Animals
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AnimalsGray 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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AnimalsAnimals were the original twerkers
From black widow spiders to birds and bees, shaking that booty goes way back.
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AnimalsMantis shrimp’s bizarre visual system may save brainpower
The mantis shrimp sees each color separately with one of a dozen kinds of specialized cells, a system that may help the animal quickly see colors without a lot of brainpower.
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AnimalsEight 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.
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AnimalsSloths, moths, algae may live in three-way benefit pact
Insects and green slime may justify the slow mammal’s risky descent from trees.
By Susan Milius -
AnimalsSperm on a stick for springtails
Many males of the tiny soil organisms sustain their species by leaving drops of sperm glistening here and there in the landscape in case a female chooses to pick one up.
By Susan Milius -
AnimalsInsect queens sterilize workers with similar chemical
When exposed to a form of saturated hydrocarbons that mimicked the queen’s scent, the worker insects’ ovaries degraded.
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AnimalsJellyfish bloom in spring when winter ‘timer’ dings
The coordinated appearance of the adult form of the animal is the result of a metamorphosis hormone that accumulates during winter months.
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AnimalsAfrican vultures follow the dead, not the herd
Wildebeest may be numerous, but they’re not attractive to carrion-eating birds unless they’re about to die.
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AnimalsHead cam shows how falcons track prey
Falcons use motion camouflage to capture flying prey, a new study shows.
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AnimalsSwimming dolphins don’t need to cheat
Dolphins swimming through bubbles burst old notion of underpowered muscles.
By Susan Milius -
LifeV-flying birds pick efficient flapping pattern
Ibises time their flaps to catch a boost from a neighbor’s wing.
By Susan Milius