In Yellowstone National Park, gray wolves act as keystone predators by controlling elk and deer populations, which had previously overgrazed and disrupted river systems that supported many more mammal, fish, and avian species.

As environmental engineers—a main type of keystone species—prairie dogs support over 150 other species through their grazing habits and burrowing of underground tunnels, which serve as habitats for owls, snakes, ferrets, insects, and other organisms.

During a trophic cascade, the disappearance of a keystone species, which plays an indispensable role in ecosystems, triggers a domino effect within food webs that disrupts the populations of many more species.

The Chernobyl exclusion zone has become a unique wildlife refuge

Within the area—roughly the size of Yosemite National Park—animals such as wolves, bears, and feral dogs descended from the pets left behind have gradually adapted to low-level radiation. Eastern tree frogs in the area have darker skin than usual, which may have helped protect them from ionizing radiation.

Biologists believe over 5,000 coyotes inhabit LA as of 2025

Panic and fear of coyotes spread in the 1980s after the first recorded instance of a human killed by the animal in American history, but LA and Chicago residents today are learning to live alongside the animal. Research shows that coyotes can even benefit urban ecosystems by helping to control populations of geese and deer, and by improving songbird survival through preying on cats.

Able to hold their breath for up to 15 minutes, beavers are considered keystone species via their construction of dams and formation of wetlands, which serve as homes and food sources for fish, birds, insects, and other animals.

The creation of the parks often involved displacing Native tribes

Early parks like Yellowstone, Glacier, and Yosemite involved the removal of tribal communities like the Shoshone, Crow, and Nez Percé, undermining the popular narrative that parks preserved an uninhabited wilderness.

The concept of keystone species—organisms that have disproportionately large impacts on their ecosystems—was discovered through studies of purple sea stars in Pacific tidepools.

The jaguar is the largest feline in the Americas and serves as a keystone species by acting as an apex predator with a diverse diet across multiple environments, thereby regulating the populations of dozens of species.

Chief scientist for project admits dire wolves aren't back

After previously announcing the deextinction of dire wolves, Colossal Biosciences' chief scientist admits they haven't done so. In an interview, they admit to having made 20 gene edits to grey wolves and applied the outdated morphological species concept—if they look like dire wolves, that is what they are.

How the California wildfires are impacting wildlife

The deadly 2025 Eaton and Palisades Fires in California have devastated neighborhoods, forested canyons and chaparral—a type of shrubland. In addition to taking dozens of human lives and displacing thousands, the fires destroyed countless habitats and displaced many species. See the unfortunate effects of the flames on wildlife populations, including birds, snakes, wildcats, and fish.

Although ecologists have struggled to identify a species as a keystone—one of outsized importance to its ecosystem—an analysis of 50 years of data and 157 studies identified 230 such species.

Some invasive species can provide benefits to ecosystems over time

In the 1990s, round gobies were introduced into the Great Lakes, rapidly spreading and competing with local sculpin and logperch. However, Lake Erie watersnakes, which were on the endangered species list, shifted their diet to be almost entirely made up of the plentiful round gobies, contributing to their loss of endangered status in 2011.

In 1948, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game used leftover parachutes from World War II to airdrop 76 beavers into the Frank Church Wilderness as part of a relocation project.

By targeting a diverse range of sick and injured marine life, sharks—a type of predatory keystone species—help keep ocean gene pools healthy and promote biodiversity by keeping prey species in check.

Keystone species with average lifespans exceeding a century, oak trees support more organisms than any other North American tree genus by providing ecosystems with pollen, shelter, and nutrient-rich acorns.

As part of the up to 15 pounds of seafood they consume daily, sea otters eat urchins that feed on kelp forests—sources of shelter and food to over 800 species—thereby making the marine mammal a keystone species.

Possessing trunks that contain about 40,000 individual muscles, African elephants act as keystone species by trampling and clearing trees, making pathways in forests, digging water holes, and spreading seeds.

Benign species can become invasive if introduced into predator-free habitats

Most ecosystems contain organisms that, over many generations, have evolved into a stable balance with one another and their surroundings. In a new environment, a species may no longer be restricted by the limiting factors it is used to, and the native organisms in the area may not adapt quickly enough to the invader to establish a new balance.

While invasive species typically harm ecosystems by outcompeting native organisms for resources, some provide unexpected benefits, including new shelters, nesting habitats, and reduced environmental heat stress.

How is climate change reshaping the Great Northern Wilderness?

This article focuses on how climate change is drastically altering Kluane National Park in Canada and nearby areas in Alaska. Glaciers are struggling: One large glacier is melting so fast that it has redirected a river's flow, a phenomenon that...

See a wild bear observe fellow bears at the zoo

At the Sequoia Park Zoo in California, a wild bear visited the bear enclosure to see three bears in captivity. Zookeepers referred to him as a "polite visitor," adding, "He stayed on the boardwalk path, kept two feet on the ground, and didn't try to climb over the railings!"

Some mosquitoes are key pollinators—and eat disease-carrying mosquitoes.

Lewis and Clark identified 122 animal species new to science.

Yellowstone was the world's first national park

Before it was designated as such, it was home to 27 Indigenous tribes, including the Blackfeet, Crow, and Nez Perce. European trappers and traders traveling west were entranced by the area’s stunning beauty and natural resources, fueling a push for the government to preserve the land for future generations.

Supertoxic rat poisons are wreaking havoc on unintended targets, including predator birds, mammals, amphibians, crustaceans, and insects.

National parks boost local economies, but they can also harm local land

Increased tourism and job creation are big wins for the small towns outside national parks, but the influx of visitors can also have negative effects, including wildlife destruction and overdevelopment.

Ten thousand mink got loose in Ohio

Vandalism freed thousands of mink at a rural northwest Ohio farm, leaving an estimated 10,000 of the small carnivorous mammals unaccounted for, according to the local sheriff.

Deer don't get infected with Lyme disease—but ticks do feed on them

Adult ticks feed on white-tailed deer and also lay eggs on the animals, but the deer don't get sick with Lyme disease. Research published in 2023 offered new insights into why deer don't get sick from Lyme disease: It appears that the quadruped may have specific not-yet-identified immune system proteins in their blood serum that kill the bacterium.

Across the animal kingdom, parenting can include adults carrying their young, providing their bodies for sustenance, searching for food and shelter for their children, and separating siblings who may eat one another.

Desert wildlife: diverse, threatened, and misunderstood

This article sheds light on the surprisingly diverse wildlife that thrive in deserts, while also highlighting the gaps in human understanding of these ecosystems. Deserts are home to one-quarter of terrestrial vertebrate species—three percent of...

The use of fungi to detoxify land and water—a process known as mycoremediation—has been used to clean up natural resources affected by the 2025 California wildfires.

Watch how wild animals are projected into a mall

Centered around a dynamic, ever-changing watering hole, the experience allows you to meet a diverse range of animals from Africa to the Arctic as they graze, drink, and interact with the environment around them.

What's happening to the snowy owl?

This article explores the alarming decline of snowy owls in the Arctic. Once abundant in these northern regions, the snowy owl is now classified as "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The adult population...

Watch a breakdown of the canine family tree that explains how foxes and wolves are related to our beloved household pets, like poodles and dachshunds.

The bison with mystery origins on California's Santa Catalina Island

Bison roam the 75 square-mile channel island of Santa Catalina about 25 miles south of Los Angeles in the Pacific. It's not clear exactly how they got there, but one theory says 14 of them were dropped off as part of a Hollywood film production. Generally beloved by the locals and vacationers, their numbers ballooned to nearly 600 but dwindled amid resource scarcity. What now? See the state of conservation efforts here.

Contributing to one in every three bites of food consumed by humans, bees are a keystone species because of their essential role as pollinators of about 80% of all flowering plants worldwide.