Animals

A new species of whale has been identified.

It's called the 'Ramari's beaked whale', and it's named after tohunga tohora - or whale expert - Ramari Stewart who helped identify the mammal as a… Audio

Pigs have the intelligence of a human toddler and are smarter than any breed of dog, which won't come as any surprise for Dunedin farmer Craig Struthers.

He, along with his children, 10-year-old… Audio

We are halfway through the voting for Bird of the Year and the campaigns are heating up.

From tinder profiles for birds, to fashion advice to look like a Tarapuka, to a song in honour of the… Audio

More than a century after the huia was hunted to extinction, Dannevirke museum is hunting for the return of its own prized specimen of the bird.

A man convicted of the theft of the huia said in a… Audio

To some news that will be be pretty obvious to most of us, but clearly some people need a reminder: please don't pat penguins or any other native wild animals. 

The Department of Conservation is… Audio

Voting for the Bird of the Year opens today -- but the competition's more controversial than usual.

Feathers went flying a few weeks ago when it was suggested a bat (a mammal, not a bird) would be… Audio

Many of us who are in Auckland, Northland and Waikato will be in the midst of school holidays spent at home and around the country businesses that rely on tourism from overseas and from Aotearoa's… Audio

In California, the 12th annual surf dog competition has been held at Huntington Beach.

Yes you that's right - dogs are riding ruff waves.

This year about 40 dogs from around the world took part in… Audio

Up to 10,000 people will be allowed to attend the Melbourne Cup in Australia next month.

Melbourne is on track to come out of lockdown by October 26, once the state reaches its 70 percent double… Audio

A new entrant to the annual Bird of the Year/Te Manu Rongonui o te Tau competition has caused a flap.

The long-tailed bat, pekapeka-tou-roa, has swooped in on the competition that allows Kiwis to… Audio

The SPCA is facing its biggest kitten season yet after desexing was put on hold in lockdown.

Now it is desperate for foster parents and adoptions to help them catch up with the backlog and to make… Video, Audio

An update on a story we ran last week about 12 brown bears in Alaska who were in the running to win The "Fat Bear Week" tournament .

It's held every year as the bears stock up for hibernation, with… Audio

Bio-security manager Garrick McCarthy talks to Jesse about the damage these pests could potentially cause. Audio

Bears looking for brunch in the rubbish bins, monkeys mugging tourists in India; wildlife and human encounters do not always go well. Science journalist Mary Roach looks at the inevitable clashes… Audio

The godwits are landing on New Zealand's coastal mudflats again - after incredible journeys from the other side of the world.  Audio

Don't be surprised if you witness -- or are victim to -- a magpie dive bombing someone in the coming weeks. (Thanks, Australia.) It's nesting season and the time-honoured tradition of magpies swooping… Audio

An eagle with long talons once roamed the skies of South Australia, while terrorising koalas.

Scientists have confirmed a fossil, found five years ago, is of a newly discovered species that was alive… Audio

It's the opening day for trout fishing season, and fishermen up and down the South Island are dusting off their rods and gumboots.

Peter Meecham is a lifelong trout fisherman and was out on the… Audio