Land mammal news, features and articles
Latest about Land Mammals

Scientists solve mystery of how orange cats got their coats — and why so many are male
By Patrick Pester published
Researchers have discovered how orange cats got their coats — and why so many of them are male. The coat color comes from a genetic mutation on the X chromosome of orange, calico and tortoiseshell cats.

What's the difference between apes and monkeys?
By Elana Spivack published
Primatologists explain how apes and monkeys differ.

Big cats quiz: Can you get the lion's share of these questions right?
By Sascha Pare published
Quiz How good is your knowledge of big cats? Let's find out if you've got the eye of the tiger in this quiz.

Do pandas eat anything besides bamboo?
By Emma Bryce published
Pandas are descended from carnivores. Why do they eat an (almost) exclusively vegan diet?

How related are dire wolves and gray wolves? The answer might surprise you.
By Sascha Pare published
Recent findings indicate that dire wolves and gray wolves are distantly related, having diverged about 5.7 million years ago and, as far as scientists can tell, never interbred since then.

Chimps filmed sharing alcoholic food for first time
By Patrick Pester published
Videos of chimpanzees sharing alcoholic fruit suggest that this behavior could have led to feasting in humans, a new study finds.

Why do cats bring home dead animals?
By Alice Sun published
Cats sometimes catch and leave a "gift" for their humans. But why do cats give us dead mice, birds or other prey?

Plains viscacha: A rodent that builds vast underground cities and ovulates more than any other mammal
By María de los Ángeles Orfila published
The plains viscacha looks a lot like a chinchilla, but it's known for building vast tunnels underground and for producing more than 300 eggs at one time.
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