Animals

Animals

What really changes when a male vole settles down

Bachelor prairie voles can’t tell one female from another, but saying “I do” means more than just settling down.

Plants

Raindrops help pitcher plants trap dinner

Pitcher plants use the force of falling raindrops to fling prey into their traps.

Plants

Stinky seeds dupe dung beetles

Seeds that look and smell like animal poop can trick dung beetles into spreading and burying the seeds.

Animals

What happens to animals in a hurricane?

Hurricanes can be devastating to animals on land and in the sea, but they can also provide opportunities.

Animals

This may be the world’s tiniest snail

Tiny snail unearthed in China could be the world's smallest, researchers report.

Animals

Some seabirds will be hit hard by sea level rise

Seabird species that nest on low-lying islands in stormy winter months could see huge losses as sea levels rise, a new study finds.

Animals

Lights at night trick wild wallabies into breeding late

Artificial lighting is driving wild tammar wallabies to breed out of sync with peak season for food

Animals

Some bats chug nectar with conveyor belt tongues

Grooved bat tongues work like escalators or conveyor belts, transporting nectar from tip to mouth.

Animals

Math describes sheep herd fluctuations

Scientists have developed equations to describe the motion of a herd of sheep.

Animals

Life in the polar ocean is surprisingly active in the dark winter

The Arctic polar winter may leave marine ecosystems dark for weeks on end, but life doesn’t shut down, a new study finds.

Animals

Don’t judge a whale’s gut microbiome by diet alone

Evolutionary history and diet may both determine the microbes that live in a baleen whale's stomach, researchers report.

Animals

Alpine bee tongues shorten as climate warms

Pollinators’ match with certain alpine flowers erodes as climate change pushes fast evolution.