Lessons in LeopardingSpotlight 05.14.2023Pesky or adorable as it may be, roughhousing with her sleepy mom is an important way for this leopard cub to learn crucial survival skills.
City Owl, Country OwlSpotlight 01.21.2022Unlike their more iconic cousins, diminutive northern pygmy owls occasionally manage to raise families in urban forests—some little more than a stone’s throw from the local café.
Seeing SpotsSpotlight 11.12.2021Spotted eagle rays’ distinctive markings are turning out to be important identifiers, and may become essential for their protection.
Eye SpySpotlight 10.28.2021While this highly adapted fish peers out on its prey- and predator-rich surroundings, shapeshifting, pigmented cells enable it to all but disappear into its environment.
Billfish BountySpotlight 11.25.2020A striped marlin slices through a shoal of baitfish, a beautiful reminder of the struggle between predator and prey—as well as the fragility and importance of healthy ecosystems.
A Novel DemiseSpotlight 09.22.2020Although we’ve marveled over carnivorous plants for centuries, the plants’ penchant for vertebrate flesh has been largely overlooked.
Race Against the Biological ClockSpotlight 12.24.2019It turns out some contests between predators and their prey are more genetically determined than others.
A Great EscapeSpotlight 12.03.2019Invasive American mink, having escaped from British fur farms over the past century, are now wreaking havoc on native species—but this lucky gannet got away.
Beguiling IntruderSpotlight 10.30.2019Lionfish are hungry, long-lived, and extremely fertile invaders in their new-found Atlantic home.
Snake FakeSpotlight 10.15.2019For a plump caterpillar with no defensive body parts, masquerading as a deadly viper is an effective adaptation for survival in the Peruvian Amazon.
Bobcat ManorPhoto Essay 08.14.2019Despite increasing hunting pressure, bobcats have proven themselves to be remarkably resilient in the face of human encroachment—and aren’t above raising their young in rural backyards.
Enemy of My EnemySpotlight 08.14.2019An Amazonian frog finds refuge under the watchful compound gaze of a surprising guardian.
Bounty HunterSpotlight 06.12.2019When the Cape fur seals along the Namibian coast have their pups each December, the desert’s top scavengers become seal-hunting specialists.
Banquet on LegsSpotlight 01.25.2019When an octopus known for its size and hunting prowess encounters a football-field-sized team of spider crabs, the outcome isn’t what you might expect.
Spider House RulesSpotlight 11.06.2018For these hunters, no right-sized target is off-limits—regardless of whether or not it has a backbone.
Taking Down GoliathSpotlight 03.08.2018The world’s largest frogs are also among the most coveted in the African bushmeat trade. Can grassroots efforts save the goliath frog from extinction?
Face OffSpotlight 02.20.2018With eight eyes, two hydraulic legs, and impressive cognitive abilities, this jumping spider has a leg up on even the feistiest prey.
Beach CrashersSpotlight 02.06.2018Risking it all, some orcas have taken their hunt onto the shore, and their strategy is catching on.
Lens of Time: A Record-Breaking Tongue LashingVideo 01.17.2018The smallest chameleons on Earth perform one of the most explosive movements in the animal kingdom.