A newborn bison calf in Yellowstone National Park had to be euthanized after a visitor handled it in May 2023 – a recent example of how trying to help wild animals often harms them.
Photographing a bear in Yellowstone National Park at a distance the National Park Service calls safe – at least 100 yards from a predator.
Jim Peaco, NPS/Flickr
The recent goring of a tourist who approached within 10 feet of a bison in Yellowstone National Park is a reminder that wild animals can be dangerous and people should keep safe distances.
Murmurations can have as many as 750,000 birds flying in unison.
mikedabell/iStock via Getty Images
These coordinated movements of a flock of starlings follow no plan or leader. Scientists used to think the animals must communicate via ESP to create these fast-moving blobs.
Outdoor recreation is booming across the US, but research shows that the presence of humans – or the trails they hike and ski on – can have harmful effects on wildlife at less-than-close range.
Costa’s Hummingbirds are frequent visitors at feeders in Arizona and southern California.
Julian Avery
Millions of Americans feed wild birds, especially in winter and spring. Studies show that this can influence birds’ health and behavior in surprising ways.
Dr. Winifred Frick examines a bat for white-nose syndrome.
Alan Hicks
Wildlife TV producers used to think that focus on environmental issues could only be structured around doom and gloom stories – scaring away large audiences.
A bear leaving its calling card.
Dean Harvey/Flickr
Once hunted into corners of North America, black bears have expanded across the continent since the early 1900s. But bears that end up living near people aren’t seeking close encounters.
Of more than 500 species of sharks in the world’s oceans, scientists have only sequenced a handful of genomes – most recently, white sharks.
Terry Goss/Wikimedia
Why do scientists spend so much time and money mapping the DNA of species like white sharks? Single studies may offer insights, but the real payoff comes in comparing many species to each other.
A Northern Spotted Owl in Oregon’s Deschutes National Forest.
AP Photo/Don Ryan, File
The Trump administration wants to step up logging, saying it will benefit wildlife by reducing forest fire risks. But wildfires create habitat for threatened Spotted Owls and many other species.
Each wolf calls with its own ‘voice.’
Angela Dassow
Tracking wild animals can provide lots of valuable data. New research suggests audio recordings of wild wolves can replace the typical radio collars, which can be expensive and intrusive.
A polar bear breaks through think Arctic ice.
USGS
A new study shows that polar bears require more food than previously thought. The scientists used collars that tracked bears’ movements and metabolic rates.
Coyote at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado.
USFWS/Flickr
The US Department of Agriculture kills thousands of predators yearly, mainly for attacking livestock. A conservation biologist explains why this policy is ineffective and ecologically harmful.
March Mammal Madness, a tournament of imaginary contests between pairs of mammals, makes science irreverent and fun. The event has thousands of fans and is used in hundreds of classrooms.
Guys, I’m just trying to hibernate over here.
Jason Cohn / Reuters