The Animal Kingdom (Pre 2012)

2 December 2011

Earthquakes and animal behavior: it’s in the water

For hundreds of years people have been reporting unusual animal behavior prior to earthquakes. Now, scientists say that it may be caused by rock deformations in the Earth’s crust which release charged particles that then react with groundwater…

18 August 2011

Rats that ♥ cats: parasite rewires sexual attraction

Scientists have discovered that the complex and intriguing reproductive strategy exhibited by the single-celled parasite Toxoplasma gondii relies on altering the rodent brain to interpret cat odors as sexually attractive…

30 May 2011

The secret lives of cats

Cats are secretive creatures and their nocturnal adventures have largely been a mystery, but a new study that tracked both feral and domestic cats over a two year period shows that even domestic cats roam over surprisingly large areas…

10 November 2010

Animal kingdom’s testicle king revealed

Researchers in the UK believe they have found which species has the largest testicles in relation to body weight on the planet, and also why such gargantuan gonads are needed…

12 November 2010

Revealed! The elegant physics of cat lapping

The gravity-defying grace and exquisite balance of our feline friends extends to the way they lap-up their milk; which turns out to be a perfect balance between two physical forces…

11 October 2010

Deaf cats reveal secrets of super vision

Cats, which are the only animals besides humans that can be born deaf, have provided researchers with important insights into how deaf people develop significantly enhanced visual capabilities…

16 July 2010

Finally! Something that eats jellyfish

Jellyfish have few predators and the increasing incidence of ocean “dead zones” around the world has seen jellyfish populations explode in recent years. Now, however, ocean scientists have identified a common fish species that likes nothing better than jellyfish for dinner…

12 July 2010

Clever cats use mimicry when hunting

In a fascinating example of vocal mimicry, researchers have documented for the first time a wild cat species imitating the call of its intended victim: a small, squirrel-sized monkey…

27 May 2010

Shark attack stats highlight risk of B&W Speedos

An analysis of shark attacks in the US has found that attacks are most likely to occur on a Sunday, in less than 6 feet of water, during a new moon and involve surfers wearing black and white bathing suits…

26 May 2010

Virus-fungus combo behind honeybee collapse?

A group of pathogens including a fungus and family of viruses may be working together to cause the decline in honeybees known as colony collapse disorder…

11 February 2010

Pollinators make a beeline for caffeine and nicotine

Bees prefer nectar containing nicotine and caffeine over nectar without these substances and researchers think this could be an evolutionary development intended, as in humans, to make the bee addicted…

10 December 2009

Scientists ponder global change in whale song

The pitch of the songs that blue whales sing across vast expanses of ocean to attract mates has been steadily creeping downward for the past few decades and scientists think it may indicate that numbers of the endangered marine mammal are increasing…

2 October 2009

Loss of top predators causing widespread ecosystem disruption

The decimation of “apex” predators such as wolves, cougars, lions or sharks has led to a huge increase in smaller “mesopredators” that are causing major economic and ecological disruptions…

23 September 2009

Frog communities undergoing “McDonaldization”

Under pressure from a fungal disease that has been labeled an “extinction filter” by researchers, frog communities in South America are undergoing “a vast homogenization” that is leaving behind impoverished communities that increasingly resemble one another…

9 September 2009

Gecko’s tail has a mind of its own

Geckos will shed their tails as a decoy for predators, but little is known about what controls the complex movements of the tail once it separates from the lizard’s body. Now, a new study shows that the signals responsible for the movements of the detached tail begin in a “control center” at the very end of the tail…

2 September 2009

Monkey music a hit

Music is one of the surest ways to influence human emotion, however non-human primates scarcely respond to our music, and instead prefer silence. But researchers have found that monkeys will respond to “monkey music,” tunes composed using the sonic attributes of actual monkey calls…

19 August 2009

Social network maps infectious marsupial cancer

A new study into the socializing habits of Tasmanian devils has produced an intricate social network of devil relationships, revealing how the unique infectious cancer known as devil facial tumor disease spreads through a population…

9 June 2009

Genetic regions linked to animal tameness identified

An international team of scientists have identified the regions of genetic code that are responsible for animal tameness, a discovery that could lead to the breeding of domesticated animals of species once believed to be untamable…

8 June 2009

Parasite puzzle: scientists mull coextinction conundrum

Climate change and environmental degradation will make extinctions a sure-bet in the future; but scientists are still struggling to come to grips with what happens to a species’ parasites when the host disappears. One worrying scenario predicts rapidly escalating numbers of pathogens and parasites affecting both humans and our domesticated animals…

9 April 2009

Meat market for chimps

Newly documented observations of male and female chimps exchanging meat for mating access helps to explain how female chimps choose their mating partners and why male chimps frequently share meat with females…

17 February 2009

Penguin populations plummeting

Changing weather patterns, over-fishing, pollution and other factors have conspired to drive penguin populations into a precipitous decline, according to long-term research conducted by a naturalist at the Wildlife Conservation Society…

5 February 2009

Primitive whales gave birth on land

A pair of ancient whale fossils – a pregnant female and a male of the same species – reveals how these primitive ancestors of today’s whales gave birth and provides new insights into how whales made the transition from land to water…

28 January 2009

Honeybees show surprising numeracy skills

Honeybees can discriminate between patterns containing two and three dots – without having to count the dots, a skill the researchers believe the bees use to navigate their environment…

14 October 2008

Bonobos show their dark side

Unlike their chimpanzee relatives, bonobos enjoy a make-love-not-war image. But a new study offers the first direct evidence of wild bonobos hunting and eating the young of other primate species…

10 October 2008

Second virgin birth by shark confirmed

Scientists have confirmed the second-ever case of a “virgin birth” in a shark, raising the possibility that a relatively large number of female sharks may have this incredible capability…

4 September 2008

New findings challenge long-held assumptions about flightless bird evolution

University of Florida zoologists say that large flightless birds such as the ostrich and emu do not share a common flightless ancestor as once believed. Instead, each species individually lost flight after diverging from ancestors that did have the ability to fly…

19 August 2008

“Shocking” Pesticide Levels Found In Beehives

An analysis of beehive wax samples and the bees themselves has found unprecedented levels of fluvalinate and coumaphos – pesticides used in the hives to combat varroa mites – as well as 70 other pesticides from external sources…

1 August 2008

Elephant Extinction Mooted

Elephants are in a perilous decline that could mean most remaining large groups will be extinct by 2020 unless renewed public pressure brings an end to the international ivory trade…

4 June 2008

Spread Of Human Virus In Chimps Confirmed

Building on earlier work that found evidence of human viruses in deceased chimpanzees, a new study has confirmed that chimps in Tanzania’s Mahale Mountains are becoming sick from a variant of a human paramyxovirus…

14 April 2008

New Understanding Of Insect Olfactory Mechanism

Insects have adopted a strategy to detect odors that is radically different from those of other organisms – an unexpected and controversial finding that may dissolve current ideology…

4 April 2008

Animals “Stuck In Time”

Researchers investigating how animals perceive time have found that episodic-like memory in animals is qualitatively different from human episodic memory…

21 February 2008

Fat Cats, Diabetic Dogs Vex Veterinarians

Obesity is affecting an increasing number of pets, with a new study estimating the prevalence of obesity in the canine population at 40 percent…

13 February 2008

Primatologists Snap Rare Gorilla Nookie Pic

Scientists have released the first known photographs of gorillas performing face-to-face copulation in the wild…

17 January 2008

Parasite Turns Ants Fruity

A newly discovered parasite dramatically changes its ant host into what appears to be a juicy red berry, thus boosting its chances of being eaten by a bird and spread further afield…

10 January 2008

Chimp Culture Human-Like

Socially-learned cultural behavior thought to be unique to humans is also found among chimpanzees colonies…

20 December 2007

Squirrels Use Snake Eau de Cologne

Animal behaviorists have observed squirrels chewing up rattlesnake skin and smearing it on their fur to mask their scent from predators…

19 November 2007

Females Finessed By Fishy Fellatio

Male cichlid fish have evolved specialized fin markings that lure female fish close enough so the male can deposit sperm in the female’s mouth…

22 October 2007

Ancient Proto-Eyes Turned-On By Moonlight

Romance and moonlight really do go together. Ancient light-sensitive genes, known as a cryptochromes, that occur in corals, fish and humans are responsible for triggering the annual mass spawning of corals that follows a full moon…

16 October 2007

Parenting Suffers With Too Much Testosterone 

Ramping up testosterone production can help male birds win a mate, but it also turns them into bad dads, who are uninterested in parenting their young…

10 October 2007

Pregnant Moose Cozy Up To Traffic

Pregnant moose around Yellowstone are shifting closer to roads during calving season, specifically to avoid road-shy brown bears that might otherwise prey on their newborns…

7 September 2007

Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner?

Our hairy primate relatives have highly developed intelligence and social skills, as evidenced by their tool usage and hierarchical social order. But what about social intelligence? Could an opposable-thumb challenged chimp pass muster at a human social gathering?


30 August 2007

Monkeys Use “Baby Talk” With Infants

Just like human mothers, rhesus monkeys also use special “baby talk” vocalizations to engage and interact with their infants…

3 July 2007

Pesticide Suspected In Case Of AWOL Honeybees

A pesticide used to combat parasitic mites may be accumulating in hive wax and reaching concentrations that can cause honeybees to desert the hive…

28 May 2007

Extreme Specialization In Ants Plugs Potholes

The role of some army ants in South America is simply to hunker down in potholes, smoothing them over so the rest of the army can travel more efficiently to get their prey…

14 May 2007

Bee Boffins Abuzz With Theories About Honeybee Decline

Entomologists have pooh-poohed the idea that cell phone emissions are behind honeybee deaths and instead cite parasites, pathogens and/or pesticides as more likely suspects in the ongoing honeybee apocalypse…

7 May 2007

Urban Areas Turn Migratory Birds Into Couch Potatoes

Urbanized environments appear to be influencing certain birds to stay-put rather than pursue their usual migratory patterns…

23 April 2007

Monkeys Demonstrate Metacognitive Skills

The ability to reflect on one’s knowledge was thought of as an exclusively human ability, but it seems that other primates can engage in meta-cognition as well…

16 April 2007

Cell Phones To Blame For Deserted Bee Colonies?

GSM cell phone radiation confuses honeybee navigation and researchers speculate that the effect may be behind widespread bee colony collapses…

9 March 2007

Bonobos Put One Over Chimps

Our free-loving cousins, the bonobos, can outdo chimps at certain tasks thanks to high levels of social tolerance, an attribute that chimpanzees lack…

6 March 2007

Birds Serve Seduction Apprenticeship

Male lance-tailed manakins serve as chorus line dancers for the alpha males in the hope of picking up some nifty dance moves so that they can eventually become alpha males themselves…

28 February 2007

Insects Keep Coming Back For Nicotine-Laden Pollen

Certain plants use nicotine in their nectar to increase the number of visits by birds and other pollinators, thus ensuring their pollen is spread more effectively and increasing their own genetic diversity…

15 February 2007

Honeybees Hit The Road

A mysterious ailment called Colony Collapse Disorder is causing agricultural honeybees around the country to abandon their hives and disappear…

25 January 2007

Rodent Sperm Cooperate For Success

The individual sperm from rodents have learned to band together in groups to maximize their chances of a successful fertilization…

23 January 2007

Honey, I Ate The Kids

A new study is the first to demonstrate that male fish are more likely to eat their offspring when they have been cuckolded during the act of spawning…

21 November 2006

Bizarre Deep-Sea Communities Give Up Secrets

Scientists have observed, for the first time, the bizarre deep-sea communities living around cold methane seeps off New Zealand’s east coast…

3 November 2006

Bow To Your Insect Overlords!

Exponential growth of insect numbers is well and truly on the cards if global warming continues unabated. They won’t be huge in size, but there will be an awful lot of them. And some scientists think that’s only the beginning of our problems, suggesting that we’re looking at the wrong sources for the next epidemic or pandemic. While we all wring our hands over media reports of avian flu, insects really are a much bigger threat…

31 October 2006

Elephants Join Cognitive Elite

Experiments have revealed that elephants can recognize themselves in a mirror, an important indicator of self-recognition that places them alongside humans, dolphins and great apes…

13 July 2006

Turbulence Gets Web-Slingers Flying

Researchers are using a new model to explain how spiders “fly” on their webs, a trick that lets them cover incredible distances on a single thread of silk…

1 June 2006

Testosterone A Mixed Blessing For Songbirds

Male songbirds with high levels of testosterone did better in the mating stakes, but their offspring fared less well…

9 May 2006

Jellyfish Quickest On The Draw?

An ultra-high-speed camera has captured the stinging action of Hydra, revealing that the stingers accelerate at more than 5,000,000 g, and hit with the power of a bullet…

22 March 2006

Chimps Command To Conquer An Itch

Counter to previously held assumptions, chimpanzees can effectively command their chimp buddies to perform various grooming tasks using “referential” hand gestures, just like their human relatives…

21 March 2006

When A Spotty Face Indicates A Healthy Partner

Having a big spot on your face is not usually considered an attractive attribute to a prospective mate, but what if the size of that spot indicated the robustness of your immune system?

11 October 2005

Endangered Species Get A Lift From Viagra

Chinese men are eschewing traditional Chinese virility remedies in favor of Viagra and the ones who benefit most could be tigers, sea horses and other endangered species…

1 September 2005

Forget Horsepower, Think Cow-Power

Rumen fluid – found in the digestive system of cows – contains microbes that can be used to generate prodigious amounts of electric power…

18 August 2005

Lions And Elephants For U.S. Great Plains?

The loss of large mammals from the Great Plains has had a profound effect on the ecosystems there, but researchers believe that re-populating the area with wild animals from Africa could reinvigorate the region and boost the economy…

11 July 2005

African Parrot “Understands” Zero

Who’s a clever boy then? The avian brain may be smarter than we think, say researchers who have found that the African grey parrot appears to comprehend the concept of zero…

1 June 2005

Love, Just A Basic Mammalian Response

Researchers have been using magnetic resonance imaging to study the brains of young men and women who describe themselves as “madly in love”. The results provide some interesting insights into many aspects of human behavior…

30 May 2005

For Some Females, Size Does Matter

Up till now, evolutionary scientists believed that genitalia were not subject to sexual selection, but a new study has found that females of some fish species display a distinct preference for males with larger sexual organs…

15 December 2004

Routine Tool Use By Wild Monkeys Observed

An entire population of wild capuchin monkeys using stone tools has been observed, behavior previously only seen in chimpanzees…

8 November 2004

Honeybee Puts Question Mark Over Chicxulub Asteroid Event

The tropical honeybee may challenge the idea that a post-asteroid “nuclear winter” was a big player in the decimation of dinosaurs…

15 October 2004

One Third Of Amphibian Species May Disappear

Earth’s amphibian species are experiencing tens of thousands of years worth of extinctions in just a century, according to a new study…

19 May 2004

Magnetic Fields May Be “Visible” To Birds

Birds may see the earth’s magnetic field as patterns of color or light intensity superimposed on their visual surroundings…

1 April 2004

Dogs Really Do Look Like Their Owners

At last, some research that finally proves what everyone has believed for years, dogs, at least pure bred ones, really do resemble their owners…

19 March 2004

For Sheep, Homosexuality Is In The Genes

Differences in the brains of homosexual and heterosexual sheep are providing clues to the processes involved in the development and regulation of sexual behavior…

15 May 2003

Globally, 90% Of Large Fish Are Gone

A new study shows that industrial fisheries take only ten to fifteen years to grind any new fish community they encounter to one tenth of what it was before…

21 April 2003

Cloned Pigs Differ In Looks And Behavior

Cloned pigs can have the same degree of variability in physical appearance and behavior as normally bred animals…

4 November 2002

Overfishing Threatens Genetic Diversity

Populations of marine fish may lose genetic diversity even if fishing stops while there are still several million individuals – a number previously assumed to be enough to preserve a diverse gene pool…

15 August 2002

Household Products Disrupt Sex Genes in Fish

Traces of ordinary products – flushed and tossed away from millions of homes – are more harmful to the sexual development and reproduction of fish than previously thought…

20 June 2002

Human Noise Wrecks Whales’ Sex Lives

The artificial racket created by ships and other human sources could be interfering with whale reproduction and population recovery…

Related:
Biology
Environment
Evolution
Genetics
Humans
Mind/Brain
Prehistory

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