Land Mammals, features and articles | Educational Science

Feb 8, 2019

This Adorable Cat Was Frozen by the Polar Vortex. But Vets Defrosted Her and Now She's Fine.

Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear ice-encrusted fur. Fluffy, an adorably resilient cat recently survived a brush with the polar vortex after her owners found her covered in chunks of ice and snow. The owners (who were not identified) rushed Fluffy, who looked more ice-ball mop than feline, to...

Mar 11, 2019

Please Don't Hop the Zoo Wall to Take Jaguar Selfies

An Arizona woman has been released from the hospital with minor arm injuries after being attacked by a caged jaguar at the Wildlife World Zoo near Phoenix. According to a statement from the zoo, the woman, in her 30s, climbed over a barrier to get closer to the exhibit for...

Mar 19, 2019

USDA Fed Cats and Dogs to Kittens, Alarming Watchdog Report Claims

The title of the report says it all, USDA Kitten Cannibalism. It seems hard to believe, but an investigation by a nonprofit watchdog group reveals that the U.S. government purchased hundreds of cats and dogs for stomach-churning research projects — projects that the watchdog group describes as needless. The research,...

Mar 20, 2019

Why Did the USDA Perform 'Cat Cannibalism' Experiments?

A new watchdog report claims that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been purchasing cats and dogs at meat markets abroad to use in gruesome experiments here in the United States. The experiments, according to the report, involved feeding their body parts to healthy cats as well as injecting...

Apr 5, 2019

Jaguar Mom Eats Dead Cub, and Zoo Caretakers Can't Explain Why

A newborn jaguar cub lived a mere two days before it died and — to the horror of its caretakers at Associação Mata Ciliar in Brazil — its mother gobbled it up. Why would a mother eat her cub? It's hard to say, because there's still much to learn about...

Apr 23, 2019

Ringtail Cats: Photos of the 'Cutest Animal in North America'

Home sweet home (Image credit: Linda & Dr. Dick Buscher)The American West is a vast and geographically unique region of North America. It is a land of vast deserts, of high, forest-covered mountain ranges and of temperate rainforests. It is also a land of iconic symbols like the Sonoran Desert...

Apr 30, 2019

Feral Cats in Australia Sentenced to Death by Sausage

It's raining poison sausages in Australia, in regions of the country that are home to thousands of feral cats. Airplanes dropped the deadly bait over dozens of square miles of ground, as part of the Australian government's initiative to reduce populations of feral felines. These invasive predators kill hundreds of...

May 7, 2019

Cats 'Farm' Bacteria in Their Butts. Here's Why.

Cats do weird things: Bite ankles, run laps around your apartment for no apparent reason, and freak out at the sight of their own shadows. But perhaps the oddest of them all is this: They farm bacteria in their butts. Why do they do this? Cats use their anal glands...

May 9, 2019

100-Plus Neglected Lions Found With Mange, Neurological Problems, on South African Farm

More than 100 lions at a captive breeding facility in South Africa have been found to be neglected, ill and covered with mange. According to the Humane Society International, the lions were discovered on April 11 by inspectors with the National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to...

May 17, 2019

Internet's Famous Grumpy Cat Dies at Age 7

The Internet's beloved Grumpy Cat died on Tuesday, at age 7, from complications following a urinary tract infection. The lovable grump, with her permanently frowning face, became an internet sensation at just 5 months old, when a photo of her was posted on Reddit back in 2012. [6 Secrets to...

Jun 19, 2019

Meet the Cat-Fox, an Oddball Feline Roaming Around a French Island

A bizarre-looking cat that roams the remote forests of the French island of Corsica may be a new species, according to local news reports. These felines are known to locals as cat-foxes, and wildlife rangers in Corsica think that they might be a new, undocumented species, according to the Agence...

Jul 11, 2019

Cats in Australia Kill Over 2 Billion Wild Animals Each Year

When cats roam free, small wild animals die. And the body count in Australia exceeds 2 billion native animals per year. Environmental researchers in Australia compiled the alarming figure by combing through hundreds of studies on the predatory habits of Australia's free-ranging pet cats as well as feral felines. The...

Jul 24, 2019

Here's the Best Way to Pet a Cat, According to Science

Many of us will have experienced that super friendly cat who seems to love being stroked one minute, only to bite or swipe at us the next. It might be easy at this point to blame it on the cat, but what's likely happening here is that we're just not...

Feb 5, 2020

Live Science podcast "Life's Little Mysteries" 3: Mysterious cats

In today's episode of our Life's Little Mysteries podcast, we'll take a closer look at one of the most puzzling animals on our planet, and one that you may share your home with: cats. Why do cats love boxes, why do they wiggle their butts before pouncing, and does catnip...

Apr 9, 2020

Yellowstone study finds plague (yes, that plague) in nearly half of tested cougars

The plague is notorious for killing tens of millions of people throughout history, but a new study has revealed that the deadly bacteria is now infecting an entirely different victim: Cougars living in the greater Yellowstone area. Researchers tested 28 cougars (also known as pumas or mountain lions) for the...