70M year old dinosaur skeleton has been found in Tanzania! Shingopana (Swahili – wide neck) Songwensis. Glad they gave it an African name ❤️ pic.twitter.com/bcvvv4iDAr — Ulrich J van Vuuren (@UlrichJvV) August 29, 2017 A new species of titanosaur has been unveiled in southwest Tanzania. The titanosaur, named Shingopana songwensis, existed in the Cretacious Period — some […] More
Researchers discovered an incredibly unusual frog in the mountains of India in 2017. The amphibian, which boasts shiny purple skin, a pointy “pig-nose,” and a blue ring around its eyes, was found in the Western Ghat Mountains. The new species has been named Bhupathy’s purple frog (Nasikabatrachus bhupathi) in honor of Dr. Sabrumaniam Bhupathy, a herpetologist […] More
Predators will start becoming even fiercer as global temperatures rise, says a study that looked at how warmer conditions could affect diversity and competition between species. According to a paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, warmer temperatures could cause ravenous animals to wipe out smaller prey, upsetting the delicate ecological balance of […] More
Lion researchers in Botswana have happened upon quite a spectacular group of lions. Five lionesses in the region have grown manes and are exhibiting very male-like behavior, such as mounting other females, marking territory, and roaring. While females do sometimes roar, these particular individuals are roaring on a regular basis which is something that the […] More
This is not your average lake. Lake Hillier, a pink (salty!) lake on the coast of Western Australia, is still a bit of mystery to science. The reason for the unique coloring of the water is still not fully understood by experts, but most believe that the water gets its hue from the presence of a certain type […] More
Image: Wikimedia Commons There are big, bad things happening on our ice shelves. Emphasis on the big. In 2012, documentarians in Greenland filming the award-winning film “Chasing Ice” witnessed a 75-minute long record-breaking calving event. “Calving” is the term for a huge chunk of ice breaking off an ice sheet. The piece that broke off […] More
When you think migration, you may picture birds or whales. The largest migration on earth, though, includes much smaller creatures — a lot of them. A study published in the journal Science covers the seasonal migration of insects, which is almost eight times larger than the annual migration of birds that migrate from Britain to […] More
For millennia, humans have been comparing themselves to wolves. It’s not a big stretch; the way wolves behave in their packs isn’t too different from the way human social structures work in tribes and families. But there’s one comparison we’ve been getting wrong. The “alpha-male” stereotype conjures up aggression and strong, loud leadership. It’s someone […] More
Image: Wikimedia Commons Even when they find themselves in unfamiliar waters, sea turtles have a remarkable ability to find their way home. Now, scientists have a pretty amazing theory about their navigational skills; They may be using the sun to set their very accurate internal compasses. Scientists at James Cook University in Australia tagged 22 […] More
If big snakes make you nervous, it might be time to stop reading. Still here? Excellent. Workers on a construction site in Malaysia got more than they bargained for when a giant reticulated python showed up on the job. The crew, working in the tourist destination Paya Terubong on the island of Penang, called authorities when […] More
An endangered sea turtle will be able to swim comfortably again thanks to a team of college students. Students at Worcester Polytechnic Institute assisted with the development of a prosthetic flipper in hopes of saving even more injured sea turtles in the future. Using 3D printing, the students created the first ever “hydrodynamic biomimetic” flipper for […] More
Image: Paramount Group Canine units in South Africa are being trained to rappel out of helicopters and parachute from airplanes. We couldn’t make this stuff up. These units are part of an elite anti-poaching team fighting against wildlife trafficking in Kruger National Park. By accessing areas by plane or helicopter, teams can rapidly reach remote spots […] More
