Animals
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AnimalsKauai’s native forest birds are headed toward extinction
Kauai’s honeycreepers are losing their last refuges from mosquito-borne diseases that are spreading due to climate change. Some could become extinct within a decade.
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PaleontologyPterosaurs weren’t all super-sized in the Late Cretaceous
A 77-million-year-old flying reptile may be the smallest pterosaur of the Late Cretaceous.
By Meghan Rosen -
AnimalsAs IUCN votes on ivory trade, elephants’ future looks bleak
As the IUCN prepares to debate an end to the ivory trade, two new reports show just how poorly Africa’s elephant species are faring.
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AnimalsTiny structures give a peacock spider its radiant rump
Peacock spiders use pigments and complex nanostructures to achieve bright dance costumes.
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PaleontologyPreteen tetrapods identified by bone scans
Roughly 360 million years ago, young tetrapods may have schooled together during prolonged years as juveniles in the water.
By Susan Milius -
PaleontologyJurassic ichthyosaur dubbed ‘Storr Lochs Monster’ unveiled
A rare, 170-year-old skeleton discovered in Scotland is one of the best-preserved ichthyosaur fossils from the Middle Jurassic.
By Meghan Rosen -
LifeCalifornia’s goby is actually two different fish
One fish, two fish: California’s tidewater goby is two species.
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AnimalsDwarf lemurs don’t agree on sleep
Fat-tailed dwarf lemurs’ surprising hibernation-sleep doesn’t show up in ground-hibernating relatives.
By Susan Milius -
AnimalsBonobos adept at nut cracking
Bonobos demonstrate their overlooked nut-cracking skills in an African sanctuary.
By Bruce Bower -
AnimalsBonobos rival chimps at the art of cracking oil palm nuts
Bonobos demonstrate their overlooked nut-cracking skills in an African sanctuary.
By Bruce Bower -
AnimalsIn drought, zebra finches wring water from their own fat
A zebra finch with no water or food can keep itself hydrated by metabolizing body fat.
By Susan Milius -
AnimalsTail vibrations may have preceded evolution of rattlesnake rattle
The rattle on a rattlesnake evolved just once. A new study contends it may have come out of a common behavior — tail vibration — that snakes use to deter predators.