Wild World

I used to think hyenas were just scavengers with bad PR. Turns out, spotted hyena clans operate under one of the most sophisticated matriarchal systems

I used to think peregrine falcons were just fast birds until I watched one dive at 240 miles per hour and didn’t blink. Here’

I used to think meerkats were just cute Disney characters until I watched one stand guard for forty-seven minutes straight in the Kalahari.

Monarchs don’t really ask for much. I’ve spent enough time watching them—those orange-and-black scraps of determination—to know they’

I used to think the blue-ringed octopus was just another pretty face in the tide pool. Then I watched footage of one getting harassed by a diver—who really

I used to think birds were basically just flying around with no real plan, you know? Then I spent a morning in northern Mozambique watching a greater honeyguide—this

I used to think vampire bats were just horror-movie fodder until I learned they actually regurgitate blood into each other’s mouths. Turns out, this isn’

I used to think cassowaries were just oversized chickens with bad attitudes. Then I spent three weeks in Queensland’s rainforests, watching a southern

Hippos kill more people in Africa than almost any other large animal. I used to think hippos were these sort of placid, oversized river cows—blubbery and

I used to think frogs were, you know, relatively defenseless. Then I learned about Trichobatrachus robustus, the hairy frog—or as some researchers call