Animals

National

Hunting And National Parks Don't Mix Except When It Comes To Feral Hogs

1:06pm May 26, 2016

by Nathan Rott

There's an aggressive hunting program going on in the back country of Great Smoky Mountains National Park targeting wild hogs. Hogs are invasive and hugely destructive to the natural environment.

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Bella And Max Are Top Dog Names In New York City

7:08am May 26, 2016

Since 2008, Bella has been the city's most popular dog name. That's when the last of Stephenie Meyer's vampire-themed Twilight novels featuring heroine Bella Swan was published.

Female Drosophila bifurca flies have an organ to store sperm (right) that male flies compete to fill, crowding out rivals.

For Female Fruit Flies, Mr. Right Has The Biggest Sperm

8:25pm May 25, 2016

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

It's not unusual for males to try to impress females with big body parts. Consider antlers on deer, or elaborate tails on peacocks. Some male fruit flies take a different approach: giant sperm.

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What Is The Meaning Behind The Moo?

11:38am May 25, 2016

by Kristofor Husted

Researchers are trying to figure out what cows are saying to each other — and us. Often, it seems that cows moo to communicate that something is wrong, or different.

A promo image for the Skunk Bear micro-doc, "Secrets Of The Snowy Owls."

We Followed A Snowy Owl From Maryland To Ontario

7:41am May 24, 2016

by Adam Cole

In the spring of 2015, a snowy owl named Baltimore was fitted with a backpack GPS transmitter. The data that transmitter collected over the past year shines a light on a mysterious species.

Why Your Dog Doesn't Respond To You When You're Angry

7:28am May 24, 2016

Researchers found that dogs responded more slowly when volunteers expressed negative emotions — like frowny faces, harsh tones and creased brows — while pointing to treats.

Dehorned rhinos roam a private ranch in South Africa in February. The country's Supreme Court of Appeal has lifted a domestic ban on trading rhino horns.

World News

Rhino-Horn Trade OK'd By South African Court, Lifting Domestic Ban

6:20pm May 23, 2016

by Dana Farrington

International trade of rhino horns is still banned, though illicit trade continues. South Africa has the world's largest rhino population; more than 1,000 were killed by poachers last year.

Wearing his prosthetic, goat-like legs (and a crash helmet, just in case), Thomas Thwaites interacts with an alpine goat.

What Does The Goat Man Say? Baa, Maa Or 'I'm Crazy'

7:00am May 22, 2016

by Marc Silver

Deep (and not-so-deep) thoughts from Thomas Thwaites, author of GoatMan: How I Took a Holiday from Being Human.

Chechnya's leader Ramzan Kadyrov posted on Instagram that he has "completely lost" his cat.

World News

Chechen Strongman Takes To Instagram To Search For His Lost Cat

12:48pm May 21, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

"We have begun to seriously worry," leader Ramzan Kadyrov tells his 1.8 million Instagram followers. He's known for ruling the Russian republic with an iron fist and stiffing dissent.

University of Florida researchers recently published a paper showing that captured reptiles in 2009, 2011 and 2014 are Nile crocs.

National

Nile Crocodiles Found Near Miami, Researchers Confirm

5:48pm May 20, 2016

by Laura Wagner

Three crocodiles captured near Miami in 2009, 2011 and 2014 are indeed Nile crocodiles. They are bigger and far more aggressive than the American crocodiles that are native to the Florida Everglades.