The platypus looks as if several unrelated animals were combined into one body: dense mammalian fur, a broad sensitive bill, webbed feet, a beaver-like tail, and an egg-laying reproductive system. …
A mantis shrimp does not look like an animal capable of producing one of the fastest strikes in the ocean. Yet some “smasher” species accelerate a hammer-like appendage so rapidly …
Naked mole rats look fragile: wrinkled skin, tiny eyes, prominent teeth, and bodies barely larger than a mouse. Yet beneath that unusual appearance lies one of the most remarkable biological …
A peregrine falcon high above the landscape can transform from a soaring bird into one of nature’s most extraordinary high-speed predators in seconds. During its specialized hunting dive, known as …
For decades, wolves have been portrayed as locked in a constant struggle for status. According to the familiar story, every pack has a powerful “alpha male” who fights his way …
An octopus already looks like an animal designed by a very imaginative engineer: eight flexible arms, hundreds of suckers, remarkable camouflage, and a nervous system unlike our own. But some …
An octopus can rest against a pale patch of sand, move toward a reef, and suddenly appear mottled with browns, creams, and dark patches. This extraordinary octopus camouflage is not …
For nearly two centuries, a pangolin specimen collected in Nepal sat in a natural-history collection carrying evidence that scientists could not fully read when it was collected. Modern analysis of …
Bats present biologists with a remarkable puzzle. Many species are tiny, maintain demanding metabolisms, encounter numerous pathogens, and yet can live far longer than similarly sized mammals. New research on …
For decades, wildlife books have introduced the sailfish as the fastest swimmer in the sea, often attaching an astonishing figure of about 68 miles per hour to the claim. Modern …