Animals

Animals

Clearing land to feed a growing human population will threaten thousands of species

Changing where, how and what food is grown could largely avoid biodiversity losses, scientists say.

Animals

Bonobos, much like humans, show commitment to completing a joint task

Experiments with bonobos suggest that humans aren’t the only ones who can feel a sense of mutual responsibility toward other members of their species.

Animals

A mink in Utah is the first known case of the coronavirus in a wild animal

A U.S. mink is so far the only known free-ranging animal to have contracted the coronavirus and likely got infected from a nearby mink farm.

Animals

These Arctic squirrels recycle bits of their own bodies to survive winter

Arctic squirrels not only slow their metabolism while hibernating, but also harvest crucial substances from their muscles.

Animals

Small, quiet crickets turn leaves into megaphones to blare their mating call

A carefully crafted leaf can double the volume of a male tree cricket’s song, helping it compete with larger, louder males for females.

Animals

Plastic waste forms huge, deadly masses in camel guts

Eating plastic isn’t just a sea animal problem. Researchers found suitcase-sized masses of plastic in dromedaries’ guts in the United Arab Emirates.

Animals

Using comb-shaped teeth, Baikal seals feed on tiny crustaceans like whales do

Seals in Lake Baikal use comb-shaped teeth to catch scores of amphipods, a study finds. The diet may be behind the seals’ relative success.

Animals

A highly contagious face cancer may not wipe out Tasmanian devils after all

Devil facial tumor disease has killed so many Tasmanian devils that it was feared they would die out. But a new analysis finds its spread is slowing.

Animals

Giant pandas may roll in horse poop to feel warm

By coating themselves in fresh horse manure, wild giant pandas may be seeking a chemical in the poop that inhibits a cold-sensing protein.

Animals

Mineral body armor helps some leaf-cutting ants win fights with bigger kin

Researchers have found that at least one species of leaf-cutting ant has a tough layer of calcite on its exoskeleton.

Animals

A face mask may turn up a male wrinkle-faced bat’s sex appeal

The first-ever scientific observations of a wrinkle-faced bat’s courtship shows that, when flirting, the males raise their white furry face coverings.

Animals

On a cool night in Malaysia, scientists track mysterious colugos across the treetops

Our reporter tags along for nighttime observations of these elusive gliding mammals.