ZOOLOGY

11 Primal Facts About Dian Fossey

Get to know the real-life researcher behind "Gorillas in the Mist," who was born on this day in 1932.

Inside the Matchmaking Service for Cheetahs

If you’ve seen a cheetah in an American zoo in the past 40 years, there’s a decent chance it spent time at Oregon’s Wildlife Safari.

Why Do Female Spotted Hyenas Give Birth Through Their Pseudo-Penises?

The better question is, are you sure you really want to know the answer?

After Years of Searching, Scientists Finally Found This Coconut-Cracking Giant Rat

The vika is the subject of folk songs and nursery rhymes, but scientists had never found a real specimen before.

Paul Mannix, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 2.0

Scientists Improve Drug Safety—for Penguins

People aren't the only ones threatened by drug-resistant microbes.

PiccoloNamek, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

How Just One Nasty Winter Forced This Lizard to Evolve

"Selection always comes at a cost, which is death, basically."

Sylke Rohrlach, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 2.0

These Strange Sea Spiders Breathe Through Their Legs

We know that humans breathe through their lungs and fish breathe through their gills—but where exactly does that leave sea spiders?

Seagulls in Namibia Are Attacking Baby Seals

Lots of beach-goers find seagulls annoying, but usually the only harm they do is snatching away poorly-guarded snacks. On one particular beach, though, scientists have found that some gulls have a much more aggressive and grisly way of getting their meals

Vultures Surf on Humans’ Hot Air

It’s not just people that harness energy from power plants - birds also use them in their own way.

Male Sea Lions are Lazy Mama’s Boys

For Some Animals, Baby's First Meal is Its Mother

This Bug Only Warns You Not to Attack It After You Attack It

Bug’s Color is Warning for One Predator, Invisible to Another

Snake Moms-To-Be Seek Out Toxic Prey

Seals Might Eavesdrop on Scientific Equipment to get Easy Meals

Why Does the Scent of Blood Attract Carnivores?

These Monkeys Use Scientists as “Human Shields”

South Africa’s samango monkeys live on what ecologists call a “vertical axis of fear.” They live and eat in trees, and if they climb too high looking for food, they’re liable to get attacked and eaten by an eagle. If they venture too low, it’s leopards an