Genetic Contamination: Domesticated Chicken DNA Is Tainting Genomes of Wild Red Junglefowl
Estimates indicate that wild birds inherited 20% to 50% of their genomes from chickens. According to a new study published in the journal PLOS Genetics,…
Wildlife News
New Research Reveals Why You Shouldn’t Let Your Cat Outside
The next time you let your cat outside for its daily adventure, you may want to reconsider. A new study by University of Maryland researchers…
Scientists Reveal the Secret Life of Tropical Mammals
A network of wildlife cameras and 2.3 million photos show the activity patterns of tropical mammals and the reasons behind them. The daily activity patterns…
The Mysterious Case of the Disappearing White-Lipped Peccaries
A new study documents large-scale white-lipped peccary disappearances and population cycling across their range in Latin America. A collaborative study published in the journal PLOS…
Alarming Consequences: Global Warming Increases the Risk of Ectotherm Heat Failure
Global warming may have dire repercussions for ectotherms (cold-blooded animals) on land and in water all across the world. According to recent research, the incidence…
Defying Extinction – Asian Animals Found Thriving Near Humans
Some of Asia’s largest animals, including tigers and elephants, are defying 12,000 years of extinction trends by coexisting with people, according to research led by…
New Evidence Indicates That Bears Are Not Carnivores
When given the option, captive bears mimic the diverse diets of their wild counterparts. Bears are neither cats nor dogs, and feeding them as such…
57% of Species: Startling Numbers of Small Mammals Are “Plastic Positive”
More than half of the species investigated had traces of plastic in their excrement, according to researchers looking into how much plastic small mammals in…
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Outbreak: Watch Out for These “Super Spreader” Bird Species
A new study from researchers at Tufts University details which species are super spreaders. When it comes to avian influenza, more commonly called bird flu,…
How Vacation Photos of Zebras and Whales Can Help Wildlife Conservation
Scientists use AI to analyze images of wildlife for crucial data. Vacation photos of zebras and whales that tourists post on social media may have…
Wildlife Crisis: Decline of Vultures and Rise of Dogs Carries Serious Disease Risks
In the yards behind the slaughterhouses—also called abattoirs—of Ethiopia, an ecological shift is unfolding that has echoes of similar crises all over the world. Species…
Poisoning From Lead Ammunition Is Stunting Bald Eagle Rebound
Bald eagle populations have slowly recovered from near devastation after the government banned DDT in 1972, but another ongoing issue has weakened that rebound –…
Peto’s Paradox – Biological Enigma Offers New Insights Into the Mystery of Cancer
The cells in the body can be thought of as tiny archery targets, each vulnerable to the deadly arrow of cancer. The more cells a…
Capturing a True Picture of Wolves in Yellowstone: Reevaluating Aspen Recovery Success Story
New research shows that the effects of wolves on the recovery of aspen has been exaggerated by how it was measured. It’s an environmental success…
Gopher Biofluorescence Discovered: Underground Species Has a Secret Glow
Researcher discovers that the underground species has a secret glow. You can learn a lot about animals by simply watching them. But some secrets can…
Personality Matters, Even for Wildlife: Social Skills Give Ground Squirrels an Advantage
Humans acknowledge that personality goes a long way, at least for our species. But scientists have been more hesitant to ascribe personality—defined as consistent behavior…
Slow but Deadly: Watch This Tortoise Hunt a Baby Bird
A predator doesn’t need to have the quickest speed or reflexes to catch a bird. In a paper publishing August 23 in the journal Current Biology,…
Are Bats to Blame for the Coronavirus Crisis? Q&A With Wildlife Biologist
Editor’s note: Horseshoe bats in China are a natural wildlife reservoir of SARS-like coronaviruses. Some health experts think wildlife markets – specifically in Wuhan, China…
