Animals

Research on Kiawah Island has created a wealth of data on these little-known, beautiful salt marsh turtles—proving we can’t protect something unless we understand it first

Come for a maritime forest so lush it feels like a jungle, stay for the dreamy beach sunsets

The six youngsters enjoy wrestling, playing chase, bothering mom, taking naps, and eating treats at their coastal South Carolina home

A songbird that looks dipped in paint, a delicate pink wader, and an iridescent duck—learn what gives these beautiful birds their color, plus how to spot them

A kitten on a South Carolina back road changed everything I thought about felines

My quest to identify an ultra-rare species in my Charleston yard attracted birders from near and far—and sparked unexpected, shared joy

The animals head back to China this year, bringing the city’s twenty-five-year bear love affair to a close

An unlikely team opens a window into the secret lives of the tiny animals

Plus more special sounds as Smithsonian Folkways Recordings marks seventy-five years

Where they are, how to identify them, and reasons not to kill them

Raise a toast to all the mothers—not just the human ones—who make it happen for their kids

And other important writing and animal advice from the author Susan Orlean, whose new book, On Animals, is out now