Jul 10 2025
Capybaras have become unlikely internet celebrities. With their enormous barrel-shaped bodies, calm expressions, tiny ears, and apparent talent for looking completely unbothered by whatever is happening around them, these South American mammals have inspired memes, videos, toys, and a very enthusiastic global fan base. But capybaras are much more interesting than their laid-back online reputation …
Jun 08 2025
From a blue whale large enough to dwarf almost every animal that has ever lived to a tiny seahorse clinging to a blade of seagrass, the ocean contains an astonishing variety of life. Some marine animals cross entire ocean basins. Others spend nearly their whole lives within a coral reef. Some breathe air, some filter …
Jun 01 2025
Few animals capture the imagination quite like dinosaurs. Tyrannosaurus rex still towers over museum halls and movie screens, Velociraptor has become a pop-culture celebrity, and enormous long-necked sauropods seem almost too large to have been real. But paleontology has changed dramatically since many of us first learned about dinosaurs. We now know that some dinosaurs …
May 31 2025
Parrots are easy to recognize but surprisingly difficult to summarize. Some are tiny enough to sit comfortably in your hand, while others are among the largest and heaviest birds capable of calling themselves parrots. Some live in enormous flocks, some form close pairs, some climb through trees almost as much as they fly, and one …
Apr 17 2025
When the sun disappears and most familiar backyard birds settle down for the night, another group of remarkable flying animals begins its shift. Bats emerge from trees, caves, bridges, buildings, rock crevices, and other daytime roosts to search for insects, fruit, nectar, fish, and other foods. Some navigate darkness with extraordinary echolocation systems. Others pollinate …
Apr 14 2025
With their bright bills, black-and-white feathers, and slightly comical walk, puffins look almost too charming to be real. But behind that colorful appearance is a remarkably well-adapted seabird built for a life spent diving, fishing, flying, and surviving on the open ocean. There are three living species of puffin: the Atlantic puffin, horned puffin, and …
Feb 11 2025
Spring tides are periods when the difference between high tide and low tide is greater than usual. Despite the name, they have nothing to do with the season of spring. They happen because of the combined gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun. When the Sun, Moon, and Earth line up during a new …
Oct 23 2024
High in the mountains of Central and South Asia lives one of the world’s most elusive wild cats.Snow leopards move across steep cliffs, rocky valleys, and snowy slopes with such effective camouflage that they can seemingly disappear into the landscape. Their thick gray coats, enormous paws, powerful hind legs, and extraordinarily long tails are all …
Jun 20 2024
A bee disappearing into a squash blossom, a butterfly resting on a coneflower, or a hummingbird hovering beside a trumpet-shaped bloom may look like an ordinary moment in the garden. Behind each visit, however, is a biological partnership that helps flowering plants reproduce and supports food webs, wildlife habitats, farms, and gardens around the world. …
May 13 2024
Every spring and fall, billions of birds embark on journeys that can stretch across countries, continents, and oceans. Some travel only a few hundred miles, while others make astonishing migrations of several thousand miles. Even more remarkable is their ability to arrive in the right place, often returning to the same breeding grounds, wintering areas, …
