Animals
Here’s how ‘singing’ mice belt out their tiny tunes
Balloon-like air sacs in the mice's throats create whistling songs. No other animal is known to make calls in this way.
By Jake Buehler
MS-LS2-2
Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems.
More Stories in MS-LS2-2
- Tech
Backyard leafhoppers inspire next-generation cloaking tech
Engineers are borrowing this insect’s trick, an "invisibility cloak" of anti-reflective spheres. It could lead to new clean energy tech or military gear.
- Animals
Intricate silk helps net-casting spiders trap prey in webs
Rufous net-casting spiders can adjust the stiffness and stretchiness of their webs thanks to looping strands of silk.
- Animals
Animals’ personalities can affect a species’ survival
From bold foxes to shy parrots, animals’ personalities are increasingly being seen as key to saving species.
- Animals
Brazilian monkeys offer lessons on how to return species to the wild
Efforts included letting golden lion tamarins roam free in urban U.S. parks. Restoring natural behaviors was key to their survival in the wild.
- Animals
Chicago’s Rat Hole? Science concludes it’s likely not from a rat
Researchers employed tools of paleontology to analyze the iconic landmark — a sidewalk critter crater made when a mystery rodent fell into wet concrete.
- Plants
Yum! Flies swarm to a flower that smells like wounded ants
A type of Japanese dogbane emits the distress signal of injured ants — a particular scent — to draw in scavenging flies that end up pollinating its flowers.
- Animals
Polar bears leave thousands of tons of food scraps for other species
The new finding quantifies how much of polar bears' food goes uneaten. As these bears decline, Arctic scavengers risk losing a critical food source.
- Animals
Flamingos hunt by creating their own underwater tornadoes
Chilean flamingos use their beaks and feet to create underwater whirlpools that suck in prey.
- Animals
Scientists Say: Kleptotrichy
Based on the Greek words for theft and hair, kleptotrichy is a more common bird behavior than people thought.
