Science

Large bass swimming in the water.
March 2025 Issue

ShareLunker Program Uses Science to Create Bigger, Better Bass

Decades of genetic data help build an ever-growing big-bass family tree.

Story by Kirk McDonnell
0325_F-MakingOfLake_BoisDArc_6650effb71a7ced8a7181456_4_CourtesyFivePoints
March 2025 Issue

Building a Bass Lake

TPWD team gets a rare chance to help design North Texas reservoirs with fishing in mind.

Story by Russell A. Graves
Hundreds of dead fish float on the water's surface at Lake Granbury
January/February 2025 Issue

Largest Known Protein Discovered in Texas Lake

PKZILLA is a big, marine protein that spews toxins and plays a role in devastating algae blooms.

Story by Eva Frederick
A man walks down a leaf covered trail surrounded by tall trees
January/February 2025 Issue

A Psychologist Explains How Nature Really Does Heal Us

Time outside offers wide-ranging benefits for mental health.

Ziv Shafir
A grackle gives an intense look
November 2024 Issue

Ask a Grackle: Classifying the Guys in the Parking Lot

Basically, the males of our species are territorial.

By The Grackle
A group of yucca plants grows toward the sky as a large white cloud rolls across the blue sky
November 2024 Issue

Sotol, Yucca and More: Reconnecting Texans with Their Botanical Roots

Humans have long relied on plants to survive the sometimes harsh landscapes of Texas.

Story by Brandon Weaver
a large tarantula crawls across the rocky ground
October 2024 Issue

Did You See a Brown Tarantula? He's Probably Looking for Love

A few months each year, these giant spiders risk death to attract the perfect mate.

Story by Karina Kumar
As the sun rises, dozens of fishing boats prepare to launch on Lake Fork in search of largemouth bass
October 2024 Issue

Study Unlocks the Secret Lives of Largemouth Bass

TPWD Findings Offer Clues to Help Anglers Anticipate Bass Movements.

Story by Kirk McDonnell
Two large bronze sculptures of mammoths stand outside the Mayborn Museum in Waco, Texas.
October 2024 Issue

Waco Offers Glimpses into the Ancient World of Mammoths

Experience the wonder and majesty of these Pleistocene behemoths at two Waco locations.

Story by Dale Weisman
Vinegaroon climbing over rocks with a whip like tail
March 2024 Issue

Vinegaroons Sport Whip-Like Tails and Spray Acid

These weird and wonderful arachnids live in West Texas.

Story by Bill Rhodes
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The October 2024 cover of Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine, featuring a surfer riding a wave along the Texas Gulf Coast

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