Animal news, feature and articles

Past anecdotal observations have hinted that great apes play pretend. But now, experimental research shows that our closest living relatives can keep track of imaginary objects.

A DNA study reveals crocs that lived in the Seychelles represented the westernmost population of saltwater crocodiles, having swam at least 1,800 miles to reach the island.

Here are the 24 images shortlisted for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Nuveen People's Choice Award 2026.

An image of polar bears napping along the Hudson Bay coast in Canada has been shortlisted for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Nuveen People's Choice Award 2026.

Large carnivores are both clashing and coexisting in the western United States. Although wolves dominate cougars and steal their prey, cougars' shift from elk- to deer-heavy diets, paired with a rugged landscape for escape, might help cougars avoid violent wolf encounters.

People searching for honey in Mozambique work with birds via a shared language in a rare case of cooperation between humans and wild animals. This language also comes with regional dialects — that appear to be driven by the birds.

A new study comparing 59 species of primates linked same-sex sexual behavior to scarce resources and more predators in socially complex species. The findings show diverse sexual behaviors are common — and likely beneficial in primates.

Scientists say grooves on a rock face overlooking the Adriatic Sea may have been made by sea turtles fleeing an earthquake.

Sharktober is real in Hawaii — and it's down to the reproductive pattern of predatory tiger sharks, an analysis of 30 years of data reveals.

An ancient and enormous organism called Prototaxites, initially found to be a type of fungus, may actually be an unknown branch of life, researchers say.