If you want to know what Chicago looked like 200 years ago, head to the city’s southeast corner, where native wetlands, forests and prairies all come together.

Vacant city lots are often dismissed as derelict urban eyesores, but now some environmentalists are viewing these empty spaces as ecological opportunities. 

On a mission from Chicago, two Shedd Aquarium staffers have been providing around-the-clock care for a sea otter pup rescued in Alaska. 

Visitors to Shedd Aquarium’s seasonal exhibit can dip their hands into a pool and discover the texture of this unique sea creature. 

The striped “forest giraffe” is the 28th okapi to be born at the suburban zoo since 1959, when it became the first zoo in North America to have a birth of the species.

Here’s something that might surprise you: The best place in the entire state of Illinois to see birds during their spring migration is in the city of Chicago. 

For the first time, Brookfield Zoo is exhibiting a pangolin, a rare animal native to Africa and Asia.

Coyotes have made a remarkable comeback in Chicago. What are the secrets to their survival in a dense metropolis? Marcus Krahnforst hunts for clues with noted biologist Stan Gehrt in this “Urban Nature” episode.

Starting July 1, visitors to the Shedd can experience nearly all the aquarium has to offer for one price. And for Chicago residents, this means potential savings of nearly 50 percent.

The backyard chicken trend gets a leg up with the prospect of temporary ownership – and farm-fresh eggs.

Infertile mice with 3-D printed ovaries were able to give birth to healthy pups, according to a new study from Northwestern University. 

The monarch butterfly’s remarkable migration is in peril. Its habitat has been decimated by rapid urbanization and changing agricultural practices. Could cities come to the rescue?

Why do some squirrels live in more affluent neighborhoods, while others dwell in more disadvantaged ones? WTTW's online series “Urban Nature” has the story.

Microphones placed across the Chicago area by the Lincoln Park Zoo are tracking the return of bats to the region this spring. 

A west suburban forest preserve is dispatching an army of freshwater mussels to clean up contaminated waters. “They may be small, but they have enormous beneficial effects on the lives of other organisms,” said one staff member.

An update to our March story about bald eagles returning to Cook County.