Ten Strange, Endearing and Alarming Animal Courtship Rituals

To celebrate humans' holiday of love and romance, our blogger asked biologists for tales of fascinating animal mating habits. Here are some of the strangest and most endearing.

Christine Peterson

They’re Electric: Two New Fish Species Discovered in Gabon

Not your typical fish story: Journey to Gabon to encounter two new species of electric fish.

Matthew L. Miller

White Deer: Understanding a Common Animal of Uncommon Color

For millennia, people have regarded white deer with a mix of reverence, superstition and scientific misinformation. And it continues to this day. What’s the real story of these ghost-like animals?

Matthew L. Miller

A Long Journey to 5,000 Birds: 34 Years, 6 Continents, & 47 Countries

Conservancy birder Tim Boucher just saw his 5,000th life bird. But what does it take to see 5,000 of anything? And what has he learned through 34 years of birding?

Timothy Boucher

Recovery: Rehoming Brook Trout, the Dweller of Springs

Throughout its natural range, the brook trout is finding less and less of what it needs most: clean, cold water. But recovery efforts are underway, Ted Williams reports.

Ted Williams

How Do Birds Stay Warm on a Cold Winter’s Night?

Winter is a tough time for birds, but a warm place to sleep can give them an edge. A scientist’s look at the cozy, and often crazy, hideouts birds choose as their winter bedrooms.

Joe Smith

Snow Birds: 10 Birds to Look for in Winter

Winter birding isn’t easy, but it is amazing. If you’re ready to brave the cold, here are 10 winter-only species to search for this month.

Justine E. Hausheer

Weird Conservation: The Strange Side of Saving Endangered Species

When scientists need to save an endangered species, sometimes the solution is straightforward. But sometimes, conservation requires that you built a robot, search for poop, or devise a seemingly endless variety of techniques to collect animal semen. Nature is weird, but conservation is weirder.

Justine E. Hausheer

Recovery: Hope for Black-Footed Ferrets, One of Our Most Endangered Mammals

Recovery of black-footed ferrets seemed unlikely. Many environmentalists, including writer Ted Williams, considered the captive breeding program doomed. Thirty years later, Williams rethinks the situation for one of our most endangered animals.

Ted Williams

Holiday Treat: What’s the Difference Between Reindeer and Caribou?

Take a look at the natural history of one of our most popular holiday symbols: the reindeer.

Ronnie Drever

Gar of Thrones: Winter is Coming

Winter is coming … and not just for Game of Thrones fans. How does an ancient fish survive in cold weather? Blogger Solomon David’s latest research offers some intriguing answers.

Solomon David

Recovery: The Miracle on Palmyra

Palmyra Atoll has recovered from many calamities, but it couldn’t recover from rats. Can a dying ecosystem be brought back to life? Ted Williams reports.

Ted Williams