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A wildlife refuge an hour northwest of Kansas City counted a record number of bald eagles one day before New Year’s Eve, breaking a number set four years ago. The Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, 25542 US Highway 159 in Forest City, said it observed 1,012 bald eagles on the refuge during a survey taken Dec. 30, 2025. The refuge said in a Facebook post that the previous record was 833 ba

In Argentina, the return of pumas brought top predators back to the landscape — much to penguins’ dismay. The appetite that pumas have developed for penguins is “an extraordinary example of how flexible large carnivores can be,” one scientist said.Credit...Gonzalo Ignazi Penguins throughout the southern seas have to worry about being picked off by seals or hunte

Dressed in royal plumage this iridescent male pheasant sports colours of the rainbow. The species lives in several protected areas of the Himalayas in India and among its neighbours Like some people, some bird species are born with a silver spoon in their mouth. The Himalayan monal (Lophophorus impejanus) is one of them. It has a royal pedigree as it belongs to the family of Phasianidae — per

Understanding the Difference Between Venomous and Non-Venomous Snakes Snakes have always captured the human imagination with their sleek, slithering forms and enigmatic behavior. While some find them fascinating, others view them with fear and suspicion. One of the most critical aspects of snake knowledge is understanding the difference between venomous and non-venomous snakes. To begin,

New research from the US national park shows migrating bison enrich grasslands – boosting plant nutrition, soil health and biodiversity. Daniel Graham Published: August 28, 2025 at 9:00 pm Bison nearly vanished from North America in the late 19th and early 20th century. But conservation efforts in recent decades have seen numbers gradually increase, not least in Yellow

The Pink Empusa Mantis isn’t the kind of insect you overlook. Native to North Africa, southern Europe, and the Mediterranean, it stands out for its strange mix of beauty and menace. Its delicate coloring and angular body give it an otherworldly look that feels almost misplaced in nature. Some versions take on a pale pink that helps it disappear among flower shoots and new growth. Its long lim

The incredible scene—captured by filmmaker and host of National Geographic’s Animals Up Close, Bertie Gregory—offers a window into the emotional lives of whales. In January 2022 off Adelaide Island, Antarctica, the snow was falling so thick and quietly, it felt like traveling through hyperspace. “Silence is noisy, so that was super spooky,” says Bertie Gregory, a National Geographi

Pallas's cat is a small wild cat native to Central Asia with short legs and dense fur, making it look bigger than it really is — but the yelps it makes in stressful situations betray its size. Pallas's cats are very grumpy-looking wild cats. (Image credit: xtrekx/Getty Images) Pallas's cat, also known as a manul, is a feline from Central Asia that yelps like a small do

Twice a Year, Reindeer Eyes Pull Off a Wonderful Magic Trick The Arctic can stay perpetually dark for months. Reindeer cope by changing part of their eyes from gold to blue. Of all the eyeballs in Glen Jeffery’s office, only a very small minority are his. “Oh, I’ve got an office full of eyes,” Jeffery, a neuroscientist at University College London, told me. Over Skype, he fi

After plans stalled for a new dam in the Czech Republic, eight beavers saved the day seemingly overnight. “At this point, nothing that beavers do surprises me.” A beaver sits on the banks of the Elbe, a major river of Central Europe that flows from the Czech Republic through Germany to the North Sea. Beavers are famous for their abilities as ecosystem engineers, or animals that modify