A small, elusive and incredible population of wolves lives on the Pacific coast of Canada. According to researchers who’ve studied the wolves’ DNA, they’re genetically different from their inland relatives. They’re also very different in their behavior: they depend almost completely on the ocean for survival. The coastal or sea wolves, as they’re called, are adept […] More
If you want to eat like a local in Cambodia, you’d better not be squeamish. Deep fried tarantulas are sold by the dozens from roadside stands in cities like Phnom Penh. It’s not unusual to see photos or videos on social media posted by Western tourists who’ve dared to eat a bug. In some Asian […] More
Mumbai is home to Sanjay Gandhi National Park, the largest park within city limits anywhere in the world. Within its 40 square acres, there are two lakes, a big deer population, 20 lions and four tigers (in confined areas), and an estimated 35 free-roaming leopards. Every year, those leopards eat about 1,500 dogs, and in 2017 […] More
Scientists in Australia may have discovered a secret weapon in the battle against antibiotic-resistant superbugs, and it comes from a pretty unlikely place. Then again, everything about the platypus is unlikely: it has a duck’s bill and a beaver’s tail. It’s venomous, it lays eggs, and it produces milk to feed its young. The platypus […] More
Sudan, the last male northern white rhino — and perhaps the most famous rhino in the world — died on Monday, leaving his subspecies one step closer to extinction. He was 45 years old and had been suffering from age-related health issues and infections that left him unable to stand, causing his keepers to make the […] More
If this spider isn’t the mother of the year, we’re not sure who is. The Stegodyphus lineatus spider, which lives in the Negev Desert of Israel, really gives her kids everything she’s got. In fact, she lets them eat her — very, very slowly. But let’s back up a moment. Each spring, when insects in the desert […] More
For people, the importance of a social life is well-proven by science. Interacting with family and friends enriches our daily lives, keeps us happy, and most importantly, healthy. Not so for marmots, however. In a recently published study, Daniel T. Blumstein, a biologist at the University of California, Los Angeles and his colleagues found that […] More
If you’ve ever had a good knock on the head, you know how disorienting it can be. For those who get bumped on the head for a living — like football players — there may be even more serious long-term effects of concussions and other head injuries. As it turns out, repeated blows to the noggin […] More
If you’ve ever seen a piece of coral someone’s brought back as a souvenir from an island vacation, you know what coral looks like when it dies. The process through which coral turns completely white is called bleaching, and it’s the first step toward the death of a reef. Essentially, the coral gets stressed — […] More
A rare Malaysian moth species that was previously known only from a 130-year-old specimen has been rediscovered by Polish researchers. The Oriental blue clearwing (Heterosphecia tawonoides) doesn’t look much like most moths. It mimics a bee, in both appearance and behavior, to avoid predators. The clearwing has elongated scales on its legs that look like […] More
In the Arctic, a drastically different climate means glaciers, snowfalls, and ice floes are shrinking. So are the muskoxen. The muskox is a massive creature – between 400 and 900 pounds when fully grown – with a shaggy coat and a big set of horns. Unlike caribou, Arctic muskoxen don’t migrate long distances in search […] More
According to new research, the easiest way to discourage mosquitoes from biting you is also the simplest: swat ’em. In a paper published in the journal Current Biology, researchers studied mosquitoes’ tendency toward what’s called “aversive conditioning,” and discovered that a turbulent experience — like narrowly missing being squished by a slap — discourages a mosquito […] More
