JoAnna Wendel

JoAnna Wendel is a freelance science writer and cartoonist in Portland, Ore., specializing in Earth and planetary science, with a growing interest in animals (especially invertebrates). She’s written and made comics for publications including Smithsonian, Eos, Gizmodo, Inverse and Science News Explores. JoAnna has a bachelor’s degree in general science from the University of Oregon and loves trees, snakes and her cat, Pancake. 

All Stories by JoAnna Wendel

  1. Animals

    Ants are better team players than people [COMIC]

    For ants, teamwork makes the dream work. For humans, teamwork can be a trip-up.

  2. Animals

    Sheep, llamas and goats fall for optical illusions too

    These findings could help reveal when and why falling for optical illusions evolved in animals.

  3. Animals

    Some fish have legs that can taste prey underfoot

    Taste buds on those legs may explain why northern sea robins are so good at finding food that is buried in the sandy seafloor.

  4. Animals

    Tiger beetles weaponize sound to ward off bat predators

    Some beetles make ultrasonic clicks that camouflage them as toxic tiger moths, warning hungry bats to stay away.

  5. Animals

    Chimps and bonobos recognize familiar faces even after decades apart

    Chimpanzees and bonobos may boast the longest social memory of any animal besides humans.

  6. Animals

    See how hummingbirds sneak through small spaces

    Anna’s hummingbirds can use a couple of different techniques to get through gaps smaller than their wingspan.

  7. Animals

    Here’s why thousands of octopuses gather at the ‘Octopus Garden’

    Underwater cameras and other instruments investigated why so many pearl octopuses gather here to mate and nest.

  8. Animals

    Toothed whales use their noses to whistle and click

    Much as people do, toothed whales, such as dolphins and sperm whales, make noises in three different vocal registers.

  9. These lemurs take nose-picking to a new level

    A nose-picking aye-aye’s spindly middle digit probably pokes all the way into the back of the throat, CT scans show.

  10. Animals

    How boa constrictors squeeze their prey without strangling themselves

    Tracking boas’ ribs in X-ray videos revealed the snakes’ squeezing secrets. It’s the latest Wild Things cartoon from Science News Explores.

  11. Space

    My 10 years on Mars: NASA’s Curiosity rover describes its adventure

    Did life evolve on Mars? NASA’s Curiosity rover spent the last 10 years trying to answer that question. Here’s the story from the rover’s point of view.

  12. Animals

    Goldfish driving ‘cars’ offer new insight into navigation

    Fishes’ internal sense of direction is not limited to their natural environment. The latest Wild Things cartoon from Science News for Students.