The new fungus species Gibellula attenboroughii forces reclusive cave spiders to exposed areas, likely to benefit spore dispersal.
Category: Animals
Cuttlefish ink may overwhelm sharks’ sense of smell
The main component of common cuttlefish ink — melanin — strongly sticks to shark smell sensors, possibly explaining why the predators avoid ink.
This bird’s eye view of a shark hunt won a photo contest
A school of hardyhead silverside fish (Atherinomorus lacunosus) flees from four blacktip reef sharks near the shore of the Maldives in this aerial photo. Behavioral biologists Angela Albi and August…
A second version of bird flu is infecting cows. What does that mean?
While the risk to humans of exposure from cows or milk remains low, this new flu spillover from birds into cows raises the need for continued surveillance.
How mantis shrimp deliver punishing blows without hurting themselves
Mantis shrimp are famous for their ultrafast, powerful punches used to dispatch prey. They can land volley after shell-splintering volley, without major injury to their own nerves or flesh. That’s…
Extinct moa ate purple trufflelike fungi, fossil bird droppings reveal
For the first time, ancient DNA from droppings left by New Zealand’s flightless moa identifies actual species of fungi the doomed birds ate. The snacks, including purple lumps of a…
Will the Endangered Species Act survive Trump?
Now that Donald Trump has reassumed the presidency of the United States, scientists and legal scholars are bracing for his potential dismantling of a host of the country’s most pivotal…
Hotter cities? Here come the rats
If your city is getting rattier, climate change may be partially to blame. In an analysis of 16 cities around the world, those that saw the biggest temperature rises over…
Wild baboons don’t recognize themselves in a mirror
Self-awareness may be beyond primates in the wild. Chimps, organutans and other species faced with a mirror react to a dot on their face in the lab, a widely used…
Feeding sharks ‘junk food’ takes a toll on their health
In general, sharks have a reputation as swimming garbage cans that unflinchingly dine on whatever they can fit in their jaws. But in French Polynesia, blacktip reef sharks that frequent…
