A gray and white cat rests half her face on the side of a cat bed, resulting in a squished, grumpy expression.

I love her funny face.

a 4 by 4 grid of insects that has a metallic grreen tiger beetle, a teal and black speckled sharpshooter with a yellow underbelly, a reddish brown stag beetle, and handsome meadow katydid, with the following words superimposed "Call for mural walls! we're making 3 10x10ft murals about philly's bugs. submit your walls at bit.ly/bugwalls

Hey Philly!

I need your help finding 3 walls for 10x10ft murals this fall all about the most charismatic bugs in the city.

Each mural must be in a different neighborhood, so we have to cast this net as wide as possible.

Please help us spread the word!

Submit your wall at bit.ly/bugwalls

This is what 37.9 inches of snow looks like! From outside Providence, RI.

These bats make intricate tents out of leaves A team of National Geographic Explorers is studying how these bats developed their architectural expertise—while cataloguing the various styles of tents they make.

Y'all there are bats that build TENTS to roost. They chew specific parts of a leaf to make it flop into the shape they want. And they are STUNNINGLY cute lil' guys. www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...

By @marybates.bsky.social

These bats make intricate tents out of leaves A team of National Geographic Explorers is studying how these bats developed their architectural expertise—while cataloguing the various styles of tents they make.

Another fun story for Nat Geo: Tent-making bats are skilled architects with integral roles in the health of forests - and they're adorable!

Meet ‘The Baroness’—the world’s longest wild snake She's more than 23 feet long, and verified by Guinness World Records.

I had the opportunity to write about a simply superlative serpent for Nat Geo.

At 23 feet 8 inches long, a reticulated python dubbed "The Baroness" is the world's longest wild snake.

The Role of Play in Animal Welfare Play is important for animals in captivity, both as an indicator of their emotional states and as a contributor to their long-term welfare.

Sure, opportunities to play are important contributors to the welfare of captive animals - but observing play behavior may also provides clues to an animal's emotional state.
My latest post at Psychology Today:

Fist bump to anyone else caught between the need to bow down & accept the dire, broken reality of the attention economy to continue surviving via their creativity & a desire to disconnect which becomes more vast, and more potentially vital to their sense of inner peace, with every year that passes.

Monkey Matchmaking and Why It Matters In humans, personality similarity between partners can lead to better compatibility and well-being. Is the same true for other pair-bonding primates?

In humans, personality similarity between partners can lead to better compatibility and well-being. Is the same true for other pair-bonding primates?

Check out my latest blog post:

Newly discovered mantis species dances like a snake to avoid death after sex The snake-tail mantis shows there’s more to these insects than just cannibalism.

Watch the sinuous dance of this newly discovered dwarf mantis species in my new @nationalgeographic.bsky.social story. The male performs a snake-like courtship dance - and he avoids getting eaten by his mate!
www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...

I smile and look off to the side in the background as I hold an owl butterfly on my hand in the foreground.

A two-toed sloth hanging and looking toward the camera.

A red-eyed tree frog, the national frog of Costa Rica, has red eyes, orange toes, blue-striped sides, and green skin.

I smile, standing inside the hollow of a large strangler fig tree.

A few photos from my trip last month to Monteverde, Costa Rica - a beautiful place with wonderful people and amazing wildlife.

Rats wage war on bats in stunning new footage New videos reveal the surprising dynamics of bat-rat relationships—and suggest how human activity is fueling these interspecies conflicts.

What are rats to bats? Video from recent research shows rats can be predators, competitors - and sometimes prey!

Rats wage war on bats in stunning new footage New videos reveal the surprising dynamics of bat-rat relationships—and suggest how human activity is fueling these interspecies conflicts.

What happens when bats meet rats? New research suggests it's complicated. For my latest Nat Geo article, I wrote about the the surprising dynamics of bat-rat relationships — and how human activity is fueling these interspecies conflicts.

Spiders Are Smart, Not Scary Spiders aren't just spooky Halloween mascots. Their keen senses, complex behaviors, and diverse lifestyles make them excellent subjects for cognitive studies.

This time of year, spiders receive a lot of attention for their creepier qualities. But researchers value them year-round for pulling off impressive cognitive feats with very little brains.

Do Octopuses Mean to Deceive? Cephalopods like octopuses, cuttlefish, and squid display a range of deceptive behaviors, which may rely on sophisticated cognitive abilities such as Theory of Mind.

Cephalopods have plenty of tricks, and they may be strategic about using them, demonstrating sophisticated cognitive abilities like understanding others' perspectives.
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/anim...

Whales Mourn, Birds Show Self-Awareness, Plants Remember—Are Humans Really So Special? Other species exhibit capabilities that were once thought to be exclusive to Homo sapiens

Human exceptionalism - the idea that we are somehow separate from nature and not inherently linked to (or even like) other beings - is a myth.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/huma...

Are Research-Savvy Chimpanzees Skewing Study Results? Some captive apes have more experience participating in research than others. Could this prior experience affect how they think and behave, biasing results from cognitive studies?

Some captive apes have more experience participating in research than others. Could this prior experience affect how they think and behave, biasing results from cognitive studies?
Check out my latest blog post!

Two gray and white cats stretched out and sleeping in a sunny window.

A cat in a window hammock leans over to touch another cat below her in a cat bed.

Morris and Pepper wonder how you are celebrating International Cat Day.

Why Consumer Neurofeedback Devices Are More Than Hype for Brain Health - IEEE Pulse Mind-reading headphones that prevent burnout and boost focus may sound like science fiction. But according to Ramses Alcaide, the co-founder and CEO of Neurable, that’s exactly what his company’s MW75...

Are consumer neurofeedback devices more than just hype for brain health? My latest for IEEE Pulse:

Please enjoy some of my embroidered brains and neurons for #worldbrainday.

The Creature Feature: 10 Fun Facts About the Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey — Mary Bates, PhD Get to know a most unusual primate: the golden snub-nosed monkey ( Rhinopithecus roxellana ). These colorful, social, and tough monkeys live in the mountains of central and southwestern China - and it...

What's your call on the golden snub-nosed monkey: cute or terrifying? Yes, they can stare into your soul, but they also love hugging.

Science and Democracy Under Siege Documenting Six Months of the Trump Administration’s Destructive Actions

We are six months into the second Trump administration and the scale and severity of its assault on our nation's science and democracy has been unrelenting.

Today, @ucs.org releases a detailed assessment of the damage so far and where we go from here: www.ucs.org/resources/sc... #ProtectScience

Play Encourages Cooperation and Tolerance in Elephants Signals used by elephants to manage competitive play sessions provide hints to the roots of empathy in social mammals.

Does playfulness support a cooperative and tolerant society? A new study links play, tolerance, and empathy in elephants.

Protecting Mexico’s bats | CNN Encountering vampire bats and snakes in dark caves may sound like the stuff of nightmares, but for Mexican ecologist Rodrigo Medellín it’s just another day at work. As part of the Rolex Perpetual Plan...

Mexico's "Batman," ecologist Rodrigo Medellín, shares his love and admiration for bats. They are incredibly ecologically important - and look at those adorable faces!

Play Encourages Cooperation and Tolerance in Elephants Signals used by elephants to manage competitive play sessions provide hints to the roots of empathy in social mammals.

Playful pachyderms promote peace! Rapid motor mimicry of play signals may help keep elephant play sessions from getting too rough.

I love this article by @brandonkeim.bsky.social asking if animals can appreciate beauty.
psyche.co/ideas/what-i...

Two guinea pigs, Garbanzo and Lentil, look out from their habitat.

Stanley, a ginger guinea pig, looks clean and happy after a bath.

Seven-year-old me holding my childhood guinea pig, Tiger.

College-age me sitting on the grass with my guinea pig Stella on a halter.

Thinking about my guinea pig companions over the years on this Guinea Pig Appreciation Day - including Tiger, Stella, Stanley, Lentil, and Garbanzo. They were all very good pigs.

Videos From the Amazon Reveal an Unexpected Animal Friendship

Trail cameras in the Amazon captured an odd couple - an ocelot and an opossum - wandering around together. “Like two old friends walking home from a bar,” according to one scientist.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/15/s...

It was a pleasure talking to Mary about our apparatus to take fish cognition research into the wild! 🐟🧠 Read it on Psychology Today ⬇️⬇️
with @kotrschal.bsky.social and @amydeacon.bsky.social

Fish Are Smarter Than You Think Researchers developed a way to run tests on fish learning and memory in the animals' natural environments. The results may reveal that fish are smarter than previously assumed.

Fish are smarter than you think! They can distinguish and remember individuals, navigate with mental maps, cooperate and communicate with one another, build complex structures, use tools, and keep track of quantities.