Animals

Animals

Meet the ‘grue jay,’ a rare hybrid songbird

Despite millions of years of evolutionary separation and a geographical divide, a blue jay and green jay mated in Texas. This bird is the result.

Animals

Is camouflage better than warning colors? For insects, it depends

The effectiveness of camouflage or warning colors for insect defense depends on conditions such as light levels and how many predators are around.

Animals

This ‘ghost shark’ has teeth on its forehead

Spotted ratfish, or “ghost sharks,” have forehead teeth that help them grasp onto mates. It’s the first time teeth have been found outside of a mouth.

Animals

Bats live with some viruses. But others can do them in

Bats can carry some deadly human pathogens without signs of illness. A new survey shows that other viruses can still be bad for bats.

Animals

Tug or fetch? Some dogs sort toys by how they are used

Dogs that easily learn the names of toys might also mentally sort them by function, a new example of complex cognitive activity in the canine brain.

Animals

Octopus arms are adaptable but some are favored for particular jobs

Octopuses are ambidextrous, a new study finds, but they favor their front arms for investigating surroundings and their back arms for locomotion.

Animals

Just like humans, many animals get more aggressive in the heat

From salamanders to monkeys, many species get more violent at warmer temperatures — a trend that may shape their social structures as the world warms.

Animals

Tiny thumbnails may be key for rodents’ global takeover

Thumbnails might have boosted rodents’ food-handling skills, helping them thrive worldwide.

Animals

Here’s how fruit flies’ giant sperm squeeze into tight spaces

Researchers found that fruit fly sperm push against one another and align in orderly bundles, preventing knots that could block reproduction.

Animals

This lizard can tolerate extreme levels of lead

Cuban brown anoles have the highest blood lead levels of any vertebrate known — three times that of the previous record holder, the Nile crocodile.

Life

Horses may have become rideable with the help of a genetic mutation

To make horses rideable during domestication, people may have inadvertently targeted a mutation in horses to strengthen their backs and their balance.

Animals

The mysterious, extinct ‘Fuegian dog’ was actually a semi-tame fox

Historic European accounts long described the canids as domesticated dogs. A new study suggests that’s probably not true.