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
Wikie the killer whale has a lot to say. She lives at Marineland, an amusement park in the South of France, where she’s been trained to perform tricks for visitors — and now, she’s participating in groundbreaking research. Recently, a team of researchers set out to determine whether orcas, who are famously vocal creatures within […] More
We know what you’re thinking. This is clearly a venomous snake about to lunge at its unsuspecting prey, right? Nope. This gentle soul is actually a caterpillar performing one of the most impressive acts of mimicry on the planet. Known by the scientific community as Hemeroplanes triptolemus, this creative creature is merely the larval (juvenile) […] More
Most spiders defend themselves with a bite, but this species? It busts a move. When provoked or threatened, the flic-flac spider literally “flips out” and starts cartwheeling away to safety. These somersaulting maneuvers double the spider’s normal walking speed by propelling it forward (or backwards!) at 6 feet-per-second. Despite how effective this evasive action is, […] More
