Wild Animals

It pays to be brainy when you're a ring-tailed lemur.

By Jesslyn Shields

Most of the scientific attention to birdsong has been paid to the male of the species. But many female birds sing too - and scientists are starting to understand how important it is to study them as well.

By Alia Hoyt

The platypus may look a bit absurd and bizarre, but its milk might hold the secret to fighting antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

By Jesslyn Shields

Nutria are jumbo-sized rodents that reproduce and eat at a jumbo-sized pace.

By Jesslyn Shields

Urban coyotes have a fierce and formidable reputation as midnight predators, but coexistence with humans is possible.

By Carrie Tatro

Does your parakeet understand the cardinal chirping outside its window? Can a pigeon's noises mean anything to a crow? Yes, it can.

By Mark Mancini

The Gulf corvina is the loudest fish on the planet, helping lead to its overfishing and endangerment.

By Jesslyn Shields

Some people mistakenly believe that if chimps are socialized from an early age, they're not a threat to humans. But these five families found out the hard way that chimps will always be chimps.

By Nathan Chandler

Crocodiles are known to eat just about anything. But sharks? A scientific team found evidence that they've chowed down on those predators too.

By Mark Mancini

It seems like flying cockroaches want to dive bomb your face. Are they aggressive? Defensive? Or maybe it's all just in your scared ape mind.

By Jesslyn Shields

Why do squirrels exhibit behavior that can get them killed by cars? And how can you avoid them?

By Jamie Allen

The first new rat species found in the Solomon Islands in 80 years has been uncovered. But due to deforestation of its habitat, very few may still exist.

By Jesslyn Shields

Don't think you have much in common with a jellyfish? What researchers just discovered may surprise you.

By Laurie L. Dove

Fall is in full swing and that means squirrels are busy hoarding nuts for winter. So how do they remember where they buried them? Research suggests they use mnemonic strategies.

By Jamie Allen

Researchers discover site of 15 gloomy octopus, a species that has previously been known for being reclusive.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

The magnificent bryozoan is a colonial organism that lives in warm ponds and lakes usually east of the Mississippi River. So what's it doing in western Canada?

By Jesslyn Shields

Entire colonies of half a million venomous ants are one scary threat following serious flooding.

By Jesslyn Shields

Due to a quirk in their anatomy, injured hedgehogs can experience skin inflating to the size of a basketball, which can be a painful and life-threatening development.

By Laurie L. Dove

How giant squid process visual information has long been a mystery, but a new study finds their visual processing is surprisingly uncomplicated.

By Jesslyn Shields

Thanks to the excesses of narcoterrorist Pablo Escobar, Colombian waterways now house a population of these invasive African giants.

By Jesslyn Shields

Sure, these mammals may be cute and cuddly. But that doesn't mean their bite can't pack a punch.

By Kate Kershner

Eating wild turtles may sound like an easy catch for survival, but it's a bad idea for several reasons.

By Patrick J. Kiger

By frightening top predators, the fear of humans may be distorting ecosystem processes even more than previously imagined.

By Jesslyn Shields

A new scientific study reveals that the smells unique to meerkat communities aren't produced by the meerkats themselves.

By Chris Opfer

Part of the fun is trying to finagle a spot at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park viewing site in late spring.

By John Donovan