Manatees have been visiting the Lone Star State for tens of thousands of years. Today’s manatees often summer off the coast of Texas and Florida, heading farther south toward warmer waters in the winter. Now, new fossils suggest that their ice age ancestors may have made the same migrations. EightContinue Reading
Even among its extinct relatives, Megalodon was unequalled in length and mass. Megalodon was the most massive shark that ever lived, and its gargantuan girth was highly unusual even among sharks, scientists recently discovered. In fact, Megalodon’s gigantism — it’s estimated to have measured up to 50 feet (15 meters)Continue Reading
May the roundest boi (or girl) win. Bears are always large and in charge, but during September in southern Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve (KNPP), the brown bears that gather at Brooks River grow cartoonishly round, ushering in a magical time of year — Fat Bear Week. This annualContinue Reading
“It was a brilliant red in the low morning light.” A mysterious, many-armed sea creature — initially described as a large “red glob” — lying on a rocky shore in Washington has drawn in cephalopod experts across the country, each wondering what this gelatinous animal is. The 3.5-foot-long (1 meter)Continue Reading
Rescue efforts are underway to pull the surviving whales back into deeper water. More than 450 pilot whales have become stranded off of Tasmania’s west coast, in what is the worst whale stranding event the Australian island has ever seen. Earlier this week, 270 pilot whales were found stranded onContinue Reading
The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards finalists have been announced The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards finalists have been announced Feast your eyes on some of the most amusing animal photos ever, as the finalists are unveiled for the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020. The competition is designed to raise awareness ofContinue Reading
Only adult cave bear bones have been found until now. Reindeer hunters in Siberia have unearthed the remains of an extinct ice age beast: a mummified cave bear — the only adult of its species ever discovered that still has intact soft tissues, including its fur and even its blackContinue Reading
Why do dogs’ noses usually feel cold and wet? After an especially good belly rub, a dog might bump its nose into its human as a way of saying thanks. Often, this snoot boop feels cold and wet. The owner might wonder: Is it normal for a dog’s nose toContinue Reading
Parenting is tough work for freshwater gharials. Picking the kids up from school takes on a different meaning for crocodylian parents. In this photo, taken by India-based photographer Dhritiman Mukherjee, a male freshwater gharial shows us why. Bobbing in the waters of northern India’s National Chambal Sanctuary, the croc waitsContinue Reading
A new study suggests hibernation is an ancient adaptation to harsh winters. Some 250 million years ago, a Seussian-looking beast with clawed digits, a turtle-like beak and two tusks may have survived Antarctica’s chilly winters not by fruitlessly foraging for food, but by curling up into a sleep-like state, meaningContinue Reading