animals

A humpback whale surfacing from the water surrounded by seagulls

If you could talk to the animals

What's the meaning of all those howls and growls? Is it language? This week on the podcast, NOVA's Ari Daniel explores how three species communicate.

If you could talk to the animals
Hilda Tresz at the Rostov Zoo in Russia. Tresz works with zoos around the world to consult on animal welfare.

How to bring out the wild in zoo animals

How to bring out the wild in zoo animals

E.T. (Eight Tentacles)

E.T. (Eight Tentacles)

Marianne Moore's Odes to Animals

Marianne Moore's Odes to Animals

Billboard Top Five, But For Whales

Billboard Top Five, But For Whales
Vlada Provotorova picks up dogs off the street and takes them to her makeshift shelter on the outskirts of Sochi.

How Russians and Americans have teamed up to rescue Sochi's stray dogs

The Sochi dog adoption scheme started during the run-up to the Sochi Olympics in 2014, when Russian officials, in an effort to rid the city of packs of stray dogs, began shooting them.

How Russians and Americans have teamed up to rescue Sochi's stray dogs

A Guide to 2015's Alt-Holiday Music

Sharon Jones, Fetty Wap, Bill Murray, and even goats release Christmas music this season. And it's all good!

A Guide to 2015's Alt-Holiday Music
A pair of black widows (Latrodectus hesperus). Photo by Sean McCann

Eight things spiders can do that you’ve never heard of

Cannibalism. Bondage. Secret messages in their webs. Two arachnologists explain eight weird and wonderful habits of spiders that you’ve never heard of.

Eight things spiders can do that you’ve never heard of
A sleepy cat in Istanbul.

More needs to be done to take care of these ridiculously cute cats in Istanbul

We're always taught to be wary of street animals. But in Istanbul, they're a fixture in the city, whether locals like it or not.

More needs to be done to take care of these ridiculously cute cats in Istanbul
A vaquita swims in its natural habitat, somewhere in the northern part of the Gulf of California.

A Mexican porpoise is facing extinction — almost by accident

A small porpoise in Mexico is being threatened with extinction on two sides. Legal fishing often sweeps up the five-foot creatures, meanwhile illegal poaching of another endangered species is also sweeping up the few remaining animals.

A Mexican porpoise is facing extinction — almost by accident
Shabani

Hey girl, 'too handsome' gorilla is making many Japanese hearts flutter

Shabani is tall, dark, handsome ... and a gorilla. While becoming a sensation in Japan, he's also touched off debates about his hotness, girls love for him — and about Japan's frequent labeling as "weird" by outsiders.

Hey girl, 'too handsome' gorilla is making many Japanese hearts flutter
Toronto Zoo resident Vishnu eats his breakfast. The zoo is hoping what happens next will be a big boost for them.

Toronto's Zoo plans to turn its animal waste into electricity

From African lions to Grevy's Zebras, animals at the Toronto Zoo generate 3,000 tons of dung a year. Now the zoo will soon be turning all that poop into energy, thanks to a new biogas plant that uses manure to create electricity.

Toronto's Zoo plans to turn its animal waste into electricity
Mikael Lindnord reunited with Arthur.

An Ecuadorian stray dog named Arthur finds his forever home in Sweden

Reunited, and it feels so good! After four months in quarantine, a former stray dog from Ecuador named Arthur has finally been released to go home with Mikael Lindnord, a member of a Swedish adventure racing team that rescued Arthur during a race last year.

An Ecuadorian stray dog named Arthur finds his forever home in Sweden
Young male lions at sunrise in Tanzania.

How hunting lions might actually help save them

Lions who repeatedly kill livestock are a big problem for farmers, but killing such "problem lions" is an equally big issue for the threatened animals. To save both cattle and cats, conservationists are now trying out mock hunts to chase away lions without getting rid of them for good.

How hunting lions might actually help save them
Sumatran tiger Melati looks inside a present box put out to celebrate the first birthday of her cub triplets in their enclosure at the London Zoo on February 4, 2015.

Is it time to close all the zoos?

Who doesn't love a good zoo? The animals, for one. Many of the most popular attractions at zoos are animals like tigers and bears, who are particularly prone to boredom and depression when cooped up. That's why some people want to close traditional zoos and take a different approach.

Is it time to close all the zoos?