Making the world safer for butterflies can be as easy as doing a bit of nothing. Letting some part of a yard go unmown can boost the number of butterflies…
Category: Animals
This orangutan used a medicinal plant on his face wound
With their bright eyes and prominent beards and mustaches, it’s easy to see how orangutans got their name; “orang” is Malay for person, while “hutan” means forest. Their similarity to…
Belugas may communicate by warping a blob of forehead fat
The beluga whale wears its heart on its sleeve — or rather, its forehead. Researchers have created a visual encyclopedia of the different expressions that belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) in captivity…
This newfound longhorn beetle species is unusually fluffy
Meet Excastra albopilosa, a newly identified species of longhorn beetle that rocks an unusually fluffy white coat. Discovered in Australia, the fuzzy-looking arthropod also has distinct, separated eye lobes, short…
In a first, these crab spiders appear to collaborate, creating camouflage
Some crab spiders have ditched webs for flowers. Masters of disguise, female Thomisus guangxicus spiders blend in with petals, which allows the arachnids to nab insects that pass by while…
Flowers receive and transmit electrical signals from pollinators
Flowering plants may have a secret power for knowing when to lure pollinators. They could act as antennas for bees’ electrical signals and transmit those signals through the soil, biophysicist…
Eavesdropping on fish could help us keep better tabs on underwater worlds
Scientists are on a quest to log all the sounds of fish communication. The result could lead to better monitoring of ecosystems and fish behavior.
Here’s why roller pigeons do backflips
Atoosa Samani started learning about pigeon genetics at a young age. She grew up surrounded by pet pigeons in Isfahan, a city in central Iran famed for its pigeon towers.…
Chickadees use memory ‘bar codes’ to find their hidden food stashes
Much like squirrels, black-capped chickadees hide their food, keeping track of many thousands of little treasures wedged into cracks or holes in tree bark. When a bird returns to one…
Here’s how magnetic fields shape desert ants’ brains
For desert ants, Earth’s magnetic field isn’t just a compass: It may also sculpt their brains. Stepping outside their nest for the first time, young ants need to learn how…
