The Better Half

How Owls Spin Their Heads Around Owls don’t need eyes in...

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 13:14:22 -0500

How Owls Spin Their Heads Around

Owls don’t need eyes in the back of their heads to see what’s behind them — they can just swivel their heads all the way around. In fact, many owl species, such as the barred owl, can rotate their heads 270 degrees in each direction, which means they can look to the left by rotating all the way to the right, or vice versa.

Elephant Speaks Korean Just weeks after it was revealed that a...

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 22:32:23 -0400

Elephant Speaks Korean

Just weeks after it was revealed that a beluga whale named NOC could mimic human voices, the journal of Current Biology has released a study documenting an male Asian elephant named Koshik who can mimic certain Korean words so accurately they are understood by native speakers.

Wild Seahorse Filmed for the First Time

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 11:00:37 -0400

Wild Seahorse Filmed for the First Time

Primates' Brains Make Visual Maps Using Triangular Grids

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 22:00:57 -0400

Primates' Brains Make Visual Maps Using Triangular Grids:

ScienceDaily (Oct. 28, 2012) — Primates’ brains see the world through triangular grids, according to a new study published online October 28 in the journal Nature.

Huge Deposit of Jurassic Turtle Remains Found in...

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 21:00:00 -0400

Huge Deposit of Jurassic Turtle Remains Found in China

ScienceDaily (Oct. 29, 2012) — “Bones upon bones, we couldn’t believe our eyes,” says Oliver Wings, paleontologist and guest researcher at the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin. He was describing the spectacular find of some 1800 fossilized mesa chelonia turtles from the Jurassic era in China’s northwest province of Xinjiang. Wings and the University of Tübingen’s fossil turtle specialist, Dr. Walter Joyce, were working with Chinese paleontologists there in 2008.

White shark diets vary with age and among individuals White...

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 10:59:04 -0400

White shark diets vary with age and among individuals

White sharks, the largest predatory sharks in the ocean, are thought of as apex predators that feed primarily on seals and sea lions. But a new study by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, shows surprising variability in the dietary preferences of individual sharks.

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deconversionmovement: Research suggests that evolution...

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 20:59:05 -0400

deconversionmovement:

Research suggests that evolution sometimes meant becoming simpler, not more complex

(Phys.org)—The view that animals have become more complex over time could be a thing of the past, according to the latest research.

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New-Species “Heaven” Discovered in Peru

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 19:21:16 -0400

New-Species “Heaven” Discovered in Peru

theanimalblog: Incredible Wildlife Shots by Rob Kroenert (13...

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 11:00:26 -0400

theanimalblog:

Incredible Wildlife Shots by Rob Kroenert (13 photos) - My Modern Metropolis

Sexual selection in ancient animals

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 23:00:41 -0400

Sexual selection in ancient animals:

deconversionmovement:

Sexual selection, which is a subset of natural selection, is defined as “selection based on mate choice.” It usually, but not always, takes the form of males competing for access to females, and results in the development of either armaments in males that help them compete in the battle for mates (antlers on deer, horns on stag beetles, etc.), or bright plumage, coloration, adornments, calls, or behaviors of males that catch the fancy of females (the bowers of bowerbirds, the plumage, colors, and strange behaviors of the New Guinea birds of paradise, the songs of male frogs, etc.). We understand the competition scenario more than the “female preference” scenario, for it’s hard to figure out why females would prefer one plumage or adornment rather than another.

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Sea Otters Strike a Blow for the Environment? Urchin-eating ways...

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 19:59:41 -0400

Sea Otters Strike a Blow for the Environment?

Urchin-eating ways may reduce local carbon emissions by as much as 11 percent.

When hungry sea otters whack spiky urchins against rocks on their chests, the mammals may also be striking a blow against global warming.

By preying on urchins—which themselves devour greenhouse gas-absorbing kelp forests—the sea otters encourage the plants to flourish. (See urchin pictures.)

Animal Winners and Losers of Summer’s Heat Waves

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 18:59:40 -0400

Animal Winners and Losers of Summer’s Heat Waves

Pygmy Sloth Among 100 Species Most At Risk

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 16:59:01 -0400

Pygmy Sloth Among 100 Species Most At Risk

Best Wildlife Pictures: British Nature Winners 2012

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 14:31:31 -0400

Best Wildlife Pictures: British Nature Winners 2012

tigersandcompany: Clouded leopard (by Theresa Elvin)

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 18:19:10 -0400

tigersandcompany:

Clouded leopard (by Theresa Elvin)

animals-animals-animals: Caiman Lizard (by Silvain de Munck)

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 18:18:54 -0400

animals-animals-animals:

Caiman Lizard (by Silvain de Munck)

Albatross’s Effortless Flight Decoded—May Influence Future...

Sun, 09 Sep 2012 19:58:03 -0400

Albatross’s Effortless Flight Decoded—May Influence Future Planes

Birds can glide thousands of miles without flapping.

Airplane designers are getting new ideas from the albatross, long considered a master of efficient flight.

Through a method called dynamic soaring, the bird—with a wingspan of up to 12 feet (3.7 meters)—can glide thousands of miles without flapping.

How Sea Otters Can Reduce CO2 in the Atmosphere: Appetite for...

Sun, 09 Sep 2012 16:44:10 -0400

How Sea Otters Can Reduce CO₂ in the Atmosphere: Appetite for Sea Urchins Allows Kelp to Thrive

ScienceDaily (Sep. 7, 2012) — Can an abundance of sea otters help reverse a principal cause of global warming? A new study by two UC Santa Cruz researchers suggest that a thriving sea otter population that keeps sea urchins in check will in turn allow kelp forests to prosper. The spreading kelp can absorb as much as 12 times the amount of CO₂ from the atmosphere than if it were subject to ravenous sea urchins, the study finds.

Virus That Twists Snakes Into Knots Revealed Ebola-like virus...

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 10:58:54 -0400

Virus That Twists Snakes Into Knots Revealed

Ebola-like virus may be result of two viruses merging.

Scientists have finally found the cause of a mysterious disease that makes snakes tie themselves up into knots, stare off into space, and waste away—the reptiles are infected with an Ebola-like virus, a new study says.

The fatal condition known as inclusion body disease (IBD) was first diagnosed in snakes, particularly pythons and boa constrictors, in the 1980s.

Gibbons and Opera Singers Use the Same Voice Tools Similar...

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 22:58:28 -0400

Gibbons and Opera Singers Use the Same Voice Tools

Similar anatomy and vocal techniques produce loud, pure sounds.

It’s an old party trick—sucking helium from balloons so you can sing like a Wizard of Oz munchkin. When gibbons inhale this non-toxic gas, researchers can detect much more sophisticated impersonations. It turns out that gibbon vocalization techniques mirror those of highly trained soprano opera singers.

“We’ve shown how the gibbons’ distinctive song uses the same vocal mechanics as soprano singers, revealing a fundamental similarity with humans,” explains Takeshi Nishimura, an associate professor with the Primate Research Institute at Japan’s Kyoto University.

Scientists had previously believed that human speech was possible, in part, due to suspected evolutionary changes in the larynx, tongue, and vocal tract. But Nishimura’s new findings suggest that humans may not have vocal anatomy and ability as unique as previously thought.

The Better Half

How Owls Spin Their Heads Around Owls don’t need eyes in...

How Owls Spin Their Heads Around

Elephant Speaks Korean Just weeks after it was revealed that a...

Elephant Speaks Korean

Wild Seahorse Filmed for the First Time

Wild Seahorse Filmed for the First Time

Primates' Brains Make Visual Maps Using Triangular Grids

Huge Deposit of Jurassic Turtle Remains Found in...

Huge Deposit of Jurassic Turtle Remains Found in China

White shark diets vary with age and among individuals White...

White shark diets vary with age and among individuals

deconversionmovement: Research suggests that evolution...

Research suggests that evolution sometimes meant becoming simpler, not more complex

New-Species “Heaven” Discovered in Peru

New-Species “Heaven” Discovered in Peru

theanimalblog: Incredible Wildlife Shots by Rob Kroenert (13...

Incredible Wildlife Shots by Rob Kroenert (13 photos) - My Modern Metropolis

Sexual selection in ancient animals

Sea Otters Strike a Blow for the Environment? Urchin-eating ways...

Sea Otters Strike a Blow for the Environment?

Animal Winners and Losers of Summer’s Heat Waves

Animal Winners and Losers of Summer’s Heat Waves

Pygmy Sloth Among 100 Species Most At Risk

Pygmy Sloth Among 100 Species Most At Risk

Best Wildlife Pictures: British Nature Winners 2012

Best Wildlife Pictures: British Nature Winners 2012

tigersandcompany: Clouded leopard (by Theresa Elvin)

animals-animals-animals: Caiman Lizard (by Silvain de Munck)

Albatross’s Effortless Flight Decoded—May Influence Future...

Albatross’s Effortless Flight Decoded—May Influence Future Planes

How Sea Otters Can Reduce CO2 in the Atmosphere: Appetite for...

How Sea Otters Can Reduce CO2 in the Atmosphere: Appetite for Sea Urchins Allows Kelp to Thrive

Virus That Twists Snakes Into Knots Revealed Ebola-like virus...

Virus That Twists Snakes Into Knots Revealed

Gibbons and Opera Singers Use the Same Voice Tools Similar...

Gibbons and Opera Singers Use the Same Voice Tools

How Sea Otters Can Reduce CO₂ in the Atmosphere: Appetite for Sea Urchins Allows Kelp to Thrive