National Geographic
National Geographic
Articles from National Geographic
nationalgeographic.comWhy you may see more black bears this summer
Summer is one of the busiest seasons for black bears. Here's why they are on the move, where you're most likely to encounter one, and how to stay safe.
How female dolphins know which males to avoid
A new study suggests female bottlenose dolphins may have a strategy for steering clear of males with a history of pushy mating tactics.
How to ultrasound a 15-foot-wide giant mother manta
Scientists want to know where manta rays go with their rare and infrequent pregnancies. Underwater ultrasounds help get them started.
Searching for one of the world’s most beautiful snakes
High in the cloud forests of western Honduras, the elusive jade palm pit viper has become a symbol of a vanishing ecosystem—and a critical part of a new effort to save it.
Giving koalas a new shot at survival
The race is on to save the cuddly creatures from a debilitating disease: chlamydia.
California’s endangered condors have a surprising new foe
Researchers couldn’t figure out why the birds were dying — then they turned up an unusual suspect.
Watch a mole-rat 'farmer' at work in its elaborate subterranean city
The reclusive subterranean rodents, often studied for their cancer-fighting biology, backfill their tunnels to regenerate partially eaten plants—a practice that may predate human farming.
Can these chunky ground-dwelling parrots survive on their own?
When is it time to wean a species off intense conservation? The kākāpō is a test case.
San Francisco Bay became a whale death trap. This new tech could help reverse the trend.
Thermal imaging can detect gray whale spouts in time to prevent collisions.
How do pigeons sense Earth's magnetic field? Scientists say they’ve solved the mystery.
New research suggests that pigeons use magnetic sensors in their livers.
The color of this new and unusual blue octopus is what helps it survive
A new blue octopus species, Microeledone galapagensis, was recently discovered near Darwin Island in northern Galápagos.
Can India’s last lions be saved?
Decades after nearly going extinct, the world’s only existing population of Asiatic lions is overrunning a small reserve in western India. Now what?
Meet the conservationist helping people live with wild animals
Krithi Karanth, the 2026 Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year, is reimagining how wildlife conservation can work.
Can Ibiza's colorful lizards survive a snake explosion?
Scientists are in a race against time to document and safeguard the diversity of lizards that live on the island and its neighbors, before predators gobble them all up.
How a Nat Geo photographer captured the first-ever drone footage of Earth’s largest land migration
The largest land migration of mammals, featuring six million antelope, takes place in South Sudan as the ungulates cross from wetlands to dry plains and back over the Great Nile Migration Landscape.
Rare jaguar caught on camera drinking from Arizona watering hole
The male, named Cinco, is only the fifth jaguar seen in southern Arizona in 15 years. The sighting gives conservationists hope for their future. This rare video shows Cinco, a jaguar that calls the Sky Islands of southern Arizona home.
Why 'Chonkers' the Steller sea lion is such a rare sight
Scientists and tourists alike have been amazed by the massive sea lion hanging out on a San Francisco pier. The species can grow nearly twice the size of California sea lions.
The ice that once saved bowhead whales is vanishing beneath them
Populations of bowhead whales were able to hide from hunters under ice, a new study finds, saving them from extinction. But now, climate change is making that refuge disappear.
Why millions are obsessed with Sweden's spring moose migration
The Great Moose Migration, a forest livestream that occasionally features an ungulate, is cult reality television in Scandinavia. Photographer Nora Lorek first became interested in The Great Moose Migration in 2023, when she heard chatter about the show in Sweden and on social media.
This is the world’s largest overland migration. Can it be saved?
Each year around this time, an unfathomable parade of antelope travels across South Sudan. Now, after decades of war, the grandeur of the once hidden migration is being revealed—as well as its fragility.
How wildebeest reshape the Serengeti during Africa’s Great Migration
Each spring, millions of wildebeest begin a 500-mile journey driven by rain, grass, and survival. Wildebeests gather to graze and calve on the short-grass plains.
Watch Bruce the parrot defeat his rivals with only half a beak
Kea parrots are known for being extremely curious and capable of solving complex problems ; they can even make each other chuckle. Now, for the first time, a kea named Bruce has demonstrated skilled combat techniques after losing his upper beak.
Why warblers face an increasingly treacherous spring migration
Each spring, these tiny birds fly thousands of miles north—but warming temperatures may be reshaping when and where they arrive.
These animals have evolved to escape certain death
The surprising escapes from near-death situations of beetles and other small animals illustrate how both prey and predators can adapt to challenges over time.
The surprising hidden glow of one of Earth’s largest birds
Scientists were surprised to discover cassowaries glow under ultraviolet light. It may help the birds distinguish between different species.
Why you may see more black bears this summer
Summer is one of the busiest seasons for black bears. Here's why they are on the move, where you're most likely to encounter one, and how to stay safe.
How female dolphins know which males to avoid
A new study suggests female bottlenose dolphins may have a strategy for steering clear of males with a history of pushy mating tactics.
How to ultrasound a 15-foot-wide giant mother manta
Scientists want to know where manta rays go with their rare and infrequent pregnancies. Underwater ultrasounds help get them started.
Searching for one of the world’s most beautiful snakes
High in the cloud forests of western Honduras, the elusive jade palm pit viper has become a symbol of a vanishing ecosystem—and a critical part of a new effort to save it.
Giving koalas a new shot at survival
The race is on to save the cuddly creatures from a debilitating disease: chlamydia.
California’s endangered condors have a surprising new foe
Researchers couldn’t figure out why the birds were dying — then they turned up an unusual suspect.
Watch a mole-rat 'farmer' at work in its elaborate subterranean city
The reclusive subterranean rodents, often studied for their cancer-fighting biology, backfill their tunnels to regenerate partially eaten plants—a practice that may predate human farming.
Can these chunky ground-dwelling parrots survive on their own?
When is it time to wean a species off intense conservation? The kākāpō is a test case.
San Francisco Bay became a whale death trap. This new tech could help reverse the trend.
Thermal imaging can detect gray whale spouts in time to prevent collisions.
How do pigeons sense Earth's magnetic field? Scientists say they’ve solved the mystery.
New research suggests that pigeons use magnetic sensors in their livers.
The color of this new and unusual blue octopus is what helps it survive
A new blue octopus species, Microeledone galapagensis, was recently discovered near Darwin Island in northern Galápagos.
Can India’s last lions be saved?
Decades after nearly going extinct, the world’s only existing population of Asiatic lions is overrunning a small reserve in western India. Now what?
Meet the conservationist helping people live with wild animals
Krithi Karanth, the 2026 Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year, is reimagining how wildlife conservation can work.
Can Ibiza's colorful lizards survive a snake explosion?
Scientists are in a race against time to document and safeguard the diversity of lizards that live on the island and its neighbors, before predators gobble them all up.
How a Nat Geo photographer captured the first-ever drone footage of Earth’s largest land migration
The largest land migration of mammals, featuring six million antelope, takes place in South Sudan as the ungulates cross from wetlands to dry plains and back over the Great Nile Migration Landscape.
Rare jaguar caught on camera drinking from Arizona watering hole
The male, named Cinco, is only the fifth jaguar seen in southern Arizona in 15 years. The sighting gives conservationists hope for their future. This rare video shows Cinco, a jaguar that calls the Sky Islands of southern Arizona home.
Why 'Chonkers' the Steller sea lion is such a rare sight
Scientists and tourists alike have been amazed by the massive sea lion hanging out on a San Francisco pier. The species can grow nearly twice the size of California sea lions.
The ice that once saved bowhead whales is vanishing beneath them
Populations of bowhead whales were able to hide from hunters under ice, a new study finds, saving them from extinction. But now, climate change is making that refuge disappear.
Why millions are obsessed with Sweden's spring moose migration
The Great Moose Migration, a forest livestream that occasionally features an ungulate, is cult reality television in Scandinavia. Photographer Nora Lorek first became interested in The Great Moose Migration in 2023, when she heard chatter about the show in Sweden and on social media.
This is the world’s largest overland migration. Can it be saved?
Each year around this time, an unfathomable parade of antelope travels across South Sudan. Now, after decades of war, the grandeur of the once hidden migration is being revealed—as well as its fragility.
How wildebeest reshape the Serengeti during Africa’s Great Migration
Each spring, millions of wildebeest begin a 500-mile journey driven by rain, grass, and survival. Wildebeests gather to graze and calve on the short-grass plains.
Watch Bruce the parrot defeat his rivals with only half a beak
Kea parrots are known for being extremely curious and capable of solving complex problems ; they can even make each other chuckle. Now, for the first time, a kea named Bruce has demonstrated skilled combat techniques after losing his upper beak.
Why warblers face an increasingly treacherous spring migration
Each spring, these tiny birds fly thousands of miles north—but warming temperatures may be reshaping when and where they arrive.
These animals have evolved to escape certain death
The surprising escapes from near-death situations of beetles and other small animals illustrate how both prey and predators can adapt to challenges over time.
The surprising hidden glow of one of Earth’s largest birds
Scientists were surprised to discover cassowaries glow under ultraviolet light. It may help the birds distinguish between different species.
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