301 Items Tagged

Wildlife

10 Reasons Why You Should Visit the Bradenton Area

From a towering mastodon skeleton to a funky art village and a serene riverwalk, here are supercool stops in the Friendly City.

Sponsored by Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau

African penguins develop a unique arrangement of black speckles on their white bellies at around three months old.

How Polka Dots Help African Penguins Stand Out From the Crowd

A new study shows how the birds identify their mates in a sea of black and white.

Roxanne Hoorn November 30, 2023

Anna's hummingbird is one of 152 North American bird species that will have a different common name in the coming years.

ornithology collections

North American Birds Will No Longer Be Named After People

Renaming birds isn’t new, but this official change could be the start of something larger.

Roxanne Hoorn November 9, 2023

<em>Leopardus guigna</em>, or kodkod, is the smallest wild cat in the Americas, and is often smaller than an average house cat.

The Smallest Wild Cat in the Americas Is Also the Cutest Bad Omen

In rural Chile, the kodkod, or güiña, has a bad rep for stealing chickens—and as a portent of death and disaster.

Roxanne Hoorn November 1, 2023

All illustrations: John Mata for Atlas Obscura

The Atlas Obscura Crossword: Animal Crossing

AO Puzzles October 9, 2023

While they are technically American black bears (<em>Ursus americanus</em>), many of the bears around Mammoth Lakes have brown, blond, or even ginger fur.

In Mammoth Lakes, Bears, Tourists, and Locals Learn to Coexist

Animal Planet's 'Bear Whisperer' shares how the California town copes with both dumpster-diving bears and human party animals.

Steve Searles and Chris Erskine October 4, 2023

Researchers in an inflatable boat prepare to tag a bull shark they have flipped on its back, inducing tonic immobility. Science cannot yet explain why many species seem to go into a trance in this position.

To Track Bull Sharks, First Hit Their Snooze Button

For these researchers in Southern Africa, tagging the apex predators starts with putting them in trancelike tonic immobility.

Ryan Truscott September 20, 2023

The pekapeka-tou-poto, found only in New Zealand, is also known as the lesser short-tailed bat.

The Race to Save the Pekapeka-Tou-Poto, New Zealand's Unique Bat

For scientists, monitoring the feisty, endangered burrowing bat includes moments of "actual madness."

Monica Evans September 14, 2023

When whale sharks congregate, tourists often do, too. Responsible tourism can help minimize the disruption.

Can We Swim With Whale Sharks Responsibly?

How to—and, more importantly, how not to—have an unforgettable wildlife encounter with the biggest fish in the sea.

Roxanne Hoorn September 12, 2023

Our first place winner is Mark Yuan's photograph of an Allen's hummingbird drinking water droplets in Fremont, California.

Our Final Summer Snaps Photo Contest Winners: Wildlife

For the last days of summer, we're going au naturel!

Winnie Lee September 12, 2023

Podcast: Animal Encounters - Face to Face Yet Again

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

The Podcast Team September 6, 2023

Conway, South Carolina

Venus Flytraps at Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve

A famous—but endangered—plant is on view at an unassuming nature preserve a quick drive from Myrtle Beach.

Waites Island, South Carolina

Waites Island

A wildlife-filled oasis just off the coast of Myrtle Beach.

Georgetown, South Carolina

Hobcaw Barony

This former hunting grounds that once attracted U.S. presidents and other luminaries. Now it’s a privately owned research reserve dedicated to environmental sciences.

Rio Celeste

9 Places to Unearth Costa Rica’s Hidden Wonders

Beyond the beaches and volcanos exists a wild and quirky wonderland.

Sponsored by Visit Costa Rica

Monteverde, Costa Rica

Reserva Curi Cancha

This wildlife refuge is home to more than 200 species of birds, as well as monkeys, lizards, and other wildlife.

The Chernobyl Disaster Created an Unexpected Predator Paradise

In a corner of Belarus, wolves and lynx thrive as a new and surprising ecosystem evolves in the wake of disaster.

Wojciech Mikołuszko August 30, 2023

Mexican free-tailed bats emerging from Eckert James River Bat Cave Preserve in Texas.

How to Go Bat-Watching

Once the sun goes down, these furry fliers get active. You can spot them almost anywhere you go, if you know how to look.

Casey Langton May 27, 2024