X CLOSE

Animals

LatestPopular

A yellow bird singing on a branch with a soft-focus green background.

Animals

idea

Learn to tune into birdsong – respite and fascination await

Listening deeply to the sounds of birds is a powerful form of meditation and a first step towards a rewarding new hobby

by David M Logue

Photo of an earthworm on rough grey asphalt surface with visible texture and sunlight casting shadows.

Bioethics

idea

Why, in a universe of pain, I’m saving stranded earthworms

Any action can seem futile amid so much suffering. I’ve realised the important thing is to stop despairing and do something

by Claire E Schultz

Music

idea

I learned to hear the music of Earth’s underwater musicians

If we consider the sounds of whales and other organisms with an open mind, we find a strange beauty – and can even join in

by David Rothenberg

Two bonobos embracing in a lush, green forest setting. Both have dark fur and are looking towards the camera.

Animals

idea

Same-sex sexual behaviour in mammals evolved to keep the peace

Although these new findings can’t tell us much about human sexuality, they could help to solve an evolutionary paradox

by Shayla Love

An illustrated medieval courtroom with a sow and piglets on trial, people observing, and officials judging from a raised platform.

Animals

idea

If animals are persons, should they bear criminal responsibility?

Were medieval trials of animal criminals not a sign of backwardness, but in fact strangely progressive?

by Ed Simon

Silhouettes of people observing and photographing a beluga whale through an aquarium glass in a dimly lit blue environment.

Animals

idea

Human exceptionalism imposes horrible costs on other animals

We owe it to other animals and to ourselves to resist human exceptionalism. Accepting their inner lives is the first step

by Barbara J King

Two ravens perched on a black railing at the Tower of London, with crowds and historic stone buildings in the background.

Animals

idea

A basic sense of numbers is shared by countless creatures

Birds, bees, cats and other animals have an ability to use numbers. How can this help us understand people with dyscalculia?

by Brian Butterworth

A boy lovingly cuddles a small dog, their faces touching, while sitting on a cushioned surface.

Evaluating therapies

idea

Time to move beyond the anecdotes around animal-assisted therapies

There’s so much excitement about using animals to help children with mental health problems, but what does the science say?

by Mirena Dimolareva

A tiny, pink pygmy seahorse camouflaged against coral in an underwater scene with vibrant orange and pink hues.

Animals

idea

Sex lives of the pygmy seahorses – a hidden, miniature marvel

Randy females, pregnant males and breeding quartets: the secret sex lives of the pygmy seahorses of Sulawesi in Indonesia

by Richard Smith

A large whale surfacing next to a boat with people in life jackets observing and taking photos on a clear day.

Nature and the environment

idea

Grey whales taught me how to mother, how to endure, how to live

When I was in crisis, grey whales taught me how to mother and how to endure, till I could find my own paths through change

by Doreen Cunningham

Painting of a kangaroo standing on a rock with a misty mountain and trees in the background under a cloudy sky.

Animals

idea

Calling Australia’s wildlife ‘weird’ puts it at risk

To see Australia’s wildlife as weird or bizarre adopts the colonial framings of past naturalists – and puts animals at risk

by Jack Ashby

A fluffy chick facing a blue screen with scattered white dots.

Knowledge and reason

idea

Babies and chicks help solve one of psychology’s oldest puzzles

From the beginning of life, both humans and other species can grasp important characteristics of the world around them

by Giorgio Vallortigara