Animals

  1. Animals

    Mad Deer Disease?

    Chronic wasting disease, once just an obscure brain ailment of deer and elk in a small patch of the West, is turning up in new places and raising troubling questions about risks.

    By Susan Milius
  2. Animals

    Ear for Killers: Seals discern foes’ from neighbor-whales’ calls

    Harbor seals eavesdrop on killer whales and can tell the harmless neighborhood fish eaters from roving gangs with a taste for fresh seal.

    By Susan Milius
  3. Animals

    Tadpoles kill by supersuction

    A high-speed video shows tiny African tadpoles that catch their prey in a manner unlike that used by any other frog larvae: by shooting out a tubular mouth for superfast suction.

    By Susan Milius
  4. Animals

    Lizard’s Choice: Mating test pits physique versus domain

    When she decides to move in, is it him or is it his real estate?

    By Susan Milius
  5. Animals

    Fish Fraud: Cleaners show off before biting clients

    Some of the reef fish that make their living by nibbling parasites off other fish may be luring clients into scams by offering free massages.

    By Susan Milius
  6. Animals

    Upside Way Down: Video turns fish story on its head

    The first video of whipnose anglerfish reveals them swimming upside down and trolling for prey on the 5,000-meter deep ocean floor.

    By Carol Marzuola
  7. Animals

    That special wax lasts after courtship

    Sandpipers' special wax for their wings during the breeding season may have less to do with courting a mate and more to do with sitting on eggs.

    By Susan Milius
  8. Animals

    Eat the Kids: Are cannibal fish just freshening the O2?

    In beaugregory damselfish, males that snack on some of the eggs supposedly in their care may end up benefiting the rest of the egg clutch by making more oxygen available.

    By Susan Milius
  9. Animals

    Many fish run on empty

    Many fish eat all the time, while some others spend their days going from brief feast to lengthy famine.

    By Janet Raloff
  10. Animals

    Singing frog in China evokes whales, primates

    A frog in China warbles and flutes with such versatility that its high-pitched calls sound like those of birds or whales.

    By Susan Milius
  11. Animals

    Ant Enforcers: To call in punishment, top ant smears rival

    In Brazilian ant colonies where a female has to fight her way to the top, she stays in power through some judicious gang violence.

    By Susan Milius
  12. Animals

    Blame winter for the vanishing sparrows

    Changes in winter farming practices may help explain a puzzling drop in number of rural house sparrows in southern England.

    By Susan Milius