Wild Things
The weird and wonderful in the natural world
- Animals
These spiders crossed an ocean to get to Australia
The nearest relatives of an Australian trapdoor spider live in Africa. They crossed the Indian Ocean to get to Australia, a new study suggests.
- Animals
One creature’s meal is another’s pain in the butt
Kelp and dolphin gulls in Patagonia have found a new food source. But they accidentally injure fur seal pups to get it.
- Animals
Fire ants build towers with three simple rules
Fire ants use the same set of simple rules to produce static rafts and perpetually moving towers.
- Animals
Drowned wildebeests can feed a river ecosystem for years
Only a small percentage of wildebeests drown as they cross the Mara River, but they provide resources for the river ecosystem for years after their deaths.
- Animals
Sooty terns’ migration takes the birds into the path of hurricanes
Sooty terns migrate south from southern Florida and back again. The track sometimes takes the birds into the path of hurricanes, a new study finds.
- Animals
Why create a model of mammal defecation? Because everyone poops
Mammals that defecate in the same fashion as humans all excrete waste within the same time frame, no matter their size, a new study finds.
- Animals
How a dolphin eats an octopus without dying
An octopus’s tentacles can kill a dolphin — or a human — when eaten alive. But wily dolphins in Australia have figured out how to do this safely.
- Animals
Improbable ‘black swan’ events can devastate animal populations
Conservation managers should take a note from the world of investments and pay attention to “black swan” events, a new study posits.
- Animals
Camera trap catches a badger burying a cow
Badgers are known to bury small animals to save them for future eating. Now researchers have caught them caching something much bigger: young cows.
- Animals
De-extinction probably isn’t worth it
Diverting money to resurrecting extinct creatures could put those still on Earth at risk.
- Environment
Most fish turned into fishmeal are species that we could be eating
Millions of tons of food-grade fish are turned into fishmeal for aquaculture and agriculture.
- Animals
The animal guide to finding love
Learn to dance, keep an eye on your competition, bring a gift: Animals have some practical advice for finding a mate.
