Contribute to Freaky Creatures

News and press releases

A zoo birth or a rescue animal's return to the wild can be a story worth sharing. Tell us about your fossil find, newly identified beetle, or unexpected result from a reef survey.

What to send

• The announcement itself, included in your message, attached as a Word file, or available through a link.
• When the announcement becomes public, including the time, and whether an embargo applies.
• At least one photograph that belongs to you or that you have permission to share. Add a caption and the photographer's credit to each image.
• A person's email address so we can follow up on the details.

Let us see the animal, its surroundings, or the people involved. Those photographs tell us more than a logo.

Subject line: News: your headline

Q&As

What does a keeper learn while raising a rare hatchling, or a vet notice when treating an injured turtle? Put yourself or a colleague forward, whether a keeper, vet, field researcher, conservation worker, or curator.

What to send

• Who would answer our questions: their full name, role, and the organization they work for.
• Two or three lines about their current work with animals.
• Several subjects they would be happy to discuss.
• An up-to-date portrait, with permission for us to use it.

The conversation can happen over email, on a phone call, or by video. We shorten answers while keeping the speaker's own wording. The interviewee approves the quotations before publication.

Subject line: Q&A: name, organization

Contributed articles

A reef survey might reveal where young fish shelter, while a rescue release might offer lessons about an animal's recovery. Pitch an article that helps readers understand the animals you work with and what the evidence shows.

What to send

• A short outline to start with. Hold off on the full draft until we accept the idea.
• After acceptance, an original article of 700 to 1,500 words. It must be unpublished, including on your own website and social accounts.
• Practical information supported by evidence. Identify the study, survey, or dataset supporting each figure, and specify the species and location in every example.
• An individual author's name, a headshot, and a biography of two or three sentences. An organization cannot be the author.
• Images you have permission to supply, with individual captions and credits.
• A one-line disclosure of any sales, funding, or other benefit connecting you or your employer to something mentioned in the article. This disclosure accompanies the article beneath the text.

Subject line: Article pitch: your topic