Animals

Fossils

An ancient ichthyosaur graveyard may have been a breeding ground

Some 230 million years ago, huge dolphin-like reptiles appear to have gathered to breed in safe waters, just as many whales do today.

Animals

Scientists Say: Metamorphosis

Animals that go through metamorphosis look very different as adults than they did as kids.

Animals

This parasite makes wolves more likely to become leaders

Gray wolves infected with Toxoplasma gondii make riskier decisions. This makes them more likely to become pack leaders or strike out on their own.

Animals

Tiny bumps on polar bear paws help them get traction on snow

Super-small structures on the Arctic animals’ paws might offer extra friction that keeps them from slipping on snow, a new study concludes.

Fossils

Let’s learn about pterosaurs

These ancient flying reptiles were not dinosaurs, but they were close relatives.

Animals

Study finds big drop in animal populations since 1970

But the same thing is not happening throughout the kingdom. For instance, more than half of vertebrate populations are stable or increasing.

Animals

Some young fruit flies’ eyeballs literally pop out of their heads

The first published photo shoot of developing Pelmatops flies shows how their eyes rise on gangly stalks in the first hour of adulthood.

Animals

Cougars pushed out by wildfires took more risks around roads

After an intense burn in 2018 in California, big cats in the region crossed roads more often. That put them at higher risk of becoming roadkill.

Fossils

Sprinting reptiles may have been forerunners of soaring pterosaurs

A new analysis of an old fossil supports the idea that winged pterosaurs evolved from swift and tiny two-legged ancestors.

Animals

Splatoon characters’ ink ammo was inspired by real octopuses and squid

In Nintendo’s Splatoon game series, Inklings and Octolings duke it out with weapons that fire ink. How does this ink compare with that of real octopuses and squid?

Animals

Cars hit more deer in the week after daylight saving time ends

In the days right after most Americans turn back the clock, vehicle crashes with deer increase by 16 percent, a new study shows.

Chemistry

Scientists Say: Fluorescence

This property causes materials — including some animals’ skin, fur or feathers — to glow under light.