The three-year project aims to document the world's largest freshwater fishes, from giant catfish to half-ton stingrays. (First in a new series on megafishes.)

Photos: Meet the Megafishes

At least four mountain gorillas were shot dead last weekend in Congo's Virunga National Park, a "disaster" for a species numbering scarcely 700, rangers say.

DNA from a mastodon tooth has revealed surprising insights into the history of elephants—including similarities to human evolution.

A species of red algae in the coral reefs off Japan depends on being tended by the dusky farmerfish, recent research suggests.

Adélie penguins in Antarctica apparently gave up a 38,000-year-old fish diet to focus on krill, after whale and seal hunting created a surplus of the tiny crustaceans.

A 19-year study in a Chinese nature park revealed that the presence of tourists drove more adult macaques to aggressive behavior against each other and their babies.

A rich trove of fossils recently found in New Mexico suggests that dinosaurs took a slow path to domination over life on land.

Yes, mother: Honeybee queens wield ultimate control over their subjects' brains, a new study says.

One of the world's rarest creatures, Attenborough's long-beaked echidna, appears to be alive and well, scientists say. And reportedly it's also quite delicious.

"Geckel," a next-generation tape based on two of nature's greatest clingers, may soon be appearing in clothing and bandages.

A boat collision may be to blame for the death of a humpback whale recently found in Alaska with a tongue swollen to the size of a small car.

Human walkers exert far less energy than their chimp counterparts, suggesting evolution may have steered humans toward moving on two legs.

Elephants appear to have developed the ability to steer clear of the land mines that litter the war-ravaged country, scientists report.

Dino soup, anyone? For centuries, the Chinese have likely used dinosaur bones—thought to be mythical dragon bones—as ingredients in their medicine and food.

See a roundup of the week's news and events: Indonesia's Mount Gamkonara rumbles, snow falls in Buenos Aires after 89 years, Boeing launches its 787 Dreamliner, and more.