Kids News - Environment Articles

With two pairs of antennae, large compound eyes, and four sets of jaws, giant isopods look like creatures from a science fiction movie. Now, researchers have discovered a new "supergiant" isopod species with a head strikingly similar to Darth Vader’s helmet. In a nod to the iconic Star Wars villain, they have named it Bathynomus vaderi (B. vaderi)....

California’s famous bald eagle couple, Jackie and Shadow, are proud parents of triplets. The first eaglet hatched late on March 3, 2025. The second followed shortly after in the early hours of March 4. The third and final eaglet popped out of its eggshell four days later, on March 8. These are the couple’s first successfully hatched chicks since one named Spirit emerged three years ago....

Plants undergoing stress, such as drought or insect damage, use various tactics to defend themselves and warn others of danger. Some release strong scents, while others change color and shape. A recent study found that stressed plants even produce popping or clicking sounds. However, humans cannot hear them because they are at frequencies beyond our hearing range....

Wildlife biologists have discovered the heaviest Florida panther ever recorded. The adult male weighs an impressive 166 pounds (75 kg). This surpasses the typical range of 102 to 154 pounds (46 to 69 kg) for males. Female panthers, which are much smaller, generally weigh between 50 and 108 pounds (22 and 49 kg)....

A kayaker in Chile had the fright of his lifetime when he briefly found himself inside the mouth of a humpback whale. Luckily, the mammal had no interest in eating a human and quickly spat him out....

California's Yosemite National Park is known for its ancient giant sequoia trees and massive rock formations. These include El Capitan and Half Dome. However, from mid-to-late February, the park's main draw is the Horsetail Fall. Under the right conditions, this winter waterfall, takes on a fiery orange glow. This makes it look like lava flowing down El Capitan, giving it the name "firefall."...

After spending months spinning in the Antarctic waters, A23a, the world’s largest iceberg, is on the move again. This massive chunk of ice covers 1,418 square miles (3,673 sq. km). This is more than twice the size of the city of London. It weighs over a trillion tons and is about 1,312 feet (400 m) thick....

Giant pandas are back at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, DC, after 15 months! Three-year-olds Bao Li and Qing Bao made their debut to an excited crowd on January 24, 2025. The cubs arrived from China on October 15, 2024. But they had to complete a three-month quarantine before being introduced to the public....

When a giant, dolphin-like animal washed ashore a beach in Otago, New Zealand, locals alerted the Department of Conservation (DOC). Upon arrival, the experts realized the 16-foot (5-meter) mammal was no dolphin. It was a spade-toothed whale, the rarest whale species known to science....