Animals

  1. Animals

    Male spiders amputate organs, run faster

    Tiny male spiders of a species common to the southeastern United States routinely remove one of their two oversize external sex organs, enabling them to run faster and longer.

    By
  2. Animals

    Hooking the Gullible

    Research into fish behavior often reveals ways that bait designers can trick a fish into biting odd-looking lures, but angler appeal can also be an important marketing consideration.

    By
  3. Animals

    Dull birds and bright ones beat so-so guys

    The plumage of yearling male lazuli buntings shows signs of a rare form of evolutionary pressure called disruptive selection.

    By
  4. Animals

    Flex That Bill: Hummingbirds’ surprising insect-catching style

    High-speed videos of hummingbirds catching insects reveal that their lower bills are unexpectedly flexible.

    By
  5. Animals

    Long Horns Win: Selection in action—Attacks favor spike length for lizards

    A hunting bird's quirk—a tendency to impale prey on thorns—leaves a record that has allowed scientists to catch a glimpse of an evolutionary force in action.

    By
  6. Animals

    Wolf vs. Raven? Thieving birds may drive canines to form big packs

    A previously underappreciated reason why wolf packs get so big could be the relentless food snitching of ravens.

    By
  7. Animals

    The Social Lives of Snakes

    A lot of pit vipers aren't the asocial loners that even snake fans had long assumed.

    By
  8. Animals

    Road rage keeps ants moving smoothly

    Streams of ants manage to avoid traffic gridlock by a bit of strategic pushing and shoving.

    By
  9. Animals

    Hornbills know which monkey calls to heed

    Hornbills can tell the difference between two kinds of alarm calls given by monkeys.

    By
  10. Animals

    Second bird genus shares dart-frog toxins

    Researchers have found a second bird genus, also in New Guinea, that carries the same toxins as poison-dart frogs in Central and South America.

    By
  11. Animals

    New Green Eyes: First butterfly that’s genetically modified

    Scientists have genetically engineered a butterfly for the first time, putting a jellyfish protein into a tropical African species so that its eyes fluoresce green.

    By
  12. Animals

    Jungle Genes: First bird genome is decoded

    Researchers have unveiled a draft of the first bird genome to be sequenced, a vintage chicken.

    By