Ecosystems

Animals

The axolotl is endangered in the wild. A discovery offers hope

Introducing captive-bred axolotls to restored and artificial wetlands may be a promising option for the popular pet amphibian.

Paleontology

These crocodile-like beasts reached the Caribbean, outlasting mainland kin

Knife-toothed reptiles called sebecids went extinct on the mainland 10 million years ago. New fossil evidence puts them on an island 4 million years ago.

Oceans

How will the LA fires affect the ocean? These researchers are racing to find out

Scientists aboard a research vessel near Los Angeles collected ash, air and water samples as fire blazed on the hills before them in January.

Animals

This caterpillar wears the body parts of insect prey

Dubbed the “bone collector,” this caterpillar found on a Hawaiian island disguises itself while stalking spider webs for trapped insects to eat.

Plants

Some tropical trees act as lightning rods to fend off rivals

Though being struck by lightning is usually bad, the tropical tree Dipteryx oleifera benefits. A strike kills other nearby trees and parasitic vines.

Animals

Plastic ‘fossils’ help scientists reconstruct the history of bird nests

Plastic waste has let common coots reuse nests year after year. Scientists have now used the trash layers to date how old nests are.

Animals

Hammerhead sharks’ diets may affect if they roam or stay home

Understanding hammerhead sharks’ food preferences could aid efforts to protect the critically endangered fish.

Animals

Stinky penguin poop strikes fear into the hearts of Antarctic krill

A chemical in Adélie penguin guano may have cued krill to take evasive maneuvers in lab tests.

Animals

Dolphins and humans team up to catch fish in Brazil

In Brazil, where humans and dolphins fish in tandem, cooperation both within and between species is essential for the longstanding tradition.

Climate

Warming is chasing cloud forests steadily uphill

Cloud forests are biodiversity hot spots and crucial water sources. But climate change and deforestation are shrinking their range, new data show.

Animals

A fungus named after Sir David Attenborough zombifies cave spiders

The new fungus species Gibellula attenboroughii forces reclusive cave spiders to exposed areas, likely to benefit spore dispersal.

Ecosystems

Extinct moa ate purple trufflelike fungi, fossil bird droppings reveal

DNA analysis reveals the big, flightless moa birds ate — and pooped out — 13 kinds of fungi, including ones crucial for New Zealand’s forest ecosystem.