ANIMALS

Entering a vulnerable position may seem like the worse way to get out of an emergency, but "playing dead" can be life-saving for some animals.

Even when two-thirds of their bodies are composed of fungal spores, the host cicadas continue to attempt mating in a drugged-out stupor.

As much as ​some Potterheads may wish they could have some of the animals from Harry Potter, whether it be a half-kneazle or a hippogriff, realistically, most of those creatures have to remain in the world of fantasy.

Its been just over 60 years since we discovered the species—and now there may be less than 20 of them left in the world.

Scientists usually study male lab rats because they believe that females’ hormonal changes would skew results, but there’s more to the story.

The number of fats cats and plus-sized dogs is on the rise. A new report from a veterinary group warns that chronic health conditions can be the result.

Central Park in New York City is home to thousands of Eastern gray squirrels. Last year, a team of 300 volunteers counted them all.

In a society overrun by fashion magazines, beauty contests, and Instagram models, it’s nice when the not-so-photogenic are appreciated. Case in point: Scamp the Tramp, who was just named 2019’s World’s Ugliest Dog.

The endangered tapir faces threats like poaching, habitat loss, and trafficking, but Nai Conservation, an organization in Costa Rica, is leading a grassroots effort to save the species.

For animals, the 18th-century naturalist Carl von Linné introduced the system of binominal nomenclature, where animals have names composed of two parts.

Just one in two million lobsters have a distinctive blue shell, which often gives them a reprieve from being served up as someone's dinner.

Scientists are eager to study the carnivore's severed head—which was found with its teeth, fur, and brain still intact after tens of thousands of years.