Octopuses have made many a great escape. Remember Inky, who fled from New Zealand’s national aquarium? The cephalopods can Houdini their way out of tanks and off boats by squeezing…
Category: Animals
How hawkmoths turned their genitals into bat-busting weapons
When a bat closes in, some hawkmoths fight back with their genitalia. By rasping specialized scales on their sex organs against structures on their abdomens, the moths unleash bursts of…
Seabirds get jet lag, too — and it can throw them a bit off course
Jet lag isn’t just for travelers hurtling across time zones. Migratory birds may get it, too. Manx shearwaters (Puffinus puffinus) fly fast enough to experience jet lag, researchers report October…
Some of the world’s biggest bats are getting smaller
These big bats aren’t quite the behemoths they used to be. With a leathery wingspan of up to a meter and a half, fruit bats —some of which are called…
Why do flamingos dance while they eat? This scientist found out
On a family trip to Atlanta, Víctor Ortega Jiménez spent time taking pictures and videos of flamingos as they fed in their pond. It wasn’t to admire their long legs…
Why did humans’ brains surpass chimps’? A tiny foe might help explain it
Viruses may be minuscule, but one could have influenced major differences between human and chimpanzee brains. Millions of years ago, a virus left DNA behind in an African ape’s genome,…
These tiny snakes cartwheel to escape danger
Cartwheeling seems like it should require both arms and legs. But some itty-bitty snakes in Southeast Asia manage it without either. Scientists first shared snapshots of a dwarf reed snake…
Horned dinosaurs’ weapons evolved to handle the forces of combat
Triceratops’ massive skulls were built for horn-to-horn grappling. The rhino-like Centrosaurus could withstand stabbing its nose horn up and down. And the parrot-faced Psittacosaurus would have been wise to avoid…
To turn invisible, we need to tweak the path light travels
It’s pretty hard to fight an opponent you can’t see. That’s what makes Invisible Woman an invaluable member of the Fantastic Four. She can disappear in the blink of an…
The world’s loudest bird could drown out a rock concert
The bare-throated bellbird is loud. Very, very loud. The explosive, metallic mating call of the snow-white male — a stout bird with a broad bill and distinctive blue-green throat patch…
