Animal and Pets News Headlines

Like their dolphin cousins, false killer whales can "see" underwater using echolocation to bounce sound off of objects. Now, a new study finds that the animals can actually focus their echolocation on their target much like humans can focus their vision on objects near and far.

The son of Jacques Mayol, the French diver who inspired the cult film "The Big Blue", has turned his father's Mediterranean island house into a celebration of his ecological vision and passion for nature.

The death of a baby mountain gorilla has prompted Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo to launch joint anti-poaching patrols to protect the endangered species, an official said Wednesday.

An Australian outback zoo was Wednesday investigating the sudden and mystifying deaths of four white rhinos who showed "neurologic abnormalities" like stumbling.

(Reuters) - Detroit Tigers third basemen Miguel Cabrera suffered a minor fracture below his right eye after getting hit by a grounder in a spring training game but is hopeful for the regular season opener, the team said on Tuesday. Cabrera, who has shifted to third base from first base to accommodate Detroit's free-agent …

Allergies can cause misery for pets and humans alike. But allergies in animals are not always easy to diagnose and treat.

A 2010 ballot initiative to toughen oversight of dog breeders highlighted the rift between Missouri farmers and national animal rights activists. Two years later, the divide has only deepened.

Many pet owners leave their home radios playing all day for the listening pleasure of their dogs and cats. Station choices vary. "We have a very human tendency to project onto our pets and assume that they will like what we like," said Charles Snowdon, an authority on the musical preferences of animals. "People assume that …

A newly discovered virus may be one of the causes of a potentially fatal kidney disease in pet cats.

YA'AN, China (Reuters) - China's national treasure, the giant panda, will become even more precious if one businessman succeeds in using their dung to grow organic green tea he intends to sell for over $200 a cup. An Yanshi, an entrepreneur in southwest China, grows the tea in mountainous Ya'an in Sichuan province using …

BERLIN (Reuters) - A fawn-colored baby rabbit tipped for fame in Germany as he was born without ears was accidentally trampled and killed by a cameraman who had come to a zoo to film him, German media reported this week. "I can't believe it. The rabbit was so sweet. It is a huge tragedy," zoo manager Uwe Dempewolf told …

PORTLAND, Oregon (Reuters) - The U.S. government has sanctioned the limited killing of sea lions, which have feasted on endangered Columbia River salmon, in the states of Oregon and Washington. The decision on Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) marked the latest reversal in the federal …

Wildlife in Africa got an extra level of protection Thursday (March 15) with the official creation of the world's largest international conservation area spanning the borders of Botswana, Angola, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

YAOUNDE (Reuters) - At least half the elephant population in Cameroon's Bouba N'Djida reserve have been slaughtered because the west African nation sent too few security forces to tackle poachers, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said on Thursday. In what was described as one of the worst poaching massacres in decades, …

This story was updated at 3:17 pm EDT March 14.

Conventional wisdom holds that during the Mesozoic Era, mammals were small creatures that held on at life's edges, but now scientists say at least one mammal group flourished.

A French woman has taught her golden retrievers to play the piano.

(Reuters) - The Chicago Bears have acquired Pro Bowl wide receiver Brandon Marshall from the Miami Dolphins for a pair of undisclosed draft picks, the National Football League (NFL) teams said on Tuesday. One of the NFL's dominant wide outs, Marshall has caught over 100 passes three times, surpassed 1,000 yards receiving …

It's been three months since a California animal rescue center retrieved 29 wolf-dogs from an Alaska tourist attraction that had fought the state over owning, breeding and selling the wolf-hybrids. Chains were so deeply embedded in the necks of two of the animals that they had to be surgically removed. Many developed limps …

MADRID (Reuters) - The world's two richest clubs, Real Madrid and Barcelona, take up their lonely duel for the title against sides battling for financial as well as La Liga survival this weekend. Jose Mourinho is closing in on Real's first league title in four years as they travel to face Real Betis on Saturday (2100 GMT) …

Bob Barker's name has been attached to a game show and a cause for decades. Now it's attached to a building, too.

Increasingly, the media zoo that is SXSW looks more like today's overlapping media world.

A Japanese zoo has turned to rhythmical banging on traditional drums in a bid to encourage some enthusiasm for sex among lust-lacking alligators.