The little-known reptile from the Galapagos fills a crucial gap in the evolution of land iguanas, scientists say. But its future may not be as rosy.

See the National Geographic Digital Media photo editors' favorite photos from National Geographic News's 2008 "Week in Photos" galleries.

The big cats originated in Africa or Asia, not North America as previously thought, according to a new study on a two-million-year-old skull.

Kayakers survive an encounter with a great white shark. Amateur video shows the shark circling the kayakers in the waters near Sydney, Australia.

A vampire moth, a gremlin-like primate, and an "alien" squid were among the discoveries that haunted the animal kingdom in the most read stories about creatures covered by National Geographic News in 2008.

The aftermath of an earthquake, a friendly cow, and an ethereal Paris sunset are three of the six winners of the National Geographic International Photo Contest 2008.

Some of the inhabitants of the Sydney Zoo were as eager to unwrap their presents as their human counterparts.

New insights into the animals intimate encounters include species that cut holes into their partners for sex, squid that swap genders, and males that deploy flesh-burrowing sperm.

Monkeys from a now-defunct research facility are roaming wild in southwestern Puerto Rico, threatening farmers' livelihoods, and causing public health concerns

A zoo orangutan that learned to whistle could offer clues about the origins of human speech.

Brought to the island by Vikings, the Icelandic horse does two gaits (besides walk, trot, and gallop) that no other horse does.

The two curled, tusklike teeth of the male beaked whale evolved to attract females as well as to battle other males, according to new research.

Biologists literally give fish a bath to try and eliminate parasites in the sea near a coral reef in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

An "extinct," dinosaur-era Australian stick insect was discovered on a remote island and is being reintroduced to one of its native habitats.

Bizarre prehistoric creatures--sea monsters, gargantuan rodents, a redheaded Neanderthal--are among the stars of the most read stories on dinosaurs and fossils by National Geographic News in 2008.