Gray whales give tour group 'most epic' encounter off Southern California coast

Two giant gray whales stopped to explore a tour boat off the coast of Newport Beach, California, giving the whale watching group an unforgettable experience.

Yosemite 'firefall:' the best way to see Horsetail Falls light up

Whether you have a telephoto camera, the latest iPhone or even just want to capture nature's beauty with your naked eyes, thousands of people from all over the world will flock to Yosemite National Park this week to catch the stunning beauty of Horsetail Falls. Here's what you need to know.

Video captures flock of birds suddenly falling from the sky in Mexico

A flock of yellow-headed blackbirds suddenly dropped from the sky on a street in Mexico, but the reason behind the mysterious fall remains unclear.

Crocodile with tire stuck around neck for 6 years is finally freed

A wild crocodile with a motorcycle tire stuck around its neck since 2016 has finally been freed thanks to an Indonesian bird catcher’s tireless effort.

Boeing donates $1M to California wildlife freeway crossing

Boeing has donated $1 million toward construction of a bridge over a Southern California highway to allow mountain lions and other animals to move between fragmented wilderness areas.

Deadly fight between mountain lions caught on Belmont resident's video

Residents of Belmont woke up to a frightening scene in their front yard early Wednesday morning, a deadly fight playing out between two mountain lions.

New snake species discovered thanks to Instagram post

Oligodon churahensis is the newest snake species after a university student unknowingly posted a picture of it on Instagram in June 2020.

Sequoia National Park opens Giant Forest that survived fire

Sequoia National Park will reopen its Giant Forest area on Saturday, three months after a Northern California wildfire prompted extraordinary efforts to protect the grove and destroyed thousands of other redwoods.

Monarch butterflies making a comeback on the Peninsula. Here's why

Last year, the population of the monarch butterfly hit an all-time low, but, during the winter heat wave, scientists say large populations delayed their usual migration, and kept mating instead

Neon blue bioluminescent waves light up South Bay coast

It was a stunning sight in Marina del Rey as neon blue bioluminescent waves lit up the South Bay coast. 

More elephants evolving to be tuskless after years of poaching, researchers say

Researchers have pinpointed how years of civil war and poaching in Mozambique have led to a greater proportion of elephants that will never develop tusks.

Elk in Colorado with tire around neck for 2 years freed

Wildlife officials in Colorado say an elusive elk that has been wandering the hills with a car tire around its neck for at least two years has finally been freed of the obstruction.

Endangered gray wolf spotted in Southern California may be from Oregon

An endangered gray wolf that traveled at least 1,000 miles from Oregon to California’s Central Coast before his tracking collar stopped giving signals in the spring may still be alive and roaming in Ventura County.

'Do better': Photographer captures grizzly bear cub with discarded face mask

Photographer Jonathan Kuiper spotted a grizzly bear cub chewing a discarded face mask this summer in the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

California mom saves son, 5, from mountain lion attack using her 'bare hands'

A Los Angeles-area woman used her bare hands to fight off a 65-pound mountain lion that was attacking her 5-year-old son on Thursday, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

'Go! Go!': Tennessee man scares away black bear trapped in his car

A Tennessee man shooed away a black bear that broke into his parked car and caused heavy damage to the vehicle. “I had to abandon the car,” he said.