Animals

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The excavations of the mammoth skeleton on Kotelny Island this summer show it was deliberately butchered by Stone Age humans around 26,000 years ago.

Russian expedition finds evidence of northernmost Stone Age hunters above the Arctic Circle

By Tom Metcalfe published

Ancient cut marks on mammoth bones unearthed on a remote island in the frozen extremes of Siberia are the northernmost evidence of Paleolithic humans ever found, according to archaeologists.

A bumblebee searching for nectar on a daisy near Leaser Lake, Pennsylvania

American bumblebee could be officially declared endangered

By Ben Turner published

If the species is placed on the endangered species list, developers and farmers could incur legal liability for killing them.

A periodical cicada from Brood XIII, which emerged in 2007, sits on a fence at a forest preserve in Willow Springs, Illinois.

Cicadas: Facts about the loud, seasonal insects

By Mindy Weisberger published

Cicadas are winged insects that are known for their cyclical lifespans and loud choral songs.

The bloated carcass of a dead humpback whale washed up on a Staten Island shore on Sept. 17.

Dead humpback whale that beached in New York had human-caused injuries

By Mindy Weisberger published

A whale that was found belly-up on a New York beach likely died of injuries caused by interactions with people.

illustration shows a close up of the newly identified eagle Archaehierax sylvestris next to a lake, with an eagle of the same species flying in the background

Koala-hunting eagle terrorized Australia 25 million years ago

By Nicoletta Lanese published

A newly-identified eagle fossil is the oldest ever found in Australia.

The Glanville fritillary butterfly, out of which the trio of stomach-bursting parasites emerge.

'Russian doll' set of stomach-bursting parasites released inside butterfly on remote Finnish island

By Ben Turner published

Despite the remoteness of the island, the parasites are even better than their hosts at surviving — a feat researchers believe was accomplished through superior flying skills.

Short-faced bears were North America's largest predatory mammal.

What were the largest predators in North America?

By Joanna Thompson published

Here are the largest predators ever to have lived in North America.

Snakes have highly adapted fangs that help inject toxins into prey.

Which came first: Snake fangs or venom?

By Jennifer Welsh published

Snakes have evolved highly adapted fangs that act as a delivery system for toxins.

L47 with her youngest son, L115, in 2011.

'Grandma' killer whale missing from pod, feared dead

By Mindy Weisberger published

One of the Southern Resident orcas, a 47-year-old female known as L47, hasn't been seen by census takers since February.

A group of Coelophysis, bipedal dinosaurs that lived during the Triassic period.

Some dinosaurs may have wagged their tails to help them run

By Yasemin Saplakoglu published

Small-armed, two-legged dinosaurs may have wagged their tails to help them run, for the same reason humans swing their arms, according to a new study.

A mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) with its razor-sharp horns, used for self-defense.

Mountain goat kills grizzly bear by stabbing it with razor-sharp horns

By Harry Baker published

The goat's horns pierced the unfortunate bear in the armpit and neck.

A leafcutter ant (Atta cephalotes) uses its metal-laced mandibles to cut through a leaf.

These vegetarian ants have steak knives for teeth, new study finds

By Joanna Thompson published

Zinc and manganese atoms keep tiny arthropods' natural tools sharper for longer.

African penguins from the affected colony near Cape Town in South Africa.

Dozens of endangered penguins killed after being stung in the eyes by swarming honeybees

By Harry Baker published

Conservationists have confirmed that 64 African penguins were killed in South Africa after being stung in and around the eyes by honeybees.

Filming creatures in their natural environment can yield valuable information on their interactions with other organisms.

Underwater views of Antarctic jellies are 'a magic portal to another world'

By Mindy Weisberger published

The short film "Life Beneath the Ice" features delicate, illuminated marine creatures living under the sea ice in Antarctica.

The bedraggled "king" was found clinging to a clump of vegetation in a flooded field.

Soggy rodents tangle their tails in one big knot in horrifying 'rat king' video

By Mindy Weisberger published

A farmer in Russia's Stavropol region found the waterlogged "king." Specimens of rat kings are preserved in the collections of some natural history museums.

Reconstitution of mother-newborn interaction in the Matalascañas Trampled Surface.

Baby elephants frolicked in an ancient 'nursery,' fossil footprints show

By Mindy Weisberger published

Over 100,000 years ago, extinct relatives of modern elephants lived in matriarchal groups, according to preserved trackways in southwestern Spain.

A similar fossil to the one discovered in the desert. Rhamphorhynchoids were small pterosaurs with long tails and fully-toothed beaks.

'Flying dragon' fossil found preserved inside a rock in the Chilean desert

By Ben Turner published

Further analysis could point to the animal being a completely new species.

The original fossil of Yuanchuavis, which was found in the Jehol Biota in northeastern China.

Bizarre tail on little dinosaur-age bird was literally a drag

By Laura Geggel published

An extraordinary 120-million-year-old fossil bird from China reveals that the animal had a sexy but vaguely impractical tail.

The dead white-sided dolphins were pulled from the water off the Faroe Islands on Sept. 12, 2021.

Slaughter of more than 1,400 dolphins in the Faroe Islands sparks condemnation worldwide

By Joanna Thompson published

Hunters in the Faroe Islands ambushed and slaughtered a super-pod of more than 1,400 white-sided dolphins on Sunday (Sept. 12), leading to worldwide outcry.

The giant penguin, Kairuku waewaeroa.

Kids discover giant penguin’s fossil skeleton in New Zealand

By Mindy Weisberger published

A newly described extinct giant penguin from New Zealand has unusually long legs and a long, slender beak, and it dates to a time when much of the region was underwater.