Animals Animals

Animals

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

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Erika P. Rodríguez for NPR

Puerto Rico lost its only elephant — and cracked open a well of emotions

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A late Triassic-era rausuchian, one of the rival reptile lineages who lost out to the dinosaurs. Dmitry Bogdonav/Wikimedia Commons hide caption

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Dmitry Bogdonav/Wikimedia Commons

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

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Hellen Jack/National Park Service
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Why our allergies are getting worse —and what to do about it

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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

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Melissa Block/NPR

Heads up! Stunning birds are all around us, even in dense cities

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A lodgepole chipmunk (Tamias speciosus) on a rock. Ketki Samel hide caption

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Ketki Samel

Climate change stresses out these chipmunks. Why are their cousins so chill?

Kwasi Wrensford studies two related species: the Alpine chipmunk and the Lodgepole chipmunk. The two have very different ways of coping with climate change. In this episode, Kwasi explains to host Emily Kwong how these squirrelly critters typify two important evolutionary strategies, and why they could shed light on what's in store for other creatures all over the globe.

Climate change stresses out these chipmunks. Why are their cousins so chill?

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Chonkasaurus the snapping turtle rests on a pile of rusty chains along the Chicago River. Joey Santore hide caption

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Joey Santore

Opinion: Progress can be a turtle

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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

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John Minchillo/AP

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

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Kristen Grace/Florida Museum

Butterflies originated in North America after splitting from moths, new study suggests

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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

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Rachel Guy Adra

In a Sheep to Shawl competition, you have 5 people, 1 sheep, and 3 hours — good luck!

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Why hammerhead sharks 'hold their breath' in deeper, colder waters

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An indri—a species of lemur in Madagascar—sings from a tree branch. Filippo Carugati hide caption

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Filippo Carugati

Move over Beatles, Lemurs are here with music lessons

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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

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Gerard Soury/Getty Images

Hammerhead sharks 'hold their breath' in deeper, colder waters, research shows

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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

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AP