Awesome Animals

We share the planet with 400 million dogs: toy dogs, working dogs, champion dogs and artistic dogs; dogs who know what to do in an emergency; and dogs who know their way around a couch. For over 12,000 years, they’ve been our security guards and our friends. But how smart are dogs? Most dog owners would say they’re geniuses…and point to their own pup as living proof. National Geographic joins scientists and dog trainers to investigate canine intelligence in surprising new ways, unlocking the truth about man’s best friend.

Right now, around one billion pigs patrol the planet, flourishing on every continent except Antarctica. They’re a significant part of our diet, a critical player in modern medicine, and one of the smartest animals in the barn. Pigs open a window into human anatomy and even our emotional lives. National Geographic joins scientists who are researching pigs in surprising new ways, revealing the brilliance behind one of man’s smartest and tastiest friends.

They flock to our cities in the millions. Seemingly unremarkable grey birds, they are smarter than we think. Pigeons are master fliers and navigators that have an incredible ability to find their way home from distant, unfamiliar locations. Just how pigeons do this is a question scientists across the globe are investigating. Join National Geographic as we explore the genius of pigeons!

Moose are the biggest deer on Earth! Follow the lives of three baby moose as they face the challenges of growing up in the stunning, yet treacherous North American wilderness and for some, find themselves face-to-face with the human world.

Rats have the most amazing abilities to memorize, communicate, jump and squeeze through tiny gaps. Find out how they do it in Rat Genius.

Can a group of insects morph into something that acts more like a single creature? They can, when it's a group of ants!

Second only to humans, beavers alter their environment more than any other organism on the planet. These tireless animal engineers face the challenges of predators and the full fury of the elements.

The kangaroos are coming to town! National Geographic Kids explores how life for kangaroos in Australian suburbs compares to life in the wild.

Watch this fascinating story of a battle between two wolf packs as they fight it out over who will rule Yellowstone!

Tanzania's Serengeti National Park sustains one of the biggest lion populations in Africa: approximately 3,500 lions in 300 prides. One pride has 22 lions in all: they are called a “superpride”. Few lion prides reach this status!