and leg, too. Here's why.

By Jamie Allen

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The world's largest bee, lost to science for 38 years, has been rediscovered on a remote island in Indonesia.

By Jesslyn Shields

A group of researchers in Shennongjia National Nature Reserve discovered that these female monkeys are essentially happy to feed each other's offspring.

By Jamie Allen

Perhaps it's a mating signal. Or meant to confuse owls and other predators. Or maybe it's just for looks.

By Jamie Allen

There's an old saying that you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Scientists have now found out why sour tastes are so repellent to flies.

By Alia Hoyt

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The smallest owls in the world have mad survival skills, like killing poisonous scorpions and playing dead.

By Loraine Fick

Elephants make a specific sound to warn each other of nearby humans.

By Loraine Fick

Vomiting is nature's clearly preferred method for cleaning out the contents of the stomach. But not all animals can do it.

By Loraine Fick

A dolphin doesn't breathe automatically, so during sleep, one side of its brain stays awake to ensure the mammal rises to the surface and breathes.

By Loraine Fick

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Penguins stand for months on the coldest ice in the world without their feet freezing, thanks to special blood circulation.

By Loraine Fick

The single-celled Mesodinium chamaeleon harnesses algae, which lives inside it, for energy.

By Loraine Fick

There are lots of theories. Maybe fluorescence helps them find each other in the dark?

By Jesslyn Shields

It looks excruciating, and nobody knows exactly why it happens.

By Jesslyn Shields

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Think a teeny tiny ant can't pack a punch? Think again. The Dracula ant can subdue its prey so fast, they never know it's coming.

By John Donovan

Before you declare which team you're on, we've got the breakdown on this auditory battle royal.

By Mark Mancini

When we think of big cats in the wild, we most likely think of lions and tigers. But there are so many more amazing wild cats you've probably never even heard of. Here are five.

By Oisin Curran

Do humpback whales get tired of singing the same old song, or do they simply start over when it gets too complicated?

By Jesslyn Shields

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The first-ever deep-sea exploration of West Java seas netted more than 12,000 marine creatures, including some new species of crabs, prawns and lobsters.

By Oisin Curran

A first-of-its-kind study reaffirms why wolves are vital to the health of our ecosystem.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

Justin O. Schmidt studies insect venom and has a rating system for the relative agony inflicted by the world's most painful stings. Which is the worst?

By Jesslyn Shields

The Dumbo octopus is just one of the amazing creatures filmed by the most recent voyage of the E/V Nautilus.

By Jesslyn Shields

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The annual bison roundup in South Dakota's Custer State Park is a spectacle full of cowboys, horses and of course wild buffalo, all set against the backdrop of the rolling Black Hills. It's also about as Americana as you can get.

By John Donovan

Structures in some butterflies' wings are actually part of their ears.

By Jesslyn Shields