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Vole boom sparks carnivorous streak in squirrels
California’s ground squirrels have always seemed like familiar backyard creatures, cheeks stuffed with acorns or seeds. But new research from UC Davis and the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire has revealed a startling shift: these squirrels are now hunting live prey. Documented during the twelfth year of a long-term study at Briones Regional Park in Contra
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Tennessee zoo welcomes world’s only spotless giraffe
In the rolling hills of rural Tennessee, a giraffe calf with no spots at all is quietly rewriting what we thought we knew about her species. Born on July 31, 2023, at Brights Zoo, the young reticulated giraffe named Kipekee doesn’t carry the iconic lattice of patches that define her kind. Instead, her coat is
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Why the honey badger might be the toughest animal alive
The honey badger (Mellivora capensis) is proof that size doesn’t always dictate power. Weighing no more than a small dog, it has earned a reputation across Africa and parts of Asia as one of the toughest animals alive. The Guinness Book of World Records even once declared it “the most fearless animal in the world.”
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Meteorite older than Earth smashes into Georgia home
On June 26, 2025, a brilliant fireball tore across the Georgia sky in broad daylight. Drivers on highways pulled over, startled by a sudden white flash. A cannon-like boom rippled through neighborhoods, rattling windows and shaking floors. In McDonough, a suburban family’s day turned surreal when a rock from space punched through their roof, ripped
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How the red-wattled lapwing bird became a monsoon forecaster
The red-wattled lapwing (Vanellus indicus) is a master of survival, a bird whose boldness and adaptability keep it thriving in landscapes that change faster than the seasons. Its long yellow legs carry it swiftly over open ground, head tilting from side to side as it scans for danger. When a predator strays too close to
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How the smallest monkey keeps the Amazon alive
The pygmy marmoset may be small enough to fit in a human hand, but its life is anything but simple. Weighing as little as 3.5 ounces, it is the smallest monkey on Earth and one of the most specialized primates in existence. Found in the river-edge forests of the western Amazon, these tiny animals survive
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White-faced saki: the Amazon’s silent seed predator
In the tangled canopy of the Amazon, a small, shaggy primate moves with both grace and power. Saki monkeys, members of the genus Pithecia, are built for life in the trees. Their long, bushy tails, strong hind legs, and forward-tilted incisors make them masters of two things: leaping extraordinary distances and cracking some of the
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The secret to the barn owl’s ghostly flight
Barn owls are nature’s stealth engineers. In the dark, they patrol the night sky with eerie stillness, their wings whispering through the air as they home in on unseen targets. Every part of their body is tuned for one purpose: to turn sound into a precise, silent strike. This is more than instinct; it’s a finely
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The tiny antelope with a lifelong mate and a built-in AC
It’s one of the smallest antelopes on Earth, but the dik-dik moves through the African bush like it owns the place. Paired off for life, fiercely territorial, and equipped with a built-in air conditioner in its nose, this palm-sized creature punches far above its weight in both survival and sentiment. Life partners in the land