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Animals

Jars of ambergris.

Ambergris

Whale excrement once flavored ice cream.

Like other members of the enantiornithine family, the fossilized fledgling (reconstructed here) likely had claws on its wings.

Found: A 127-Million-Year-Old Fossil of a Fledgling

These tiny, prehistoric bones tell a story about flight.

Jessica Leigh Hester March 5, 2018

Alex serenades a Coke can.

Alex the Honking Bird May Be the First Interspecies YouTube Celebrity

The distinctively voiced cockatiel has earned both human and avian fans.

Cara Giaimo March 2, 2018

One of a kind?

How Many Species of Ravens Are There?

It's surprisingly hard to tell.

Jessica Leigh Hester March 2, 2018

Pete French Round Barn.

Diamond, Oregon

Pete French Round Barn

The unique circular corral belonging to the “Cattle King” of Oregon.

The North Atlantic right whale has predictable movement patterns, and sometimes swims close to shore, which can help researchers study it.

How Whale Calls Change Over Time

They start out babbling, and get a lot more eloquent. Sound familiar?

Jessica Leigh Hester February 27, 2018

A group of bonobos.

The Common Language of Gesture Between Bonobos and Chimps

If a bonobo presented you its arm, would you know what it meant?

Natasha Frost February 27, 2018

Martigny, Switzerland

Barryland

Enormous, fluffy dogs frolic around this museum dedicated to a legendary Saint Bernard.

Two short-finned pilot whales move through the ocean.

From Turtles to Whales, Marine Animals Have the Same Moves

With the help of remote tracking devices, scientists are deducing the choreography of the sea.

Cara Giaimo February 26, 2018

Muriwai, New Zealand

Muriwai Gannet Colony

New Zealand's west coast is one of the best places in the world to view these large seabirds.

This plate from <em>Birds of America</em> depicts the American Flamingo.

ornithology collections

The Centuries-Old Mystery of How Florida Got Its Flamingos

How did these statuesque birds get to the peninsula, and where did they go?

Jessica Leigh Hester February 22, 2018

A Kotobuki, a creature consisting of all 12 signs in the Zodiac, from Japanese mythology.

One Artist's Mission to Illustrate All the World's Mythical Beasts

Squonks, Lindworms, Dijiangs, and more.

Anika Burgess February 21, 2018

Bunnies at the dump site back in January.

Las Vegas Bunny-Lovers Are Mobilizing to Save Their Feral Friends

Dozens of "dump site rabbits" were recently killed, but local groups have been rescuing the rest.

Cara Giaimo February 21, 2018

Toy horse tied to a sidewalk ring in Portland, Oregon.

Portland, Oregon

Portland Horse Rings

Tiny horses tethered to antique rings are scattered around the city.

Hodgson among his decoys.

Why Drones Are Counting Thousands of Decoy Ducks

To test the gadget's data skills, researchers speckled a beach with fake fowl.

Jessica Leigh Hester February 20, 2018

The mummy of Fray Lázaro de la Cruz de Santofimia.

Momia de Guano

A mummified Spanish monk found in the walls of an Ecuadorian church, alongside a mummified mouse.

On the left, the red squirrel, which is native to the United Kingdom. On the right, the gray squirrel.

The Average Gray Squirrel Is Surprisingly Good at Problem Solving

Sorry, red squirrels.

Natasha Frost February 20, 2018

The history of rabbit domestication is longer and more complicated than has been claimed to be the case.

What We Thought We Knew About Bunnies Was Wrong

Scientists have debunked a centuries-old legend about rabbit domestication.

Natasha Frost February 19, 2018