animals

In 1984, a $57 million gift from David and Lucile Packard helped open Monterey Bay Aquarium; its sea otter programme has since cared for over 1,000 stranded animals and surrogate-raised 84 pups

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In 1984, a $57 million gift from David and Lucile Packard helped open Monterey Bay Aquarium; its sea otter programme has since cared for over 1,000 stranded animals and surrogate-raised 84 pups

In 1984, a $57 million gift from David and Lucile Packard helped turn a former cannery site on California’s Cannery Row into the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Four decades later, the institution is known not only for its kelp forest, jellyfish and deep-sea exhibits, but also for conservation work that reaches far beyond its walls. According … Read more

In 2017, June Thomas started rescuing ‘rez dogs’ from her home in Manitoba; after surveying 200 homes and helping sterilise 65+ animals, she has now opened an on-reserve shelter

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In 2017, June Thomas started rescuing ‘rez dogs’ from her home in Manitoba; after surveying 200 homes and helping sterilise 65+ animals, she has now opened an on-reserve shelter

In 2017, June Thomas began rescuing stray “rez dogs” from her own home on Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation in southern Manitoba, driven by concern for the many unvaccinated, unsterilised animals roaming the reserve. After surveying 200 homes, helping sterilise more than 65 dogs and cats and coordinating several on-reserve clinics, she has now opened … Read more

How animals build complex ‘cities’ without blueprints: The science of self-organizing structures

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African termites and other creatures construct sophisticated structures without a master plan, relying on local interactions. Research reveals how stigmergy facilitates the emergence of complex architecture, supported by studies on termite nests' intricate designs, showcasing simple behaviors leading to remarkable outcomes in nature. (Representational/Unsplash)

Some African termites build mounds that rise more than five meters above the ground, creating towering structures around their colonies. Coral reefs extend for many thousands of kilometers. Spider silk can be stronger than steel by weight. None of these creatures can draw blueprints, but they can still produce structures that are highly sophisticated from … Read more

Iberian lynx fell to just 62 mature animals in 2001; conservation has helped push its population above 2,000

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Iberian lynx fell to just 62 mature animals in 2001; conservation has helped push its population above 2,000

For much of the 20th century, the Iberian lynx was disappearing from the Spanish landscape. By 2001, only 62 mature animals were recorded, leaving one of Europe’s most distinctive wild cats perilously close to extinction. Since then, a sustained conservation programme has altered its trajectory. Reintroductions, captive breeding, habitat restoration and efforts to protect its … Read more

Meet John Moretti: The Texas palaeontologist who put on a wetsuit to search an underwater cave and found Ice Age animals beneath the water

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Meet John Moretti: The Texas palaeontologist who put on a wetsuit to search an underwater cave and found Ice Age animals beneath the water

Paleontologist John Moretti (left) and caver John Young after exploring Bender’s Cave. Image Credit: John Moretti The discovery beneath Bender’s Cave in central Texas began in an underground stream where fossils lay hidden beneath the water. John A. Moretti, a palaeontologist at the University of Texas in Austin, and caver John Young investigated bones preserved … Read more

Florida volunteer pilots started flying animals out of overcrowded shelters in 2010; more than 12,000 rescued dogs and cats have now made the journey

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Florida volunteer pilots started flying animals out of overcrowded shelters in 2010; more than 12,000 rescued dogs and cats have now made the journey

Winter Park nonprofit transports 12,000 animals to Florida rescues A nonprofit network of volunteer pilots based in Winter Park, Florida, has reached a major milestone after flying more than 12,000 rescued dogs and cats from overcrowded animal shelters to adoptive homes across the United States. Founded in 2010, the organization, called Animals Away, connects private … Read more

Underwater sensors caught a rare event off Cornwall: one porpoise became trapped in a net while two animals exchanged possible distress calls

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Underwater sensors caught a rare event off Cornwall: one porpoise became trapped in a net while two animals exchanged possible distress calls

Bycatch, the accidental capture of animals in fishing gear is considered the world’s greatest direct human-caused threat to dolphins and porpoises. Off the coast of Cornwall, a set of underwater sensors was listening to the ocean when it detected something researchers rarely get to see. According to an online report by Phys Org, two harbor … Read more

A huge forested island appeared in a British Columbia reservoir, vanished, then resurfaced 30 km away 15 days later with trees, birds and other animals still aboard

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A huge forested island appeared in a British Columbia reservoir, vanished, then resurfaced 30 km away 15 days later with trees, birds and other animals still aboard

British Columbia reservoirRepresentative image from Canva In the summer of 2026, workers and residents around the Williston Reservoir in northern British Columbia witnessed something that sounded like folklore: a large, forested island broke free from the shoreline, drifted across the lake, disappeared from view, and then turned up again about 30 kilometres away, still carrying … Read more

Meet Sir Darius Brown, the 19-year-old who has made 7,000 bow ties for shelter pets and helped raise more than $500,000 to help animals find homes

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Meet Sir Darius Brown, the 19-year-old who has made 7,000 bow ties for shelter pets and helped raise more than $500,000 to help animals find homes

Photo: Sir Darius Brown/ Instagram When Sir Darius Brown was in elementary school, he struggled with reading and speech challenges that made him feel different from his classmates. He found comfort in animals, and in bow ties. That combination sparked a mission: to help shelter pets get adopted by dressing them in handmade bow ties … Read more

Scientists tested spiders as living DNA traps; their stomach contents can reveal which insects and other animals are living around them

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Scientists tested spiders as living DNA traps; their stomach contents can reveal which insects and other animals are living around them

Wolf spider on white background. Image Credit: Philip N. Cohen/Wikipedia A study published in ‘Experimental and Applied Entomology’ has explored how spiders could tell what animals are living around them by examining traces of prey DNA left inside their bodies. The research tested how ‘reliable prey DNA’ could be found in wolf spiders after feeding … Read more