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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Feral monkeys have roamed Silver Springs State Park in Florida since the 1930s.

By Karen Kirkpatrick

As the climate changes, some pika populations may die out, but others will flourish. A new study examined what's likely to happen in eight U.S. National Parks.

By Christopher Hassiotis

An oar-shaped protrusion of microscopic hairs on the legs of a grain-sized spider is bringing sexy back to the arachnid kingdom.

By Laurie L. Dove

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The sea butterfly snail moves in Arctic waters in the same way as fruit flies through tropical air. This case of convergent evolution was uncovered by a new study.

By Christopher Hassiotis

If people had exoskeletons and wings maybe they'd be around forever, too. Insects are born survivors because they have certain traits that other animals don't.

By Nicholas Gerbis

"The Jinx." "Making a Murderer." And now, orangutans? Why this female-on-female ape killing took researchers by surprise - and reads like a human true-crime drama.

By Jesslyn Shields

Motion-sensing cameras, detailed maps and a special poop-detecting dog all played a part in finding the jaguar nicknamed "El Jefe."

By Christopher Hassiotis

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What do bats have in common with ice skaters and one-legged ducks? The answer to that helped illuminate one perplexing thing about the flying mammals.

By Karen Kirkpatrick

Breaking multiple records, Sarah set speeds never matched by any other animal. She was euthanized earlier this week by the staff at the Cincinnati Zoo, where she lived.

By Christopher Hassiotis

It's not to entertain the insect. Figuring out how mantises perceive the world could lead to tiny, energy-efficient robots with depth perception, too.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Groups of European bison make movement and grazing decisions by popular vote, choosing to follow or ignore potential leaders' suggestions.

By Laurie L. Dove

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The bright colors of this Malaysian spider, first described in 2009, earned it comparisons to the flamboyant styles of David Bowie.

By Christopher Hassiotis

You were a soldier ant. Each day you mostly did that job until one day a scientist came along, jabbed a needle into your brain and your behavior changed.

By Christian Sager

Pop culture has depicted chimps and other primates as both gun-wielding villains and saviors, but should humans be concerned about the possibility of armed apes?

By Karen Kirkpatrick

At night in caves around the world, dangling snakes emerge from hiding ready to scarf up flying bats.

By Sarah Gleim

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Scientists wanted to figure out how desert ants found their way home without tree shadows to guide them. This is how they did it.

By Laurie L. Dove

Think spiders are terrifying? It turns out that spiders with a taste for human blood are actually our allies in the fight against malaria.

By Maria Trimarchi

Whether they're busting open a child-proof medicine bottle or prying apart Mr. Potato Head, octopuses have some crazy brains. Actually, they have nine of them.

By Julia Layton

Creatures from pachyderms to bees are better than humans at detecting scents.

By Patrick J. Kiger

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Electric eels actually aren't eels at all, but they certainly are electric. Their shock can kill animals in surrounding waters, but could it take down a human?

By Laurie L. Dove

The Mariana Trench is the deepest place on Earth, and we're still in the dark about much of the life that calls it home. Here are just a few of the trench's eye-popping residents.

By Nathan Chandler, Talon Homer & Ada Tseng

Bugs can destroy crops and spread disease, but those little critters also pollinate our plants. These are just a few of the reasons they're important - and even cool! - to study.

By Erin Wright

Most of us would take to the seas a bit easier without any hammerheads, blacktips or bull sharks patrolling the waters below. The truth is, however, sharks help maintain a balanced ecosystem.

By Chris Opfer

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When you handle deadly snakes for a living, caution is job one. When you handle snakes for God, it is not. Let's meet some folks in both worlds.

By Julia Layton

Bugs are insects, but not all insects are bugs. What differentiates the two?

By Debbie Swanson