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An illustration of a dinosaur skull in an apocalyptic landscape
What if a giant asteroid had not wiped out the dinosaurs? Nonavian dinosaurs have been extinct for 66 million years, but what would have happened if they'd survived?
Funny burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia) tilts its head outside its burrow on Marco Island, Florida.
Animal quiz: Test yourself on these fun animal trivia questions How much do you know about the animals we share the planet with? Take our quiz to find out!
A sheep and a dog come face-to-face
Can animals learn another species' 'language?' Animals hear other species communicate around them every day. Do they understand what they're saying?

Latest about Animals

An orange sea pig in gloved hands.

Strange 'sea pigs,' sea spiders and a spawning 'butterfly' discovered on Antarctic ocean floor by scientists

By Jess Thomson published

Scientists on an icebreaker ship have captured a number of weird and wacky animals from Antarctica's ocean floor, including a bizarre pig-shaped creature.

Animals
Close-up of an ants head.

'The parasite was in the driver's seat': The zombie ants that die gruesome deaths fit for a horror movie

By Mindy Weisberger published

"Once the egg hatches, the ant has only a few weeks of life before it succumbs to the manipulations of its attacker, stumbling away from its home and family and then undergoing decapitation from the inside out."

Insects
a picture of a red and black parrot

Dracula parrot: The goth bird whose piercing screams echo through New Guinea forests

By Lydia Smith published

Pesquet's parrot, also known as a Dracula parrot, resembles a vulture and has a distinct scream — but its favorite food is figs.

Birds

Science news this week: Controversy around the dire wolf 'de-extinctions' and a 3D hologram breakthrough

By Pandora Dewan published

April 12, 2025: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend.

Animals

'Unusual' wooly mammoth tooth oldest ever found in North America

By Patrick Pester published

Scientists have unveiled the oldest woolly mammoth specimen ever discovered in North America as part of a major DNA study spanning a million years of mammoth evolution.

Mammoths
The Bushnell 10x42mm Trophy XLT binoculars on a Live Science backdrop

Get a closer look at wildlife for less: This huge $60 saving on the Bushnell 10x42mm Trophy XLT binoculars — now down to their lowest-ever price at Adorama

By Paul Brett published

Deal This better-than-half-price deal is the cheapest we've seen on these rated for ease of use and versatile performance binoculars.

Deal
a pack of orcas

'Incredible and rare' sight as endangered whale attacked by 60 orcas in brutal hunt

By Jess Thomson published

A massive gang of over 60 orcas was seen brutalizing an endangered pygmy blue whale off the coast of Western Australia by a whalewatching tour.

Orcas
A gray wolf genetically engineered to look like a dire wolf holds a stick in its mouth as it walks in the snow.

Colossal's de-extincted 'dire wolf' isn't a dire wolf and it has not been de-extincted, experts say

By Sascha Pare published

Scientists recently revealed that they have "brought back" extinct dire wolves thanks to genetic engineering — but experts say the newly created animals are only like dire wolves in appearance.

Extinct species

Cannibalistic spiderlings won't hunt their siblings even if they're starving

By Patrick Pester published

Social signals stop young labyrinth spiders from hunting their siblings even when they are starving. However, the cannibalistic spiderlings quickly feed on the corpses of their brothers and sisters.

Spiders
Illustration of a hunting scene with Pleistocene beasts including a mammoth against a backdrop of snowy mountains.

6 extinct species that scientists could bring back to life

By Sascha Pare last updated

De-extinction, the science of resurrecting extinct species, is progressing in leaps and bounds. Here are six creatures that researchers could bring back to life — and one they've already revived.

Extinct species
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