Wild Life

In the Cerrado, the Mumbuca community spin capim dourado into hats, baskets, and jewelry.

Meet the mighty midge.

The self-sacrificing insects explode, showering their enemies in killer goop.

Xenophyophores can craft multichambered compounds that resemble morel mushrooms.

Polish cities trust their water quality to elite shellfish teams.

The colorful giants of the tropics are thieves, and they're not picky.

From Himalayan jumping spiders to brown widows, arachnids love to float over your head.

We learn how to listen closely to these critters—they're saying a lot more than you'd think.

And the people trying to save these endangered species.

Every five to seven years, Chile's Atacama Desert shows its true colors.

Across sub-Saharan Africa, these birds lead humans to hidden bee colonies.

The world’s largest living structure renews itself in nights of moonlit passion.

From birds to butterflies, there are many examples of animals that combine male and female characteristics.

More than 45,000 years ago, these porky foragers inspired the earliest known non-abstract art.

These scrappy and squat high-elevation trees can live for thousands of years without seeming to age.

As their name suggests, these small birds provide critical cleaning services to oxen, impala and other animals of the savanna—with a side hustle as rhino guards.

As their habitat dwindles, reptile relocators are springing into action to save these slow-moving icons.

A statue in Maine made for a vagrant hawk offers one way to honor these fleeting visitors. Flaco fans take note.