Animals

Why do mosquitoes bite some people and not others?

Some people get ravaged by mosquitoes if they so much as take a walk at dusk. Others can walk through clouds of the insects and not get a single bite. What’s the difference? A lot. Scientists have figured out many reasons why mosquitoes can’t seem to resist some people, but are repulsed by others. Mosquitoes…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Nov 9

Behold the Bantha Pug, truly the cutest of all the Star Wars creatures

This is Chubbs the pug. A long time ago, Chubbs dressed up as a Wampa from Star Wars, and it was adorable. But this year, Chubbs has outdone himself — becoming a Bantha Pug. With a little Tusken Raider on top. My face is blistering from the red hot cuteness emanating from the computer screen.…

io9 Meredith Woerner Nov 7

When Pigeons Guided Missiles

Pigeons are among the most naturally gifted navigators in the animal kingdom. And while we’ve only recently begun to shed light on why this is, humans have been using pigeon’s innate homing abilities to our advantage for ages – and often in very unusual ways. From an upcoming episode of PBS’s NOVA scienceNOW on the…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Oct 31

How Many Pets Would You Need To Power Your Home In an Emergency?

If you’re wondering why the crazy cat lady down the street still has power after hurricane Sandy and you don’t, maybe it’s because she’s putting all her pets to work. You can never be too prepared if you find yourself in the path of a terrible storm, and instead of buying a backup generator next…

Biology Andrew Liszewski Oct 31

Even vicious animals from space were affected by Frankenstorm

A facehugger washed ashore during the surge. [via essssraaa on Instagram]

io9 Annalee Newitz Oct 30

And now, something soft and cuddly to get you through a hard day. Meet Thor, Hedgehog of Thunder

(Via BunnyFood)

io9 Meredith Woerner Oct 30

Adorable Echidna Puggle or Baby Max Rebo? You be the judge.

We did not know what an Echidna Puggle was, until we watched this video. Now we can not imagine a life without it. Behold a baby (puggle) Echidna, who was found riding a cloud in Central Australia. This is the most perfect creature on the planet. It’s like a teacup elephant you can put in…

io9 Meredith Woerner Oct 26

If You Ever Wondered How People Take a Picture of a Cheetah Running at Full Speed

Cheetahs are super fast and to capture them running at full speed is damn near impossible. Well, almost impossible. National Geographic shows how they captured a running cheetah and it’s pretty impressive: over 400 foot of perfectly level dolly track, a bevy of cameras, an able and willing cheetah and really fast instincts. [YouTube via…

Biology Casey Chan Oct 26

Don’t Be Startled By the Animals In Your Cup of Coffee

You’re just drinking your coffee, minding your own business when you look down your cup and spill all over yourself. Because what is that at the bottom, a lobster? Yes, it’s a lobster. But never fear because it’s just ceramic and it’s supposed to be there. Creature cups are so delightful. You can buy not…

Biology Leslie Horn Oct 23

9 Incredibly Nice Animals Who Ran for Public Office

Have you ever looked into a the soulful eyes of a dog or the steely, merciless peepers of a shark and thought, “I would follow you anywhere, if only you would lead.” Sometimes, they’ve done just that. We’re going to take a look at the best animals ever to hold, or run for, public office.…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Oct 22

Watching This Polar Bear Smash a $2,000 Camera Lens Is Surprisingly Cute

This polar bear is probably a really big Nikon fan that just loves to destroy expensive things because he was caught chomping, throwing and smashing a $2,100 Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS telephoto lens. It’s pretty hilarious to see a giant polar bear play around with a camera lens, it looks like he tries to smoke…

Biology Casey Chan Oct 12

Animal-Shaped Office Supplies Come With a Bite

We thought Office supplies were just about the blandest thing we could talk about. And that statement held true until we laid eyes on these ferocious staple removers from JacZagoory. Lions and tigers and bears, join big pewter models of sharks and gorillas and gators—all the best animals, in desk tool form for $78 each.…

Biology Leslie Horn Oct 12

This Unbelievable Footage Literally Shows a Bird’s Eye View of the Entire World

Everyone has wanted to fly at some point in their life. Unfortunately for most of us, watching this unbelievable trailer about Discovery’s Winged Planet is the closest we’ll ever come to actually flying. That’s okay thought because the footage is unbelievable—cameras were mounted onto birds to see life from their point of view. Though we’ve…

Biology Casey Chan Oct 6

Get Out Of The Water! Stingray photo bomb will scar your soul

The Stingray photo bomb is a horrifying experience for everyone involved — including the Ray. Presumably taken in the Cayman Islands (possibly at Stingray City) the greatest animal photobomb ever created was discovered by Redditor epic676. But don’t get all freaked out for future Stingtay hugs next time you’re chilling with these sea creatures, the…

io9 Meredith Woerner Sep 27

World’s tallest dog is a lovable monster

Meet Zeus, the Guinness World Record holder for “World’s Tallest Dog.” Which he won by starring down the judges straight in the eye, while balancing a cat on his nose. This Great Dane is 44 inches tall and weighs 155 pounds. His human pet is named Denise Doorlag from Michigan. Zeus can drink water right…

io9 Meredith Woerner Sep 13

Seagulls Love Stealing GoPro Cameras and Flying Away

The conspiracy of GoPro and its under-the-table payment of seagulls to create awesome viral video continues. Yes, this is a “thing”. Maybe. Probably not. Anyway, check out this video of how a GoPro, which was taking a sunset of San Francisco, was ruthlessly stolen by a seagull who went on a quick flying tour of…

Biology Casey Chan Sep 12

The Science of Why Wet Animals Shake Themselves Dry

When a dog gets wet, what do they do to dry themselves? Shake away. It’s the same for every animal! A team of researchers studied 16 wet animals including dogs, mice, tigers, bears and others to see the difference in their technique and recorded their shakes in slow motion to find out. The science of…

Biology Casey Chan Aug 22

This Helmet Cam Attached to a Falcon Shows You What It’s Like to Fly and Hunt Like a Bird

Helmet cams are amazing at getting a first person perspective on any situation, you’re literally able to see what they see. So how about attaching a little helmet camera to a falcon? Yep, you get to see what it’s like to fly (surprisingly not shaky!) and see what it’s like to hunt and kill (unsurprisingly…

Biology Casey Chan Aug 15

Indestructible Robot Inchworm Crawls Using Creepy Artificial Muscles

Instead of focusing their immense talents on designing adorable robot puppies, or cuddly cyborg kittens, researchers at MIT have created an artificial earthworm that contracts and expands its body using nickel-titanium muscles that allow it to unsettlingly crawl its way along. The Meshworm’s entire body is made from the special nickel-titanium wire that expands and…

Biology Andrew Liszewski Aug 10

This image of an orphaned kangaroo cuddling with an orphaned wombat will melt your heart

Interspecies friendships are often adorable, but they’re doubly sweet when those animals are providing one another with much needed support. Orphaned kangaroo Anzac and orphaned wombat Peggy keep each other company at the Wild About Wildlife Rescue Centre in Kilmore, Victoria. All of the animals at Wild About Wildlife are cared for under veterinary supervision,…

io9 Lauren Davis Aug 5

Why do mosquitoes bite some people and not others?

Behold the Bantha Pug, truly the cutest of all the Star Wars creatures

When Pigeons Guided Missiles

How Many Pets Would You Need To Power Your Home In an Emergency?

Even vicious animals from space were affected by Frankenstorm

And now, something soft and cuddly to get you through a hard day. Meet Thor, Hedgehog of Thunder

Adorable Echidna Puggle or Baby Max Rebo? You be the judge.

If You Ever Wondered How People Take a Picture of a Cheetah Running at Full Speed

Don’t Be Startled By the Animals In Your Cup of Coffee

9 Incredibly Nice Animals Who Ran for Public Office

Watching This Polar Bear Smash a $2,000 Camera Lens Is Surprisingly Cute

Animal-Shaped Office Supplies Come With a Bite

This Unbelievable Footage Literally Shows a Bird’s Eye View of the Entire World

Get Out Of The Water! Stingray photo bomb will scar your soul

World’s tallest dog is a lovable monster

Seagulls Love Stealing GoPro Cameras and Flying Away

The Science of Why Wet Animals Shake Themselves Dry

This Helmet Cam Attached to a Falcon Shows You What It’s Like to Fly and Hunt Like a Bird

Indestructible Robot Inchworm Crawls Using Creepy Artificial Muscles

This image of an orphaned kangaroo cuddling with an orphaned wombat will melt your heart

Noah Hawley Is Remaking ‘Terrified,’ Which Shouldn’t Happen

Unprecedented Observation Reveals 2 Supermassive Black Holes Locked in a Tight Death Spiral

This Apple MacBook Pro Is Now Under $500 After 78% Off, Grade-A Refurb Deal (16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, Touch Bar)

Anthropic Launches ‘Project Glasswing’ to Stealthily Spot Cybersecurity Issues for Rivals

Tiny Robots Reveal Hidden Ocean Chemistry in Low-Oxygen Waters

Aunt Lydia Survived ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ to Bring New Complexity to ‘The Testaments’

Scientists Think They’ve Finally Discovered Why Your Cat Never Finishes Its Meal

Artemis 2 Day 7: Follow the Mission With Our Live Updates 🔴

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

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