A brush with kelp may help some killer whales clean up nicely. A group of killer whales (Orcinus orca ater) residing in the Salish Sea off the coast of British…
Category: Animals
50 years after ‘Jaws,’ sharks face their own terror
One June 20, 1975, a fictional great white shark stalked beachgoers on Amity Island — and struck terror into moviegoers around the world. Jaws, based on Peter Benchley’s best-selling novel,…
U.S. seal populations have rebounded — and so have their conflicts with humans
Aaron Tremper is the editorial assistant for Science News Explores. He has a B.A. in English (with minors in creative writing and film production) from SUNY New Paltz and an…
Compare shark sizes on our infographic
Since Jaws was released 50 years ago, great white sharks have, arguably, become the most recognized fish in the ocean. But despite their fame, they’re not the biggest shark species.…
This moth species may use the Milky Way as its guiding star
One kind of Australian moth looks to the stars on its voyage to a summertime refuge. Stellar cues from the Milky Way’s bright band may help Bogong moths (Agrotis infusa)…
Fewer scavengers could mean more zoonotic disease
Scavengers often get a bad rap — hyena giggles are nefarious, crows gather in “murders” and the naked necks of vultures speak for themselves. But the bodies of the dead…
This spider’s barf is worse than its bite
A single drawing from a 94-year-old scientific paper has revived interest in one of the more roundabout ways a spider preps its dinner. First swathe a fruit fly or other…
Preemptively cutting rhinos’ horns cuts poaching
Rhino poaching may be substantially reduced by removing the reason so many rhinos are poached in the first place: their highly valued horns. Dehorning rhinos dramatically drops the poaching rate…
Probiotics helped great star corals fend off a deadly disease
Great star corals in the grip of disease have been saved with probiotics — beneficial bacteria that attack or displace invading pathogens or possibly trigger immune responses to them. What’s…
Flamingos create precise water vortices in a shrimp-hunting frenzy
Tornado-generating beaks and whirlpool-stirring feet help flamingos transform shallow waters into shrimp-swirling death zones — corralling agile prey with the flair of a Las Vegas stage act and the efficiency…
