NPR Topics: Animals

How a dog aging project can help pets and humans live healthier lives

Berly McCoy — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 03:00:59 -0400

The Dog Aging Project is a long-term nationwide survey on the health and lifestyles of U.S. dogs that launched in 2019. Today, the project has more than 50,000 canines and counting. Today, hear what researchers have learned from one of the largest dog health data sets and what it could tell us both about increasing the lifespan of our furry friends and us.

For more information about signing your pup up for the Dog Aging Project, visit their website.

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Ed, the runaway pet zebra, has been captured in Tennessee

The Associated Press — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 01:52:45 -0400

Ed the Zebra was captured safely after being located in a pasture near a subdivision in the Christiana community in central Tennessee, the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office confirmed.

(Image credit: Rutherford County Sheriff's Office)

Paddlefish make a comeback in Minnesota

Hannah Yang — Sat, 07 Jun 2025 09:38:46 -0400

The odd-looking pre-historic paddlefish is threatened in many states. However, in some, like Minnesota, its numbers are growing. And local officials are tracking the fish's numbers and locations.

Sea turtle Dilly Dally released into the ocean with three flippers after undergoing amputation

Alana Wise — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 16:25:11 -0400

Dilly Dally, a loggerhead turtle who survived a run-in with a predator that ultimately cost her a flipper, has been rereleased into the wild.

(Image credit: Rebecca Blackwell)

Greetings from Mexico City, where these dogs ride a bus to and from school

Eyder Peralta — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 10:00:20 -0400

Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international correspondents share snapshots of moments from their lives and work around the world.

Think anglerfish are weird? Wait until you hear how they evolved

Hannah Chinn — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 03:00:59 -0400

There are over 200 species of deep-sea anglerfish; some are long and thin, some are squat and round, some have fins that they use to "walk" along the sea floor, and others have huge eyes set far back into their heads. But how did all this morphological diversity first come to be? Thanks to a new anglerfish family tree, now we know.

Scientists built this evolutionary tree using genetic information from hundreds of samples and anglerfish specimens across the globe. It indicates that anglerfish originated from an ancestor that crawled along the seafloor ... and sheds new light on how experts could think about biodiversity as a whole.

After 529 days alone in the Australian bush, Valerie the mini dachshund is home

Kat Lonsdorf — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 17:48:13 -0400

Valerie ran off while she was on a camping trip with her humans back in 2023 on a remote island in Australia. They had lost hope until locals spotted her more than a year later, surviving in the wild.

Some clownfish are shrinking, according to new study. Here's why

Kaity Kline — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 04:14:38 -0400

Clownfish in Papua New Guinea are temporarily shrinking in response to heat stress caused by climate change, a new study found. Here's how that might help them deal with warmer water temps.

(Image credit: Loic Venance)

Endurance swimmer circles Martha's Vineyard to raise awareness of shark loss

Avery Keatley — Sun, 01 Jun 2025 17:08:31 -0400

Endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh is completed the first solo swim around the island of Martha's Vineyard, to raise awareness for shark populations.

Meet Hannah, the oldest living pigmy hippo in managed care

Gurjit Kaur — Fri, 30 May 2025 17:37:26 -0400

Hannah Shirley has became the oldest living pigmy hippo in managed care ever in the world. Before her posh life at the Ramona Wildlife Center in San Diego, she was living in a backyard in California.