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Spiders may be hacking firefly signals to trap dinner
As the insect sentinels of summer, fireflies use their glowing bellies to communicate to other fireflies. Males from the species Abscondita terminalis use multi-pulse flashes with both of their...
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The dodo was faster and smarter than you think
The dodo is one of the most iconic—and misunderstood—extinct animals. Four hundred years after its extinction, the popular narrative remains that the flightless bird was simply too dumb, slow, and...
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How pythons can eat such giant meals
Among the numerous snakes on planet Earth, pythons are well known for their incredible ability to swallow their prey whole. Some python species have been spotted taking down deer, cows, and even...
View ArticlePrecise, lethal sea snail toxin could one day lead to better medicines
A toxin from one of the world’s most venomous animals could one day help treat diabetes and endocrine disorders. The toxin in snails called consomatin is similar to somatostatin in humans, a peptide...
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Newly discovered tarantulas may already be in danger
A newly discovered tarantula living in the forests of Arizona’s Chiricahua Mountains can withstand high elevations and frigid winters—but humanity’s advance on the region could already be threatening...
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Humpback whales use bubble-nets as ‘tools’
While the “smart” animal club has been steadily adding new members, the world’s whales can be considered among the founders. The roughly 50 million-year-old animal lineage shows evidence of their own...
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These parrots have accents
For humans, the regions we live in shape everything from food preferences to the way we communicate. The same can be said for many non-human animals, including whales, bats, elk, and even naked mole...
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Huge mastodon skull found in a rural Iowa creek
Archeologists at the University of Iowa have revealed a first-ever find for the state: the region’s first-ever scientifically recovered mastodon skull. And experts believe there’s a chance ancient...
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The ‘disco’ gene could help moths tell time
The planet’s over 160,000 moth species are best known for their nighttime flights and being power pollinators. Now, some moths are opening an evolutionary window into how one species can diverge into...
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New images of deep sea wonders are surprisingly adorable
Normally the animals that live at the deepest depths of the ocean can be be a little tough to look at. During an expedition in the Southern Pacific Ocean, an international team of oceanographers found...
View ArticleCrocodile attacks sea cow. Tiger Shark picks apart sea cow.
One unknown day millions of years ago, a prehistoric manatee relative was attacked by a hungry crocodile. After it was killed by the crocodile, the seacow’s remains were scavenged by a tiger shark....
View ArticleHow starfish lose limbs (on purpose) and survive
In the name of survival, starfish sever their own body parts to escape predators. They will also eventually regenerate those lost limbs, but how this biological process works has remained a mystery....
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Birds have ‘culture.’ Just look at these nests.
In the thorny acacia trees of the Kalahari Desert, avian construction crews are hard at work. White-browed sparrow weavers, a species of social bird, assemble complex roosts and nests from...
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Mosquitoes can barely see–but a male’s vision perks up when they hear a female
As the summer begins to wane, cases of mosquito-borne diseases are creeping up in some parts of the United States. In other regions, the threat of malaria is a more constant issue even as vaccines...
View ArticleWatch the world’s fastest backflipping bug
For the first time ever, researchers have captured the world’s fastest backflipper showing off its talent in slow motion. The insect’s movements are so fast, in fact, that the team needed a camera...
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Who ate the pregnant porbeagle shark?
Marine biologist Brooke Anderson simply could not believe her eyes. Something was off about the data from a satellite tag that she had placed on a pregnant, seven-foot-long porbeagle shark (Lamna...
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Invasive jellyfish ‘clones’ are spreading into Canada
Although originally from Yangtze, China, the peach blossom jellyfish can now be found on every continent in the world except for Antarctica. Researchers in one country, however, are documenting...
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Northern elephant seals know a ‘dinner bell’ when they hear one
While studying how light affects baitfish in Berkley Canyon off the Pacific coast of British Columbia, Canada, an international team of scientists was in for a big surprise. Several young male...
View ArticleNew bone-crushing Tasmanian tiger species dug up by paleontologists
Three new ancient species of Tasmanian tigers have been discovered in Australia. Now extinct, these newly uncovered marsupials include one with a jawbone that would have allowed it to crush its prey’s...
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Watch an eel escape a fish’s stomach through its gills
Some teenage Japanese eels have found a way to avoid becoming a fish’s next meal. Anguilla japonica eels can escape a predator’s stomach through the fish’s gills. Now, scientists are using X-ray...
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