Mountain goats roamed the streets of LLandudno, Wales in March of 2020, as the COVID-19 lockdown kept people and tourists away. Christopher Furlong/Getty Images hide caption
Animals
The California two-spot octopus can edit the RNA in its brain on a massive scale, likely allowing it to keep a clear head in both warm and cool waters. Tom Kleindinst/Marine Biological Laboratory hide caption
Octopuses tweak the RNA in their brains to adjust to warmer and cooler waters
The moment a Bexar County Sheriff's Deputy is accused of "cueing" his drug-sniffing dog to alert on Alek Schott's pickup truck. Bexar County Sheriff's Office body camera video hide caption
Courts have long seen K-9 dogs as impartial. Now police bodycams hold them accountable
Carol Buckley works to coax Mundi into the transport cage that will carry her from the Puerto Rico zoo to Buckley's elephant refuge in Georgia. Buckley, an expert on elephants in captivity, arrived on the island two weeks ahead of the May 12 flight so she'd have time to earn the elephant's trust. Erika P. Rodríguez for NPR hide caption
Puerto Rico lost its only elephant — and cracked open a well of emotions
A late Triassic-era rausuchian, one of the rival reptile lineages who lost out to the dinosaurs. Dmitry Bogdonav/Wikimedia Commons hide caption
Clifford Walters, a Hawaii man, pleaded guilty to disturbing wildlife after he tried to help a stranded bison calf reunite with its herd. Hellen Jack/National Park Service hide caption
Hvaldimir pictured in Stad, Norway, earlier this year, shortly before he began his abrupt journey south. Rich German hide caption
Tykee James, president of the DC Audubon Society, and Erin Connelly, holding her 10-month-old son, Louis, search in the treetops in Fort Slocum Park in Washington, D.C. Melissa Block/NPR hide caption
Seton Hall University gave Grace Mariani's service dog, Justin, a special doggie diploma this week, to the delight of Mariani and her fellow graduates. Seton Hall University/Screenshot by NPR hide caption
A baby kiwi weighed at a bird park in the Netherlands in 2018. Robin van Lonkhuijsen/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
A lodgepole chipmunk (Tamias speciosus) on a rock. Ketki Samel hide caption
Climate change stresses out these chipmunks. Why are their cousins so chill?
Chonkasaurus the snapping turtle rests on a pile of rusty chains along the Chicago River. Joey Santore hide caption
Screenshot of the social post for "CatVana" created by Kayla Delcoure for Pippi's Place. Pippi's Place hide caption
A close-up of the rainbow sea slug found in a rock pool in Cornwall. Vicky Barlow/@thehidephotography hide caption
Volunteers check honey bee hives for queen activity and perform routine maintenance as part of a collaboration between the Cincinnati Zoo and TwoHoneys Bee Co. at EcOhio Farm in Mason, Ohio, on May 27, 2015. John Minchillo/AP hide caption
A blue morpho butterfly sits on a leaf. A new study finds that butterflies likely originated somewhere in western North America or Central America around 100 million years ago. Kristen Grace/Florida Museum hide caption
Butterflies originated in North America after splitting from moths, new study suggests
The Quaker Bakers team is made up of students from the Sandy Spring Friends School. They participated in the "Sheep to Shawl" competition at the Maryland Sheep & Wool festival as part of their fiber arts class. From left, Ayla Keynes, Caitlyn Holland, Travis Hurley, Zoe Burgess, teacher Heidi Brown, and (front) shearer Emily Chamelin. Rachel Guy Adra hide caption
In a Sheep to Shawl competition, you have 5 people, 1 sheep, and 3 hours — good luck!
Why hammerhead sharks 'hold their breath' in deeper, colder waters
An indri—a species of lemur in Madagascar—sings from a tree branch. Filippo Carugati hide caption
Scalloped hammerhead sharks can dive to depths of more than 2,600 ft (800 m) to hunt for squid and other food. Gerard Soury/Getty Images hide caption
Hammerhead sharks 'hold their breath' in deeper, colder waters, research shows
In this undated photo released by Sara Abdalla, director of the zoological park at the University of Khartoum, a Nubian spitting cobra is pictured inside its enclosure in Khartoum, Sudan. The animal is one of dozens feared dead or missing inside the park in Sudan's capital after intense fighting made the location unreachable. AP hide caption