Animals, features and articles | Educational Science

Aug 31, 2016

Cute Insect-Murdering Mammal Had Roots in Dinosaur Age

Hundreds of years ago, hungry barn owls gobbled down small mammals called Nesophontes and regurgitated pellets of their remains. That mammal is now extinct, but a genetic analysis of the owl pellets reveals how it evolved from some of the earliest mammals approximately 70 million years ago. Nesophontes was a...

Jun 30, 2016

Addax Facts: Endangered Antelope Faces Extinction

The addax is a species of antelope. Addaxes are also known as white antelopes and the screwhorn antelopes. They are critically endangered; there may be only three remaining in the wild. Extinction may not be imminent, however; about 2,000 are kept in zoos and on ranches around the world. Size...

Jun 30, 2016

Photos: The Many Mammals of the North American Deserts

A living desert (Image credit: Linda & Dr. Dick Buscher)The North American deserts are teeming with mammals that are both colorful and uniquely adapted to the harsh environmental conditions. Many such mammals have learned to not only survive but thrive when living close to humans in desert communities. This urban...

Jun 30, 2016

Facts About Regal Blue Tangs

One of the biggest movie stars of 2016 is Dory, a precocious and forgetful fish featured in Finding Dory. Dory is a cartoon depiction of a Paracanthurus hepatus, a type of surgeonfish that also has many common names. This fish's common names include palette surgeonfish, flagtail surgeonfish, blue surgeonfish, common...

Jun 30, 2016

Facts About Clownfish

Best known for being featured in the movies “Finding Nemo” and “Finding Dory,” the clownfish has become a popular aquarium pet. Nemo and his dad, Marlin, are ocellaris clownfish, also called false clownfish or clown anemonefish. Anemonefish are so-named for the sea anemones in which they make their homes. There...

Jun 30, 2016

Vibrantly Colored 'Starburst' Scorpionfish Discovered in the Caribbean

A riotously colorful new species of scorpionfish has been found deep in the Caribbean near Curaçao. The fish is orange-red, with splashes of yellow and pink decorating its fins and face. Its scientific name is Scorpaenodes barrybrowni, after nature photographer Barry Brown, who works with the Smithsonian Institution mission that...

May 31, 2016

Airplane-Size Seabird Flew Above Antarctica 50 Million Years Ago

A prehistoric seabird that was the size of a small airplane and had a mouthful of sharp teeth once soared over ancient Antarctica, occasionally stopping to snag fish and squid, a new study finds. Researchers found a broken 3.3-inch-long (8.5 centimeters) piece of the bird's humerus (upper arm bone) on...

May 31, 2016

Facts About Otters

With long, sleek, streamlined bodies and webbed feet, otters are born swimmers. They are found in waterways on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. They are often seen floating on their backs. Their thick fur traps air and makes them buoyant. Unfortunately, the fur is highly coveted, and otters have...

Apr 30, 2016

6 Spectacular Species Named for David Attenborough

Inspiring science Sir David Attenborough in Beijing, holding a fossil of hadrocodium, as featured in the Smithsonian Channel series, “Rise of Animals – Triumph of the Vertebrates,” premiering Wednesday, May 13. (Image credit: Smithsonian Channel)Sir David Attenborough has pretty much seen it all (at least when it comes to the...

Mar 31, 2016

Why Hope Remains for Saving the World's Largest Gorillas (Op-Ed)

Andrew Plumptre is a senior conservationist in the Uganda Program at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). Stuart Nixon is a conservationist at Chester Zoo in the U.K. who was working with Fauna & Flora International at the time these surveys were made. Radar Nishuli is chief park warden for the...

Feb 29, 2016

Relax, Beached 'Sea Monster' Just a Whale's Head

A large, shapeless, gray mass that recently washed ashore on a Mexican beach had officials and observers alike scratching their heads over what in the world the thing could be. People guessed it might be a giant squid, a type of whale or perhaps some sort of unknown, monstrous creature....

Feb 29, 2016

Species Success Stories: 10 Animals Back from the Brink

Back from the brink (Image credit: Steve Hillebrand / USFWS)Conservation efforts can make a big difference for threatened and endangered species around the world, from bald eagles to sea turtles. By protecting vulnerable animal populations and helping them to recover, stabilize and even to grow — as seen in these...

Feb 29, 2016

8 Animals That Show Their Love in Painful Ways

8 Species That Mate Through the Pain (Image credit: Oliver Koemmerling / CC BY-SA 3.0)For humans and for certain other animals recreational sex can be highly enjoyable. Even procreative sex among primates and some mammals is thought to provide pleasure for the participants. But for many animal species that's just...

Jan 31, 2016

Groundhogs on the Menu? The Wild History of Punxsutawney Phil

Punxsutawney Phil may not know it, but groundhogs were part of the menu on Groundhog Day in the late 1800s. Apparently, groundhogs were the other white meat on that day. These days, Punxsutawney Phil doesn't have to worry about ending up on a dish. Revelers gather in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where...

Jan 31, 2016

Tarantula in Black: Dark, Hairy Spider Named After Johnny Cash

A newly discovered tarantula sports a black coat that is as dark and brooding as its celebrity namesake: the renowned singer Johnny Cash. Tarantulas, the hairy spiders that stole movie scenes and won hearts in popular films like Home Alone, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Dr. No, take a...