Animals
- Animals
Picture This: Plesiosaurs swam like penguins
A computer model suggests plesiosaurs — ancient marine reptiles — swam like penguins, using front flippers for power and back flippers for steering.
- Animals
Bugs that call your house home
A survey of North Carolina homes found hundreds of species of insects, arachnids and other arthropods. Most, though, were harmless.
- Animals
Why some penguin feathers never freeze
Oil and tiny pores prevent the feathers on some penguins from freezing. The discovery could inspire new ways to keep ice off of airplane wings.
- Animals
Using dolphins to find unknown ocean pollutants
Long-lasting pollutants may threaten marine mammals and human health. To find those pollutants, scientists are sampling blubber, then running the fatty material through new types of tests.
- Animals
Seals: Catching a ‘corkscrew’ killer
Spiral wounds on dead seals led experts to blame boat propellers. But cameras exposed another source: One seal species was killing another.
- Animals
What a drag! Fishing gear’s effects on whales
Many whales become entangled in the gear that fishing boats use to catch fish and shellfish. Such debris can have dire impacts on the big mammals.
- Animals
Faking out whales
A false “dinner bell” can safely distract hungry whales from stealing fish from commercial fishing lines, new research shows.
- Animals
Do dogs have a sense of self?
Dogs don’t know their own reflections in a mirror, but they do recognize themselves from the scent of their own urine, a new study finds.
- Animals
Gene editing swats at mosquitoes
A new genetic technique can render insects that spread malaria unable to reproduce.
- Animals
Some otters wear red algae
Some sea otters in California sport coats of red algae. A new study finds the species most likely is a non-native organism from half a world away.
- Animals
Algal poison can harm sea lion memory
Sea lions exposed to toxic algae can experience seizures and brain damage. New research shows that the toxin also causes impairments to memory.
- Animals
Some fish wear an invisibility cloak
Some fish can hide in open water. How? Tiny crystals in their scales and skin help them reflect and blend in with polarized light.
