Animals

National

Agriculture industry takes steps to reduce methane, a potent greenhouse gas

4:25pm July 20, 2023

by Rae Solomon

The biggest source of climate-warming methane in the U.S. is animal agriculture. America's biggest cattle feedlot operator is funding new research, with motives beyond reducing greenhouse gases.

In this aerial image made from video, a dingo walks on beach on K'gari, formerly known as Fraser Island, Australia, on Monday, July 17, 2023.

World News

Dingo pack leader killed after attacking a jogger on a popular Australian island

1:05am July 20, 2023

by The Associated Press

Wildlife authorities have killed the leader of a pack of dingoes that mauled a jogger on a popular Australian tourist island in a ferocious attack that a rescuer said could have been fatal.

A pacu — a relative of the piranha, but with molar-like teeth — was caught in a neighborhood pond in Oklahoma.

An 11-year-old boy caught a fish with 'human-like teeth' in an Oklahoma pond

1:39pm July 19, 2023

by Bill Chappell

A boy in Oklahoma reeled in an alarmingly weird catch this past weekend: a pacu, the South American fish that's a cousin of the piranha — and whose humanlike teeth have long struck fear in swimmers.

Scientists have identified a fossil of an herbivorous dinosaur, Psittacosaurus, being bitten by a mammal, Repenomamus.

Science

This fossil of a mammal biting a dinosaur captures a death battle's final moments

7:27pm July 18, 2023

by Ari Daniel

A 125-million-year-old fossil from the early Cretaceous shows the skeletons of a smaller mammal biting a larger horned dinosaur, suggesting a much more complex ancient food web.

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A southern otter in Santa Cruz, Calif., catches a wave after stealing a surfer's board.

Sports

An otter in Santa Cruz is hassling surfers — and stealing their boards

5:27pm July 15, 2023

by Dustin Jones

The 5-year-old female southern sea otter was first seen hijacking surfboards in Santa Cruz last September. Officials successfully drove the otter away from the area, but she has since returned.

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Luna the French Bulldog dressed up for the National Independence Day Parade in Washington, DC, on July 4th.

5 tips to keep your pet safe — and comfortable — in extreme heat

5:00am July 15, 2023

by Rachel Treisman

"If it's hot outside for you, it's most likely even hotter for your pet," one expert tells NPR. Here's how to protect your pet outdoors, keep them engaged inside and respond to signs of heat stroke.

Economy

The black market endangered this frog. Can the free market save it?

4:51pm July 14, 2023

by Stan Alcorn

How one person tried to put an end to the poison frog black market by breeding and selling frogs legally.

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A group of fisherman drive pilot whales towards the shore during a hunt in the Faroe Islands in May 2019.

World News

78 pilot whales were slaughtered near a cruise ship carrying marine conservationists

1:13pm July 14, 2023

by Emily Olson

Passengers of the Ambassador Cruise Line had just arrived in the Faroe Islands when a group of small boats drove the whales to shallow water for killing, part of a long-standing local tradition.

A week in science: A copper-age "queen," a sea squirt and malaria-fighting mosquitoes

4:44pm July 13, 2023

NPR's Adrian Florido talks with Short Wave hosts Regina Barber and Geoff Brumfiel about a copper-age "queen," a 500-million-year-old sea squirt, and a way to help mosquitoes fight malaria.

Mail delivery in a Texas neighborhood has been suspended by a persistent hawk

5:55am July 13, 2023

In the Austin community of Travis Heights, a bird is dive-bombing mail carriers, and anyone else walking outside. A biologist says the hawk is likely defending its hatchlings.