Platypuses glow an eerie blue-green under UV light By Mindy Weisberger Scientists have discovered that platypus fur glows under ultraviolet light, in the first example of biofluorescence in egg-laying mammals.
Elusive squid seen alive in natural habitat for first time (VIDEO) By Nicoletta Lanese The tiny ram's horn squid was found more than 2,700 feet underwater.
Look Ma, no ears! Teensy spiders hear with organ on their legs By Nicoletta Lanese Though known for their huge eyes, ogre-faced spiders also "listen" for their prey.
Building blocks of language evolved before humans split from chimps and monkeys By Mindy Weisberger The ability to understand how groups of words relate to each other is foundational to language, and dates to an ancestor we shared with primate relatives at least 40 million years ago.
Monster bird fossils unearthed in Antarctica By Stephanie Pappas Birds with wingspans nearly twice as long as any alive today once flew over Antarctica.
Sue the T. rex had a terribly painful infection when she died By Laura Geggel An infection, not bad genetics, are likely the reason for Sue's weird teeth.
These tiny, little-winged dinosaurs were probably worse at flying than chickens By Jacinta Bowler The discovery of two small dinosaurs with bat-like wings a few years ago was a paleontologist's dream.
Photos: Murder hornets will haunt your nightmares By Stephanie Pappas Here's a look at one of the most diabolical and invasive insects: the murder hornet, or the Asian giant hornet.
1st 'murder hornet' nest in US found and destroyed By Stephanie Pappas The invasive wasp is a threat to honeybees.
Rare, 2-headed snake discovered by Florida house cat By Brandon Specktor A rare, two-headed racer snake turned up in Florida, after being caught by a curious house cat
How the same tech in your Nintendo Wii is tracking wild and wily wolverines By Martin Robards, Tom Glass Scientists are equipping the endangered wolverine with accelerometers to track them in the wild.
Do camels really have water in their humps? By Tara Santora How do camels quench their thirst in the desert?
Corgi-size pterosaurs walked in the rain 145 million years ago By Laura Geggel Researchers in Wyoming have discovered a pterosaur trackway dating to 145 million years ago.
You can't squish this 'iron' beetle. Now, scientists know why. By Mindy Weisberger A tough exoskeleton in ironclad beetles protect them against piercing and crushing, and scientists recently uncovered the unusual interlocking structures that strengthen the insect's hard shell.
1st-ever footage of giant pandas mating in the wild is not 'cute and cuddly' By Mindy Weisberger Filmmakers spent three years following pandas in China's Qinling Mountains, capturing never-before-seen footage of males competing over females.
24 million-year-old nursery for baby megasharks discovered in South Carolina By Laura Geggel The discovery of nearly 90 shark teeth, largely from young sharks, indicates there was a shark nursery here 24 million years ago.
Half-male, half-female songbird discovered in Pennsylvania By Mindy Weisberger A rose-breasted grosbeak that was captured in a Pennsylvania nature reserve is a bilateral gynandromorph — male on the right side and female on the left side.
Adorable tardigrades fight UV rays with glowing shield By Mindy Weisberger Tough little tardigrades use biofluorescence to resist damage from ultraviolet rays.
Bird flies 7,500 miles nonstop, breaking world record By Yasemin Saplakoglu A bar-tailed godwit just flew for 11 days straight from Alaska to New Zealand.
Weird venomous caterpillars that look like walking toupées are invading Virginia By Rafi Letzter Pus caterpillars have among the most venomous stings of any animal in the United States. And they're having a boom year in Virginia.