Animals

June 16, 2024

Meet the Rüppell’s Vulture, the Extraordinary Bird That Can Fly as High as an Airplane

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman! No. Actually, that winged creature high in the sky is a Rüppell’s vulture. Native to the Sahel region of Africa, this magnificent species of griffon vulture stretches eight feet in wingspan and 33 to 38 inches in height. Its beady eyes, long neck, and brown and white feathers are perfectly crafted for the desert scavenger. But its size is far from its most impressive trait.

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June 10, 2024

Composer Turns Pet Portraits Into Beautiful Music That Reflects Your Furry Friend’s Personality

Visual artists have long been inspired by their pets. There's a seemingly endless supply of pet photography and even quirky crafts paying homage to our animal companions. But it turns out, our furry friends can also prompt creatives to write beautiful music—and not just the silly songs you sing to your dog or cat about how much you love them.

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June 5, 2024

Young Orcas Are Still Ramming Into Boats and Sinking Them, and Now We Know Why

Since 2017, there have been regular “attacks” on boats in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. Orcas have been ramming themselves into boats to the point that they actually sunk at least four boats. One boat off the Strait of Gibraltar was sunk just this past May. Especially during COVID lockdown, it was hard to not interpret the orca incidents as killer whales protesting humanity.

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June 3, 2024

World’s Largest Wildlife Crossing Allows Animals to Safely Pass over Highway in California

Los Angeles is famous for its broad, congested highways full of cars inching bumper to bumper through traffic. These legendary many-lane highways teeming with vehicles are annoying to commuters, but they're deadly to local wildlife who can end up as roadkill. Highway 101 runs through Los Angeles County, dividing the habitats of the Santa Monica Mountains and the Simi Hills in the Santa Susana range.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.