When Matchmaking Is for a Good Cause: Staving Off ExtinctionAugust 28, 2018 – Red pandas are endangered in the wild. But in zoos’ captive-breeding programs, they’re protected, procreating—and replenishing the species.
The Panda’s ThumbMarch 24, 2004 – A great blog is born: The Panda’s Thumb is a multi-authored blog that blasts a firehose of reason at distortions of evolution.
Panda Playing in Snow Goes Viral: How Do Zoos Plan for Weather?January 09, 2015 – A viral video shows a cold-loving panda frolicking in the snow, but zoos also accommodate animals that live where the weather differs from their natural habitat.
The Other Panda’s ThumbDecember 26, 2005 – If you could travel back to Spain about ten million years ago, you’d have no end of animals to watch, from apes to bear-dogs to saber-tooth tigers. With so many creatures jockeying for your attention (and perhaps chasing you down for lunch), you might well miss the creature shown here. Simocyon batalleri was roughly the […]
Week's Best Travel Photos: Racing Through the Last FrontierMarch 18, 2016 – Get your dose of outstanding travel photos. This week: Iditarod participants reach a checkpoint and papier-mâché pandas pop up in Thailand.
How raccoons became the ultimate urban survivorsJuly 22, 2022 – “Trash pandas” are infamous for living among us, but why are they so good at it?
Life in the trees, not bamboo, shaped the panda’s “thumb”April 13, 2010 – Both red pandas and giant pandas have peculiar “thumbs” they use for manipulating bamboo, but a recent fossil discovery hints that the structures evolved for a reason unrelated to an herbivorous diet.
15 Pictures of Cute, Cuddly Animals Playing in the SnowJanuary 24, 2016 – Pandas play, polar bears wrestle, and walruses chillax in these photos from our archives.
'Bad moms' of the animal kingdom are only trying to surviveMay 10, 2019 – From ants that drink their larvae's blood to seals that abandon their pups, many species have questionable parenting styles.
Volunteer with Pandas in ChinaMarch 26, 2010 – Traveler intern Marley Gibbons shares the scoop on a new tour out of China. What better way to get to know China than through hanging out with its most iconic creatures? Planeterra, a non-profit that organizes trips for travelers interested in supporting development in the communities they visit, now offers an experience with a different…
BearsFebruary 15, 2019 – Bears are large, stocky animals with non-retractable claws, shaggy fur, an excellent sense of smell, and short tails.
Panda Rescue Efforts in ChinaJuly 01, 2008 – Over a month has passed since the devastating earthquake ripped through China, toppling schools, uprooting families, and destroying entire towns. And while the citizens of Sichuan Province begin to piece together their lives, the conservation community has begun work to restore the World Heritage panda breeding sanctuaries and hundreds of historic relics that were damaged…
Don’t be fooled by social media—wild animals make terrible petsJanuary 30, 2019 – Exotic pets might seem appealing, but the reality is often smelly, difficult, and sometimes dangerous.
PandaramaA panda stands in a tree in China in this National Geographic Photo of the Day from our Your Shot community.
Moment of Brr!December 17, 2015 – Feeling chilly? Let this adorable gallery warm you up. From belly-surfing otters to diving foxes, these animals are truly cool.
First Giant Panda Is Released Into the WildApril 28, 2006 – Xiang Xiang the panda today became the first captive-born giant panda to be released into the wild.