On April 23, 2025, the Philadelphia Zoo introduced four female hatchlings of the critically endangered Western Santa Cruz Galápagos tortoises to the public. The new arrivals were named Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, and Sophia — after characters from the iconic television series The Golden Girls. They are the first of their kind to be born at the zoo in its 150-year history. Prior to this, there were only 44 Western Santa Cruz tortoises in US zoos, including three at Philadelphia....

Sharks have always been considered silent swimmers. Unlike most fish, these top ocean predators lack sound-producing organs. But recent research suggests this might not be true for all sharks. At least one species produces noise, challenging our understanding of these stealthy hunters....

When a 5.2 magnitude earthquake struck Southern California on April 14, 2025, a camera at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park captured a powerful display of animal instinct. As the ground shook, three African elephants quickly formed a protective circle around the two young calves. Their reaction offers a rare glimpse into the mammals' natural defense strategy....

Earth Day 2025 marks the 55th anniversary of the global environmental effort that began on April 22, 1970. The first Earth Day united 20 million Americans — about 10% of the US population at the time — to demand environmental protections....

The Kīlauea volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii is famous for its frequent eruptions and breathtaking displays of molten lava. But recent activity has been even more spectacular than usual. Some lava fountains have soared as high as 1,000 feet (304 m). Such eruptions have not been seen in over 65 years....

Fast fashion has made clothing cheaper than ever, but at a high environmental cost. Earth.org estimates that about 92 million tons of unwanted clothing end up in landfills every year. That is the equivalent of a garbage truck full of clothes being dumped every second. Thomas Harter and his team at Austria's Graz University of Technology hope to help reduce this waste by using discarded clothes to create stronger packaging material....

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A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar on March 28, 2025. The magnitude 7.7 tremor devastated Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city. As of March 31, officials have confirmed more than 1,700 deaths. Over 3,400 are injured, and 139 people are still missing....

On March 22, 2025, millions of people worldwide will celebrate Earth Hour. The annual event encourages individuals and businesses to turn off their lights for one hour, from 8:30 to 9:30 PM local time. This symbolic act serves as a reminder of the urgent need to protect our planet from climate change and environmental damage....

Colossal Biosciences is on a quest to bring back the woolly mammoth. On March 1, 2025, the Texas-based startup came one step closer to its goal with the creation of genetically-modified "woolly mice." Featuring thick, golden fur and curled whiskers, the rodents have characteristics similar to those of the woolly mammoth....

With two pairs of antennae, large compound eyes, and four sets of jaws, giant isopods look like creatures from a science fiction movie. Now, researchers have discovered a new "supergiant" isopod species with a head strikingly similar to Darth Vader’s helmet. In a nod to the iconic Star Wars villain, they have named it Bathynomus vaderi (B. vaderi)....

California’s famous bald eagle couple, Jackie and Shadow, are proud parents of triplets. The first eaglet hatched late on March 3, 2025. The second followed shortly after in the early hours of March 4. The third and final eaglet popped out of its eggshell four days later, on March 8. These are the couple’s first successfully hatched chicks since one named Spirit emerged three years ago....

Plants undergoing stress, such as drought or insect damage, use various tactics to defend themselves and warn others of danger. Some release strong scents, while others change color and shape. A recent study found that stressed plants even produce popping or clicking sounds. However, humans cannot hear them because they are at frequencies beyond our hearing range....

Wildlife biologists have discovered the heaviest Florida panther ever recorded. The adult male weighs an impressive 166 pounds (75 kg). This surpasses the typical range of 102 to 154 pounds (46 to 69 kg) for males. Female panthers, which are much smaller, generally weigh between 50 and 108 pounds (22 and 49 kg)....

A kayaker in Chile had the fright of his lifetime when he briefly found himself inside the mouth of a humpback whale. Luckily, the mammal had no interest in eating a human and quickly spat him out....

California's Yosemite National Park is known for its ancient giant sequoia trees and massive rock formations. These include El Capitan and Half Dome. However, from mid-to-late February, the park's main draw is the Horsetail Fall. Under the right conditions, this winter waterfall, takes on a fiery orange glow. This makes it look like lava flowing down El Capitan, giving it the name "firefall."...

After spending months spinning in the Antarctic waters, A23a, the world’s largest iceberg, is on the move again. This massive chunk of ice covers 1,418 square miles (3,673 sq. km). This is more than twice the size of the city of London. It weighs over a trillion tons and is about 1,312 feet (400 m) thick....

Giant pandas are back at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, DC, after 15 months! Three-year-olds Bao Li and Qing Bao made their debut to an excited crowd on January 24, 2025. The cubs arrived from China on October 15, 2024. But they had to complete a three-month quarantine before being introduced to the public....

When a giant, dolphin-like animal washed ashore a beach in Otago, New Zealand, locals alerted the Department of Conservation (DOC). Upon arrival, the experts realized the 16-foot (5-meter) mammal was no dolphin. It was a spade-toothed whale, the rarest whale species known to science....

Since early January 2025, multiple large wildfires have erupted in and around Los Angeles (LA), California, tearing through dry vegetation and destroying entire neighborhoods. As of January 15, 2025, more than 12,000 homes, businesses, schools, and other structures have been destroyed. At least 25 people have died, and more than 100,000 have been forced to flee their homes. Many of these fires are still uncontained. Here is what we know so far....

Boris and Svetlaya, a pair of rescued Amur tigers in Siberia, Russia, have reunited as mates after being separated for more than a year and over 100 miles. Their heartwarming love story began in 2014 when they were just cubs, brought together by fate....

A severe winter storm blanketed the Central and Eastern US with snow and ice. The intense system triggered a state of emergency across several states, from Kansas and Missouri to New Jersey. The Midwest was hit the hardest....

Kasanka National Park in Zambia, Africa, is home to an unlikely natural phenomenon — the world’s largest mammal migration. Each year, from October to December, millions of straw-colored fruit bats from across Africa converge on this evergreen swamp forest. These nocturnal mammals spend their nights feasting on wild fruits in the surrounding farmlands and their days resting in the forest. This cycle continues daily until January when the bats disperse and return to their respective habitats across the continent....

On November 1, 2024, Aron Fowler and his friends were at Ocean Beach, just south of Denmark in Western Australia, when they saw an emperor penguin walking toward them. This aquatic flightless bird had swum over 2,000 miles (3,218 km) from its usual habitat in the icy waters off the Antarctic coast. It was the first recorded sighting of an emperor penguin in Australia....