Animals

74 Days After A Daring Escape, African Sulcata Tortoise Returns Home

7:02am August 25, 2020

Soloman's travels took him less than a mile from his Tennessee home. He was found at a construction site. His owners don't know all the details of his adventure or how he eluded them for so long.

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Researchers have spotted the Somali sengi, a relative of aardvarks and elephants, in Djibouti.

Tiny Elephant Shrew Resurfaces After More Than 50 Years On Lost Species List

2:33pm August 24, 2020

The mouse-size Somali sengi — a kind of elephant shrew with a pointy nose and large, adorable eyes — was thought to be a lost species. Researchers recently spotted the creature in Djibouti.

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Science

Study Finds Painting Eyes On Cows' Butts Can Save Their Lives

7:49am August 23, 2020

Researchers in Botswana have found that painting large eyes on the rear ends of cows wards off predators. They hope that fewer attacks will reduce livestock losses.

Giant panda Mei Xiang is seen after giving birth to a cub Friday at the National Zoo in Washington.

National

Smithsonian National Zoo's Giant Panda Gives Birth

8:42pm August 21, 2020

by Vanessa Romo

"A precious giant panda cub has arrived!" overjoyed officials announce in a tweet Friday. Mei Xiang is caring for the newborn "attentively."

World News

'Dogs Are Not Cuddly Toys': New Law Requires Germans To Walk Their Dogs Twice A Day

4:05pm August 20, 2020

Germany's Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture has announced a new law that would make all owners walk their dogs twice a day, starting next year.

Science

Why Do Zebras Have Stripes?

4:05pm August 20, 2020

The stripes on zebras have been found to repel flies. But now researchers have found a black-and-white checkered pattern will, too — making them question the optical effect behind the phenomenon.

A proposed German law would require dogs to get exercise twice a day. Here, two pooches go for a walk in Frankfurt in 2016.

World News

Germany's Proposed Dog Walking Law Stirs Consternation Among Pet Owners

3:18pm August 20, 2020

by Laurel Wamsley

"Two hours of walking will soon be mandatory?" asks one headline in the German press. "Is the paternalism going too far?" demands another.

Competition For New Zealander Of The Year Has Gotten A Little Furrier

6:56am August 20, 2020

Nominated alongside the prime minister and the country's health director is Mittens. The cat roams Wellington and has become a celebrity of sorts. Mittens already has a key to the city.

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Barbijo penguins gather on South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, in 2019. But that's probably not where their ancestors lived.

The Evolutionary History Of Penguins Is Far From Black And White

5:34pm August 18, 2020

New research suggests that penguins' ancestors originated not in frozen Antarctica but, instead, off the coasts of Australia and New Zealand, adapting to new climes over 22 million years.

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Ultrasound: Giant Panda At Smithsonian National Zoo Is Pregnant

6:32am August 18, 2020

Veterinarians at the zoo in Washington, D.C., performed an ultrasound on the giant panda, and videos show a well developed fetus. Mei Xiang's pregnancy is considered high risk.

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