February 2026

• Trials Conducted with Kanzi the Bonobo Before His Death Suggest Humans Aren’t Only Species Able to Engage in Imaginary Play—See Photos & Video (Live Science, 2/6/26). Read more, see more photos & video here.

• Finding: Japanese Giant Salamanders Switch from Eating Insects to Hunting Bigger Prey as They Grow—See Photos & Video (Discover Wildlife, 2/5/26).

• Study Suggests Saturn Moon’s Subsurface Ocean Contains Building Blocks of Life—See Images and Diagrams (EarthSky, 2/5/26).

• Special Report: An Expedition Diver’s Adventures Searching for Giant Teeth of Ancient Giant Sharks—See Photos (Oceanographic Magazine, 2/5/26).

• Study Finds Mercury, Believed a Dead Planet, May be Geologically Active—See Photos & Video (EarthSky, 2/4/26).

• London’s Natural History Museum Announces 24 Top Contenders for Wildlife Photographer Award—See Images (The Guardian, 2/4/26).

• Meet the Jacana, A Super-Long-Toed Bird that Walks on Water and Flips Sex Roles Around—See Photos & Video (EarthSky, 2/2/26).

January 2026

• Study Pinpoints Preferred Habitat of Adorable, Elusive, Endangered Coastal Marten—See Photo (Oregon State University, 1/21/26). Read more, see more photos here. Read the study here.

• Study: As Climate Change Reduces Other Populations, Polar Bears of Svalbard Islands Seem to Thrive—See Photos & Video (Vox, 1/29/26).

• Have Fun with Heiligenschein: Stand in the Sun, Look at Your Shadow, See a Halo around Your Head —See Photos & Video (EarthSky, 1/28/26).

• New Study Builds Case that Mars was Once Half-Covered by Ocean—See Photos & Illos (EarthSky, 1/27/26).

• Report: Southern California’s Joshua Trees are Blooming Too Soon, Will Yucca Moth Pollinators Arrive in Time? —See Photos (SFGate, 1/24/26).

• Study: Humans & Birds Hunt Honey Together in Mozambique; Human Calls Vary by Village; Birds Learn Them All —See Photo (Mongabay, 1/23/26).

• Study: Small Moments of Paying Attention to Nature Bring Big Dividends—See Photos (The Washington Post, 1/23/26).

• Macaulay Library Shares Best Bird Photos of 2025—See Images (allaboutbirds.org, 1/22/25)

• Researchers Ask: Do Animals Feel Joy? Over What? And How Do They Express It? —See Photos, Diagrams & Video (Science News, 1/22/26).

• 120 Days after 60th Country Ratifies It, High Seas Treaty Finally Takes Effect (Oceanographic, 1/19/26).

• Flamingo, Mockingbird or Scrub Jay—Floridians Debate Which Should Be State Bird—See Photos (The Washington Post, 1/20/26).

• Austrian Cow Uses Sticks, Brushes to Scratch Back, Adding Cows to List of Animals that Use Tools—See Photo & Video (The Guardian, 1/19/26). Read more, see more video here.

• Heads Up: Five Comets to Watch for in 2016—See Photos & Diagrams (EarthSky, 1/18/26).

• Scientists Propose Survival Benefits of Same-Sex Relations in Non-Human Primates (The New York Times, 1/18/26).

• Study: Mars Affects Earth’s Climate from Millions of Miles Away—See Photo & Diagrams (EarthSky, 1/14/26).

• Study: Some Galapagos Sea Lions Keep Suckling when Fully Grown—See Photos & Video (The New York Times, 1/13/26).

• Big Ole Bear Evicted from Crawlspace under California homeowner’s house—See Video (ABC30 Action News, 1/9/26). See more video here and here.

• Mile-Wide “Planet Killer” Asteroid Will Safely Pass Earth on Jan 12—See Illos & Diagram (EarthSky, 1/8/26).

• Study: Genius Dogs Learn Words Just Listening to Humans Talk—See Photo (NPR, 1/8/26).

• Craig, the Super Tusker, Dies at Age 54 in Amboseli National Park, Kenya—See Photos (Fox 8, 1/4/26).

• Study: Tiger Sharks Move In, Others Move Out, when Albatross Chicks Fledge in Hawaii—See Photos (EarthSky, 12/26/25).

• Earth Makes Closest Approach to Sun on January 3 (Space.com, 1/3/26).

• January 2-3 Full Moon is a Rare Triple Celestial Event—See Diagrams & Video (EarthSky.org, 12/26/25).