Rebel forces have seized Virunga National Park's headquarters, crushing efforts to rebuild the park and further threatening its population of rare mountain gorillas.

Costa Rica's Cocos Island National Park, nicknamed "Shark Island," has what might be the highest concentration of sharks anywhere. But even here, sharks are vulnerable.

The tiny-limbed creature is the first of 14 new species to be identified from a January expedition to Brazil's central savanna.

From European missionaries to WWII planes, a newfound collection of rock art in northern Australia chronicles Aborgine culture through the centuries.

A Persian leopard cub looks into the camera, a two-headed turtle is discovered, and more in our weekly update of animal photos.

Trained stallions kick, bite, and stomp each other in banned contests in the Philippines, a Sky TV report says. The games reportedly maim and wound thousands of horses each year. Warning: video contains graphic imagery.

A new pigeon-size species found in Mongolia had long, ribbon-like tail feathers that suggest plumage first evolved for ornamentation rather than for flight, scientists say.

Researchers have discovered more than 300 new species, including a new stingray, living in the waters off the Australian coast.

The online auction house announced the ban a day before a report by an animal welfare group revealed the site to be a major driver in illegal trade of wildlife products.

Brazilian Christians pray before a mass baptism, a lizard sculpture eyes chefs at the Culinary Olympics, and more in our weekly update of culture photos.

A 2008 expedition to the Xe Bang Fai River cave in the central part of the country uncovers "spectacular formations," and some of the largest cave rooms on Earth.

Aquatic snails use an amazing method to propel themselves across the water's slippery surface, new research shows.

Threatened by the squirrel pox, spread by gray squirrels, red squirrels are developing immunity to the disease, researchers say.

The slumping tourism industry in Kenya is having a negative impact on efforts to fight poaching in the country's scenic Maasai Mara.

Boxed penguins, blazes in L.A., a ball of "lightning," and a big shipwreck are captured in some of the week's best news photos.