Land Mammals
Latest about Land Mammals
![a meerkat standing against a stone colored wall looking angry at the camera](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WBz898QzCV4QvKwWKBPLCC-320-80.jpg)
Some female meerkats have a brutal, bloodthirsty streak, and now we may know why
By Carys Matthews published
Dominant female meerkats' quest for dominance may be down to genes that give them the upper hand.
![leopard lies relaxed on the branch of a tree.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wsDQF3eTfqPsuRX7z4oL3C-320-80.jpg)
Clouded leopard: The cat with saber-like teeth that can walk upside down in trees
By Megan Shersby published
Clouded leopards can rotate their ankle joints by almost 180 degrees and they kill prey by biting the back of their necks with their huge teeth.
![Two elephant calves play together with their trunks](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9HUKW4du8Wm6cnWZ3BihsM-320-80.jpg)
Scientists may have finally figured out how elephants got their incredible trunks
By Jacklin Kwan published
Elephants appear to have evolved their long, grasping trunks as a result of climate change pressures on their ancestors millions of years ago.
![A grizzly bear walks in the snow in West Yellowstone, Montana.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/r5Jub2jLzU5uNTCSD97pQa-320-80.jpg)
Half-asleep bears are wandering around Siberia because it's too hot to hibernate
By Sascha Pare published
Bears that are struggling to hibernate due to abnormally warm weather in Russia's Amur region are wandering around in a daze, having suppressed their metabolism in preparation for winter.
![A De Winton's golden mole facing the camera on sand.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Mr4t37YGhBVXJgWcJAtv8Q-320-80.jpg)
Shimmering golden mole thought extinct photographed and filmed over 80 years after last sighting
By Megan Shersby published
De Winton's golden mole, last sighted in 1937, has been found alive swimming through sand dunes in South Africa after an extensive search for the elusive species.
![close up of a tabby cat with green eyes](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ERrvYNDAGhtbwuQgQ7qxaj-320-80.jpg)
Cats' dazzling eye colors may come from 1 unusual ancestor
By Patrick Pester published
The cat family has an amazing array of eye colors stemming from one unusual ancestor.
![A kangaroo stands chest-deep in water.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NnXStSHBPiV8EZP4UVDUGb-320-80.jpg)
Kangaroos might try to drown your dog. Here's why.
By Sascha Pare published
Footage of a kangaroo attempting to drown a dog in a river in Australia went viral online, but this isn't the first time a marsupial has pulled this trick.
![A camera trap picture of a Vangunu giant rat on the Solomon islands.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/dy3PoiXHehgc99qswG7384-320-80.jpg)
Giant 1.5-foot-long rat that can crack open coconuts photographed for 1st time on remote island
By Sascha Pare published
After years of failed attempts, scientists have finally succeeded in snapping images of an extremely rare, enormous rat that is so big it can reportedly chew through coconuts on the Solomon Islands.
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