The newest resident of the Lincoln Park Zoo weighs 1,000 pounds and stands 9 feet tall. Meet Siku, a 6-year-old polar bear.

From service dogs to household companions, a new book looks inside the complex world of a dog’s nose.

About 20 million years ago, a 13-foot predator swam in warm, shallow seas across the globe. This extinct shark was recently discovered by an international team of researchers led by a DePaul University professor.

Thanks to an inquisitive Field Museum researcher, a nearly 40-million-year-old fossil housed at the institution has been identified as one of the earliest relatives of dogs, bears and foxes known as a beardog. 

In Chicago and surrounding counties, where reports of nearly 40 cases of rabies-infected bats have made headlines so far this year, the reputation of the small, winged creature seems bleak.

The Cook County Department of Animal and Rabies Control is urging pet owners to vaccinate their cats, dogs and ferrets against rabies after two outdoor cats tested positive for the virus in Illinois and Missouri.

The eastern massasauga rattlesnake, also known as the “swamp rattler,” produces venom more toxic than most other rattlesnakes.

The Shedd Aquarium is calling on President Barack Obama to sign legislation that aims to curb the highly lucrative, international business of illegally trading endangered and threatened animals.

The Lincoln Park Zoo gave journalists a sneak peek of the new African penguin exhibit, which aims to replicate the birds' natural habitat in southern Africa.

A Chicago conservation alliance is asking for the public’s help to save a dozen native species, including the endangered Blanding's turtle.

It's one of the most beautiful locations in one of the busiest areas of Chicago, but Lincoln Park's North Pond is not in good health. We revisit a proposal for a major makeover.

On Thursday, World Rhino Day, the zoo donated a piece of horn from one of its black rhinos to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The agency will use the sample to train its canine unit that sniffs out contraband at O’Hare International Airport.

The Bureau of Land Management said Thursday it will not follow the recommendation made last week by an independent board to euthanize or sell thousands of wild horses and burros, including 179 being held in Illinois.

Blanding's turtles, an endangered species in Illinois and a half-dozen other states, are getting a head start on survival at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.

Renowned Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf pays a visit to his Chicago masterpiece and talks about its evolution over the last 12 years.

Soak up the last weekend of summer by getting out of the city and off the beaten path. We’ve got a handful of destinations for the perfect weekend trip, whether you prefer hiking, rafting, biking or just lazing the day away.