A kangaroo rat emerges from its burrow after sunset. The desert surface that was dangerously hot only hours earlier is beginning to cool. The small rodent pauses, listens, and then …
A spotted hyena approaches the remains of an ungulate carcass. Much of the obvious meat may already be gone, but the carcass is far from nutritionally irrelevant. Skin, connective tissue, …
As daylight fades over a Southeast Asian rainforest, an orangutan moving through the canopy begins looking for somewhere to spend the night. There is no permanent bedroom waiting. Instead, the …
A Bird Eats a Berry — and a Plant May Appear Somewhere Else High in an Australian woodland, a male mistletoebird moves among branches carrying clusters of ripe mistletoe fruit. …
A newly hatched loggerhead sea turtle reaches the edge of the beach and enters an ocean that, from its perspective, contains no road signs, trail markers, or familiar landmarks. Soon, …
A tall, red-coated canid moves through a South American grassland on impossibly long-looking black legs. At one moment it may be listening for a rodent hidden in the vegetation. Later, …
A polar bear moving across Arctic sea ice can appear to be searching an empty landscape. The surface may stretch for miles with little more than snow, pressure ridges, cracks, …
A wolverine crossing a snow-covered mountain can look remarkably well suited to the landscape. Its broad feet spread with each step, its compact body stays low to the ground, and …
Across an open Arctic landscape, a group of musk oxen notices wolves approaching in the distance. The herd becomes more compact. Large adults turn toward the threat, while younger and …
A black-tailed prairie dog stands upright beside its burrow, watching movement across the grassland. A potential predator is approaching. Seconds later, a sharp vocalization carries through the colony, and nearby …