WEIRD ANIMALS
Whiteflies have a gene only found in plants that appears to allow the tiny insects to withstand plants’ chemical defenses A tiny, aphid-like whitefly sitting on a leaf. (Jixing Xia and Zhaojiang Guo) – By Alex Fox SmithsonianMag.Com 2021 Mar 30 – A …
The unusually acrobatic sauteur d’Alfort rabbits were first discovered in France in 1935. By the time sauteur d’Alfort rabbits are a few months old, they learn how to walk on their front paws to accommodate their uncoordinated back legs. (Carneiro M et al., …
An artist’s impression of Dromornis stirtoni, an extinct creature that was one of the largest birds to ever walk the Earth. Peter Trusler View 5 Images – By Michael Irving 2021 Mar 23 – Australian scientists have studied the biggest bird-brains in history for …
An insect-friendly wildflower swath at California State University, Fullerton’s arboretum. TDLucas5000/Flickr, CC BY – By Brian Lovett, Postdoctoral Researcher in Mycology, West Virginia University 2021 Mar 22 – As winter phases into spring across the U.S., gardeners are laying in supplies and making …
Periodical cicada in Washington, D.C., 2017 May. Katha Schulz/Flickr, CC BY – By John Cooley, Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut and Chris Simon, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut 2021 Mar 12 – A big …
Researchers have measured the smallest gravitational pull yet – equivalent to about the mass of a ladybug. yellow2j/Depositphotos View 4 Images – By Michael Irving 2021 Mar 11 – Of the four fundamental forces, gravity is the one we’re most familiar with in our …
The head and body of a sacoglossan sea slug, one day after they separated. We hear it was an amicable split. Sayaka Mitoh View 2 Images – By Michael Irving 2021 Mar 08 – To the envy of us humans, limb regeneration is common …
Cow cuddling is getting ever more popular, but what’s the science behind using animals for relaxation? Credit: cottonbro from Pexels – By Scotty Hendricks 2021 Feb 27 – An Indian non-profit hopes to help people relax by giving them cuddle sessions with cows. …
A clownfish checks out the programming on the UV-TV. University of Queensland – By Ben Coxworth 2021 Feb 19 – Unlike us, many animals can see ultraviolet light. If you’re using a video screen to study their visual perception, therefore, that screen really ought …
PETA alleged last year that its investigators found young monkeys were chained and trained to pick coconuts at multiple farms in Thailand. Following appeals from PETA and two PETA Asia undercover investigations into the use of captive monkeys, who are kept chained and …
