Scientists found thousands of patterned fish nests in Antarctica’s Weddell Sea, boosting calls for marine protected areas.
Category: Animals
Polar bears provide millions of kilograms of food for other Arctic species
In a single year, one polar bear can leave roughly 300 kilograms of prey for other animals to dine on. Altogether, the carnivores provide 7.6 million kilograms of carrion for…
Subway mosquitoes evolved millennia ago in ancient Mediterranean cities
Subterranean mosquitoes specialized for life in subways and sewers first evolved to pester humans millennia ago in Mediterranean civilizations. A widely accepted story about the mosquitoes’ evolution put their origins…
Which venomous snakes strike the fastest?
Some vipers are the sprinters of snakes. Vipers wielded the fastest attacks in a comparison of 36 venomous snakes from three families, researchers report October 23 in Journal of Experimental…
Scientists and fishers have teamed up to find a way to save manta rays
The vessel rolled in the swell as fishers pulled huge nets bursting with tuna onto the deck then poured the catch down a loading hatch. But Melissa Cronin wasn’t there…
Guppies fall for optical illusion. Doves typically do not.
Duping a guppy is easier than duping a ring dove — at least when it comes to a classic optical illusion. In the Ebbinghaus illusion, two identical circles placed side…
The viral Chicago ‘Rat Hole’ almost certainly wasn’t made by a rat
Chicago’s viral ‘Rat Hole’ is less rat splat, more squirrel squish. Researchers determined it was probably a squirrel that left a rodent-shaped impression in the concrete of the Windy City.…
New wetsuit designs offer a layer of protection against shark bites
By weaving Kevlar or polyethylene nanofibers into standard neoprene in wetsuits, researchers found ways to limit injury during rare encounters with sharks.
Mic’d bats reveal midnight songbird attacks
Vampire bats are a Halloween staple, and now they’ve got company. Another bat species snatches birds out of the air for a gruesome midnight feast. Songbird DNA has previously shown…
Toy-obsessed dogs give clues to addictive behaviors
If you’ve ever had a slobbery ball at your feet and a dog’s hopeful eyes asking for yet another throw, then you know that some dogs really love to play.…
