Animals

  1. Animals

    Embryos in eggs move to get comfy

    Even before hatching, Chinese alligators, snapping turtles and some relatives can shift toward favorable temperatures.

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  2. Earth

    Ammonite jaws provide a window into ancient climate

    Temperature of marine environment can be determined from cephalopod fossils.

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  3. Paleontology

    Rivers of rock and gas froze ancient animals in time

    Ancient Chinese fossil beds were preserved by high-speed rivers of volcanic rock and gas.

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  4. Animals

    Cane toads can handle the cool

    The invasive amphibians may be able to spread farther across Australia than previously thought.

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  5. Animals

    Fungi threaten sea turtle nests

    The pathogens can kill up to 90 percent of eggs in a single nest.

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  6. Animals

    Disco clams put on a streak show

    Scuba divers call Ctenoides ales the disco or electric clam because the restless, curling lips of its mantle flash bright streaks.

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  7. Animals

    Synchronous birth

    For young banded mongoose moms, there’s only one choice for when to give birth — the same day as older, dominant mothers. In communities of these cat-sized animals, all females give birth together, no matter when they became pregnant.

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  8. Animals

    When snakes fly

    A gliding snake gets some lift by spreading its ribs, but much about its flight remains a mystery.

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  9. Plants

    Sexually deceived flies not hopelessly dumb

    Pollinators tricked into mating with a plant become harder to fool a second time.

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  10. Animals

    Windows may kill up to 988 million birds a year in the United States

    Single-family homes and low-rise buildings do much more damage than skyscrapers.

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  11. 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.

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  12. Animals

    Animals were the original twerkers

    From black widow spiders to birds and bees, shaking that booty goes way back.

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