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ScienceBiologyThis Worm Has 100 Butts
In Greek mythology, the hydra is a creature with many heads. In Norse mythology, Odin rides Sleipnir—a horse with many legs. And in the warm, coastal waters of Australia lives Ramisyllis multicaudata, the worm with many butts. The creature is shaped somewhat like a tree, with a single head and a body that branches over … Continued
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ScienceBiologyAdorable ‘Porg’ Pterosaur Flapped Above Jurassic China
As the sun sets over what will become northern China in 160 million years, something small dives between the trunks of tree ferns, intercepting a dragonfly mid-flight. It lands in the canopy to gulp down its squirming prize. The big-eyed, arrestingly cute critter is a newly described species of pterosaur named Sinomacrops bondei, apparently evolution’s … Continued
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ScienceBiologyElectric Eels Seen Hunting in Groups for the First Time
Electric eels were already exceptionally weird fish. These eels—actually three different species of giant, South American knifefish—pack as much as an 860-volt punch used to stupefy prey and defend themselves. Long thought to be exclusively solitary predators of slow, murky rivers, new research suggests electric eels can hunt in groups, cooperatively training their electric pulses … Continued
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ScienceBiologyScientists Discover Short-Legged Corgi Giraffes
Being extremely tall is sort of a giraffe’s whole thing. So when scientists recently spotted two wild giraffes with relatively short legs—nearly halving their adult height—they were stunned. “The initial reaction was a bit of curious disbelief,” said Michael Brown, a conservation biologist with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. In … Continued
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ScienceBiologyMany Big-Brained Birds Have Human-Like Lifespans—but Why?
Some birds are gifted with shockingly long lives. In captivity, crows can live into their 50s. Certain parrot species can live nearly a century. Curiously, these birds also have proportionately massive brains, which power considerable (and sometimes unnerving) intelligence. According to new research, it turns out that this longevity and brain size are closely linked: … Continued
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EartherQatar’s Deserts are Hot, Dry, and Full of Invasive Toads
As the sun descends behind sand dunes and wind-carved escarpments, central Qatar’s Al Rayyan region gets a reprieve from the intense heat of day. In the calm of twilight, a once-foreign sound emerges: the rasping croaking of toads drifts in over miles of parched rock and sand. Qatar’s harsh landscape is home to a growing … Continued
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ScienceBiologySome Ticks Pee All Over Themselves While They Suck Blood
Right now, as summer broils the northern hemisphere, countless animals are trying to dump heat. Dogs are panting. Burrowing animals are scurrying underground. Humans are sweating buckets (and we’re extremely good at sweating). But when ticks need to cool off, they really commit. In a blow to the sterling reputation of the tick, new research … Continued
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ScienceBiologyBirds Are Judging You by Your Outfit
You might be able to quickly recognize a friend from afar based on their body language or their personal fashion choices. It turns out that some birds do the same thing, recognizing familiar, harmless humans by their clothing. Many birds have sharp memories, especially when it comes to keeping track of which humans are dangerous … Continued
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ScienceBiologyHawks’ Forbidden Love Results in a Rare Hybrid
She was a common black hawk. He was a red-shouldered hawk. They weren’t in the same genus, let alone the same species, and they normally don’t even live in the same part of the continent. But in a strange twist of fate, none of that mattered: It was love at first screech. Researchers have discovered … Continued
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ScienceBiologyResearchers See Eagle Torturing Bat by Repeatedly Dropping It in the Ocean
White-bellied sea eagles are majestic, keen-eyed predators that soar effortlessly above coastal forests and marshes. They can also be colossal jerks. These eagles were recently spotted tormenting an innocent fruit bat, repeatedly carrying it out to sea and dropping it into the waves. In 2017, Sheema Abdul Aziz, a conservation ecologist with the Rimba research … Continued
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ScienceBiologyMongooses Stink Less, Have Bigger Balls After Invading Islands
Over the last 150 years, the males of certain invasive mongooses have undergone some serious tweaks to their sexual anatomy. New research suggests that the mongooses’ anal pads—which produce a scent that is apparently very alluring to female mongooses—have become comparatively shrunken, while their testicles have gotten bigger. Island life for small Asian mongooses (Urva … Continued
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EartherConservationCalifornia Is on the Brink of an Owl War
High in the Sierra Nevada, a spotted owl soundlessly touches down in a massive red fir. As its ears scan the forest for the faintest flying squirrel noises, the moon arcs overhead. A flood of hostile, feathered invaders is the furthest thing from its mind, but new research suggests that’s precisely what’s coming. Invasive barred … Continued
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ScienceBiologyNew Species of Praying Mantis Impales Its Prey on Barbed Spikes
Mantises are elite ambush predators, snatching their victims with a lightning-fast strike of their front limbs. But one newly described species doesn’t just hold its prey in a prickly embrace: It impales it, using long, barbed tines to expertly polish off the squirming morsel like a chunk of bread skewered on a fondue fork. The … Continued
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ScienceBiologyNewly Discovered Widow Spider Lays Bright Purple Eggs
Scientists have discovered a spider living in South Africa that’s truly a sight to behold. The arachnids feature a scarlet, exclamation mark-shaped blotch on their backs, along with a white squiggle pattern that creates the vague shape of a human face, mouth agape in horror. Oh, and they lay bright purple eggs. The South African … Continued
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EartherConservationManta Rays and Whale Sharks Are Consuming a Staggering Amount of Plastic
Manta rays and whale sharks are among the largest filter-feeding fishes on the planet. To power their bulk, they sieve massive quantities of plankton out of the water. But new research off the coast of Indonesia suggests their meals come with an unwanted garnish: an alarming amount of plastic waste. The waters around Indonesia are … Continued
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ScienceBiologyGollum-Like Daddy Long-Legs Discovered in the Bowels of the Earth
Daddy long-legs—spider-like arachnids technically known as “harvestmen”—are already plenty unnerving, with their too-long-to-be-real limbs, jerky movements, and habit of clustering into a horrible, hairy mass. But researchers have recently unveiled a variety of harvestman totally new to science, and it cranks the creepy up to 11. The creature, discovered deep in a cave in Argentina, … Continued
By Jake Buehler
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