Giraffes aren't just one species — they're four We're used to thinking of giraffes as one species. Turns out, there are actually four distinct species of the world's tallest mammal. Mallory Yu
A lesson learned after pets were left behind in Hurricane Katrina: Save the animals People were forced to leave their pets behind during Hurricane Katrina, creating an unprecedented animal welfare crisis that has shaped the country's disaster response ever since. Nathan Rott
These fish may feel pleasure while being groomed by other fish An experiment with threadfin butterflyfish finds that these fish may experience pleasure while being cleaned by bluestreak cleaner wrasse — suggesting this capacity goes far back in animal evolution. Ari Daniel
Artificial light has essentially lengthened birds' day Millions of audio recordings of hundreds of bird species have revealed that artificial light is making the birds wake up earlier and go to bed later. Nell Greenfieldboyce
New study raises questions about effectiveness of wolf hunting as a tool to help ranchers One of the goals of controversial wolf hunts in the Western U.S. is to help reduce the burden on ranchers, who lose livestock to wolves every year. A new study finds that those hunts have had a measurable, but small effect on livestock depredations. Nathan Rott
Chimpanzees pick up communication styles from their moms, not their dads A new study finds that chimpanzee babies learn vocal and visual communication patterns from their mothers. The findings may shed light on the way human babies learn from those close to them. Ari Daniel
Why the origin of the word 'dog' remains a mystery Although "dog" is ubiquitous today to describe man's best friend, it remains a mystery where the word originally came from. Juliana Kim
Texas big game hunter killed while stalking African Cape buffalo Asher Watkins had been tracking a cape buffalo for the kill when the animal instead turned its attack on the hunter. Alana Wise
Study suggests humans' ability to communicate goes back farther than we thought A new study finds that chimpanzee babies pick up communication styles from their mothers. Ari Daniel
A zoo in Denmark asked patrons to donate their pets. Not as attractions, but for food The Aalborg Zoo in Denmark said it would take certain surplus pets such as chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs to be "gently euthanized" and fed to its captive predators. Alana Wise
