Tag: Wildlife

The bulldog may be a symbol of strength and tenacity, but more than a century of selective breeding has weakened the once-tough canine. The dogs have breathing, skeletal, and skin problems, and, even worse, many can’t naturally mate or give…

A new species of extinct flesh-eating marsupial that terrorised Australia’s forests some five million years ago has been identified from a recently discovered fossil site, scientists said Tuesday. The animal, weighing 20 to 25 kilograms (44 to 55 pounds) and…

The recently discovered species hails from the late Cretaceous period and is notable for its bizarre body forms. Scientists recently discovered the bizarre armored spider, Electroblemma bifida, in Burmese amber. While creeping through a dinosaur-era forest, two spiders found themselves…

Many countries ban pit bulls as a dangerous breed but “there’s no science that bears that idea out,” says this author. Pit bulls, like these in Oxford, Mississippi, arouse strong passions. To some, they are canine killers that should be…

A year ago this week Cecil the lion was killed by Walter Palmer, sparking an international outcry and greater scrutiny of trophy hunting for the heads, skins, or other body parts of wild animals. Eight African countries allow the consistent…

In this small animal hospital perched on Miami’s sun-splashed harbor, some of the most exotic creatures fly in and out of Carla Zepeda’s life. From peacocks to pelicans, opossums to owls, Zepeda is part of a six-member staff that cares…

A plucky female tortoise is winning the hearts of the Indian public as it races around its zoo enclosure on an improvised set of wheels. The animal lost its front right leg in a mongoose attack, and zookeepers added the…

A small rodent that lived only on a single island off Australia is likely the world’s first mammal to be a casualty of climate change, scientists report this week. The Bramble Cay melomys (Melomys rubicola) seems to have disappeared from…

And then there were 6,000. Photographer Joel Sartore took this milestone image of a male proboscis monkey at the Singapore Zoo for the Photo Ark. Scientists think male proboscis monkeys’ fleshy, pendulous noses create an echo chamber that amplifies its…

Thanks to Jaws, they’re the ocean’s most iconic and feared fish. But we know surprisingly little about them. Much of what we think we know about great white sharks simply isn’t true. They aren’t merciless hunters, they aren’t always loners,…

During the Cretaceous period, while flowers and tyrant dinosaurs were spreading over the land, and pterosaurs and birds were taking over the skies, in the oceans, fish were starting to glow. Today, some 1,500 fish species are bioluminescent—able to make…

A woman in China has released hundreds of snakes into the wild as part of a ritual which shows compassion to all creatures. But now they are being slaughtered by villagers fearful of being bitten by venomous serpents. “Originally we…

In October of 2008, a NGS/Waitt grant enabled Michael Curran and his team to join a Darwin Initiative expedition to two isolated mountains in northern Mozambique. They were part of a large team of researchers whose aim was to explore…

When the orca Morgan beached herself in Tenerife, the Internet exploded with speculation and criticism of captivity.A captive killer whale in a marine park was recently filmed after a show appearing to beach herself on a concrete ledge. Some call…

Spider lovers, get out your dancing shoes: Arachnologists in Australia have found seven new species of the colorful creatures known as peacock spiders, tiny jumping spiders notable for their bright rumps and disco-like mating rituals. Since 2013, spider enthusiasts Jürgen…

In recent experiments, a scientist found that the South American fish go after large, moving, and partially submerged objects, pressing their chins against the target to discharge shocks. (Also see “The Electric Eel’s Superpower Just Got Even Cooler.”) The finding…

Critics of the transfer say the move will be detrimental to these chimps, won’t contribute to conservation, and could set a dangerous precedent for the Endangered Species Act. Yerkes National Primate Research Center is home to several dozen chimpanzees, all…

On his multiweek hikes through Utah’s canyon country, Ace Kvale always brings his custom GPS, or Genghis Positioning System, also known as his dog, an Australian blue heeler named Genghis Khan. “He’s always very solid, always there, but never in…

A novice diver swam with some of the ocean’s most feared predators—and came away with a new appreciation for them. This story appears in the June 2016 issue of National Geographic magazine. This summer, we’ll look at three shark species…

The APW’s Big Cats Conservation Initiative in the northern Masai Steppe of Tanzania works to save the country’s most threatened lion population as well as important populations of cheetahs and leopards. Notable and unique features of APW’s program include the…

The gorilla’s death at the Cincinnati Zoo was one of several in a week in zoos worldwide. Harambe, a 17-year-old gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo, is pictured in this undated handout photo provided by the zoo. The recent killing of…

The ground beneath us is alive, very alive. A single gram of soil (about a fifth of a teaspoon) can contain thousands of species of bacteria, and millions of individual cells. It might also be packed with fungi, microscopic worms,…

Two black mambas vie for dominance during mating season in South Africa, in a rarely observed display of power. As if weaving a friendship bracelet of death, two of the world’s most dangerous snakes, black mambas, can be seen twisting…

Ninety-eight percent of Laysan albatross nests are on low-lying atolls within the Hawaiian Islands that are increasingly vulnerable to sea-level rise and storm surges. Large storms in the past few years, along with the 2011 tsunami, have destroyed tens of…

Dhaka – DNA tests have confirmed that three man-eating Nile crocodiles have been found living in Florida’s swamps. Unlike local alligators, the species preys on humans and is thought to be responsible for up to 200 deaths a year at…

The world’s smallest and rarest porpoise, the vaquita, is on the verge of extinction. A mere 60 remain, the Mexican government announced Friday. Their numbers have dropped 40 percent in two years, down from 97 in 2014, due in large…

In the tinder-dry bush of Australia, wildfire can tear through vegetation at terrifying speeds, incinerating almost everything in its path and leaving little more than blackened desert in its wake. Most animals have a natural, ingrained fear of fire that…