The weird magic of eiderdown
The long read: In Iceland, the harvesting of these precious feathers has created a peculiar bond between human and duck. What can this unique relationship teach us?
animals
The Pet Cemetery
A tour of a graveyard for beloved animals.
Is it possible to disrupt a cow?
Technology can displace the cow and save the climate. But we will need to think beyond the bun
She Hunted History’s Worst Arms Dealers. Now She’s Taking on Rhino Poachers
Kathi Lynn Austin is on a global chase to stop the flow of guns threatening to wipe the rhinoceros off the face of the Earth.
Where Grizzly Bears and Hobby Farmers Come Face to Face
Human hunters moved north into what would become Montana on the heels of the receding ice, coming into the Mission Valley when the land was yet raw and studded with erratics. Only the first scrim o…
Dog rescued after it's found swimming 135 MILES out at sea
The female brown Aspin was found drifting in the Gulf of Thailand on Friday. It is unknown whether the dog swam the astonishing distance from the shore, or jumped off a boat at sea.
The dogs that protect little penguins
When foxes nearly wiped out a colony of little penguins, a sheepdog saved the day.
Every Living Creature – Truly*Adventurous – Medium
When a massive Caribbean volcano erupts, the island’s residents flee, leaving their beloved animals behind. As pets and livestock are…
Extinct Red Wolf DNA Discovered in Pack of Galveston Strays
Long live the red wolf.
The Story of Dyngo, a War Dog Brought Home From Combat
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I brought a seasoned veteran of the conflict in Afghanistan into my home—and then things got wild
An Elephant Crackup? - The New York Times
Attacks by elephants on villages, people and other animals are on the rise. Some researchers are pointing to a species-wide trauma and the fraying of the fabric of pachyderm society.
In praise of parasites
They worm into snails and infect the brains of fish. They’ve also found their way into Kevin Lafferty’s heart. He sees them as beautiful examples of sophisticated evolution, and as keys to ecosystem balance.
https://www.rbth.com/longreads/jackals/
Do you like dogs? You will love Dogs.
This is the feel-good documentary we all need
Sticky science: Evolution of spiderwebs
The eight-legged weavers have been hunting insects for almost 400 million years, flaunting their long history in a rich array of architectures. Scientists are still figuring out the taxonomy of them all.
Inside the Tiger Factory
Behold the marvel of the animal’s fabrication.
The elephant as a person
Elephants might have the necessary capacities for personhood – we just need to help them acquire the cognitive scaffolding
For Want of a Nail
Without a good shoeing, a horse can indeed be lost. Enter the farrier.
Meet the Undercover Crime Unit Battling Miami's Black Market of Birds
Multimillion-dollar sales of songbirds heap pressure on species already in decline. We go inside the covert investigation to capture traffickers.
Man-Eaters
A quest for tigers in India.
The Brilliant, Playful, Bloodthirsty Raven
A new book from Christopher Skaife is a beguiling, fascinating, and highly amusing account of the strangely magical birds.
The mind of an anthill
Can we use the tools of psychology to understand how colonies of social insects make decisions?
There Are Whales Alive Today Who Were Born Before Moby Dick Was Written
Some of the bowhead whales in the icy waters off of Alaska today are over 200 years old
How to be human: the man who was raised by wolves
The long read: Abandoned as a child, Marcos Rodríguez Pantoja survived alone in the wild for 15 years. But living with people proved to be even more difficult
The Charmed Life of Esther the Wonder Pig
A profile of a pig.
Horseman, Pass By
Glory, grief, and the race for the Triple Crown.
In the Pit With the Fighting Roosters
A massive raid on a long-running cockfighting ring in Arkansas has raised complex questions about ICE, immigration, and the future of a centuries-old tradition.
Feature: Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf Scientist?
Rob Wielgus was one of America’s pre-eminent experts on large carnivores. Then he ran afoul of the enemies of the wolf.
Can Crows Make Mental Pictures of Tools? (Published 2018)
New Caledonian crows were trained to seek rewards by tearing paper of a certain size, demonstrating what researchers say is quite advanced toolmaking.
In France, Our Dog Has His Day (Published 2018)
Hotels, shops, bars, restaurants — dogs are welcomed warmly just about everywhere. For Pip (a.k.a. Pierre), the prancing was never better.
The Noose Beneath the Waves
Fishing gear can pose a deadly threat to whales—and to those who try to save them.
How many senses do humans have?
The obvious answer is five: vision, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. But the reality may not be so simple.
The art of flying (short version)
One of the most wondrous markers of the end of the day is a murmuration of starlings
The Veterinarians Preventing the Next Pandemic
Most new diseases have their origins in animals. So why aren’t we paying more attention to their health?
Over the past four centuries quadrillions of ants have created a strange and turbulent global societ
Over the past four centuries quadrillions of ants have created a strange and turbulent global society that shadows our own
The Portuguese shepherds who love wolves
Whilst Europe grapples with how to deal with growing wolf populations, this mountainous region of Portugal has coexisted with the predators for centuries.
The 'mind bombs' that changed the whaling industry
In the 1970s, a small group of Greenpeace activists had a unique idea for how they could put an end to commercial whaling.
San Francisco’s new cage-free dog shelter is a colorful utopia for older dogs
The new Muttville shelter is a high-design open-concept space, making the rescue experience more approachable and fun for both dogs and humans.