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…
Wildlife
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…
Biodiversity and Wildlife of Angola Threatened by Illegal Hunting and Bushmeat Trade
Hunting wild animals has been practiced by humans for millions of years; however, the extraction of wildlife for subsistence and commercialization has become a major…
New Species of Galapagos Giant Tortoise Identified
A team of researchers from Yale University have discovered a new species of giant tortoise in the Galapagos. A few hundred giant tortoises living on…
Killer Whales Engage in Cross-Species Vocal Learning
A newly published study reveals that killer whales (Orcinus orca) can engage in cross-species vocal learning, revealing that they shifted the types of sounds they…
New Research Shows Extinctions During Human Era Worse Than Previously Thought
A new and more precise recalculation of the normal background extinction rate reveals that the rate of extinction in the human era is as much…
New Study Links Expanding Human Population to Threats of Animal Extinction
A newly published study paints a grim outlook for the future of certain mammals and birds, suggesting that the average growing nation should expect at…
Fossil Discovery Shows Giant Reptiles Coexisted with Mammals
Paleontologists discovered the fossil remains of a giant lizard, Barbaturex morrisoni, which coexisted with mammals in the hot tropical forests of Southeast Asia some 40…
Elephants Are More Likely to Die at the Hands of Humans than from Natural Causes
According to a 14-year study, adult elephants in northern Kenya are more likely to die at the hands of humans than from natural causes. George…
US Ichthyologists Claim Political Interference
US fisheries scientists are claiming that a supervisor threatened to eliminate their research division after the team had produced controversial model predictions of the survival and…
Elephants Make the Long Trek Across Deserts for Survival
Elephants need to consume a minimum of 100 liters of water and 100 kilograms of vegetation daily, yet a small population of 350 manages to…
Nopili Goby, The Waterfall Climbing Fish
When the Nopili goby (Sicyopterus stimpsoni) moves from salt water to fresh water, over the course of two days, the fish’s mouth migrates from the…
Birdsongs Elicit “Emotional” Response From Birds
Scientists indicate that birds listening to birdsong may be experiencing an emotional response akin to when humans listen to music. The study tracked the neural…
Compound in Panda Blood Could Fight Superbugs
Researchers have discovered a potent antibody in panda blood, which could help fight increasingly prevalent drug-resistant strains of infections. Cathelicin-AM was discovered when researchers analyzed…
Flying Squirrels Can Adjust Speed and Flight Dynamically
Flying squirrels, a tribe of 44 species of the family Sciuridae, might look reckless as they fling themselves through the air, but scientists have reported…
Periodical Cicadas Manipulate the Populations of Predatory Birds
Periodical cicadas emerge in North America every 13 or 17 years. Scientists think that the cicadas’ cycles are timed to “engineer” the number of predatory…