The foul stench of penguin poop sets Antarctic krill on edge. In lab experiments, the mere scent of penguin droppings — or guano — sent krill scrambling for escape, researchers…
Category: Animals
Some of Sydney’s koalas are chlamydia-free, but still at risk
Some of Sydney’s koalas are facing an uncompromising dilemma. The koalas living in one corner of Australia’s largest city are perilously inbred, researchers report February 26 in Conservation Genetics. But…
The mystery of how iguanas crossed the Pacific Ocean may be solved
Scaly sailors may have made a record-setting oceanic voyage. Tens of millions of years ago, iguanas in North America floated across the Pacific Ocean. Clinging to vegetation washed into the…
Narwhals may use their iconic tusks to play
Videos show narwhals using their tusks in several ways, including prodding and flipping a fish. It’s the first reported evidence of the whales playing.
Dolphins and humans team up to catch fish in Brazil
Many hands make light work. Or, in the case of cooperative interspecies foraging in southern Brazil, flippers and hands catch more fish together. Dolphins and humans have hunted mullet together…
Some sea turtles are laying eggs earlier in response to climate change
Green sea turtles are adjusting their nesting habits in response to rising global temperatures. Individual females are laying their eggs earlier in the season to cope with warmer conditions, researchers…
How a Labrador retriever’s genes might affect the dog’s obesity risk
Labrador retriever owners are likely familiar with how persistent their dogs can be in their quest for food, whether begging under the dinner table or stealing a snack left unattended.…
Crickets and flies face off in a quiet evolutionary battle
Hawaii’s male crickets can’t hide from their buzzing boogeymen for long. In just a handful of years, cricket-killing parasitic flies have evolved hearing that’s more sensitive to their prey’s new,…
How fish biologists discovered birds of paradise have fluorescent feathers
With flashy feathers and fancy moves, birds of paradise are already known for extravagant looks. But a trick that boosts that zing has been overlooked by science, until now. In…
How a puffin patrol in Iceland is saving the iconic seabirds
A small, rocky island off Iceland is home to the world’s largest breeding colony of Atlantic puffins. When breeding season is in full swing, around 1.5 million adults pair up…
