Wild Things
The weird and wonderful in the natural world
- Animals
The mystery of the missing fish heads
When scientists opened up the stomachs of shortfin mako sharks, they found that nearly all of the digesting fish had no heads or tails.
- Animals
We’re only noticing the snowy owls
A lemming boom last summer probably led to rises in populations of several predator species.
- Animals
Fish lose their fear on a denuded reef
Juvenile damselfish lose their ability to smell danger when in a degraded habitat.
- Animals
Secret feather flaps help a falcon control its dive
The pop-up feathers of a falcon act similar to flaps on an airplane’s wing.
- Animals
It doesn’t always take wings to fly high
Microbes, bees, termites and geese have been clocked at high altitudes, where air density and oxygen are low.
- Animals
The Ice Age was harsh on orcas
Killer whale DNA shows that climate change resulted in declines for most populations.
- Earth
Ammonite jaws provide a window into ancient climate
Temperature of marine environment can be determined from cephalopod fossils.
- Animals
Cane toads can handle the cool
The invasive amphibians may be able to spread farther across Australia than previously thought.
- Animals
Fungi threaten sea turtle nests
The pathogens can kill up to 90 percent of eggs in a single nest.
- Animals
Gray seals snack on harbor porpoises
Photo evidence confirms seals' fatal attacks on harbor porpoises in the English Channel, suggesting that declines in the seals' usual fare are forcing the animals to seek out other high-energy food.
- Animals
Eight ways that animals survive the winter
Migrating to a warmer place is just the start when it comes to finding ways to stay toasty as temperatures drop.
- Archaeology
After 2,000 years, Ptolemy’s war elephants are revealed
A genetic study sheds light on world’s only known battle between Asian and African elephants.
