En garde! Wasps use penis spikes to ward off predators
An accidental sting has helped Japanese scientists prove some male wasps have a rather unusual predator defence weapon: penis spikes......»»
Behavior of ant queens found to be shaped by their social environments
The queens in colonies of social insects, such as ants, bees, and wasps, are considered the veritable embodiment of specialization in the animal kingdom......»»
Male and female crab spiders found to "cooperate" to mimic a flower to fool prey and predators
A pair of environmental scientists at Yunnan University, in China, has found an instance of a pair of spiders, one male, the other female, working together to create the image of a flower, thereby fooling both prey and predators......»»
Research uncovers a rare resin fossil find: A spider that aspires to be an ant
Arachnophobia can make humans flee at the sight of a brown recluse, black widow or even a daddy long legs, but animal predators of spiders know no such fear......»»
In a first, evolutionary biologists have identified a gene that influences visual preferences in tropical butterflies
Tropical Heliconius butterflies are well known for the bright color patterns on their wings. These striking color patterns not only scare off predators—the butterflies are poisonous and are distasteful to birds—but are also important signals duri.....»»
Characterizing salps as predators of marine microbes
A huge fraction of global flows of carbon and other nutrients pass through marine microbes. Little is known about their causes of death, however. This information determines where those nutrients will go......»»
Advancements in greenhouse spike detection with deep learning for enhanced phenotypic trait analysis
Accurate extraction of phenotypic traits from image data is essential for cereal crop research, but spike detection in greenhouses is challenging due to the environmental and physical similarities between spikes and leaves. Recent efforts include inc.....»»
"Atypical" gathering of "rare" deep-sea predators spotted for first time in Panama
Deep underwater, a group of elusive predators gathered off the coast of Panama. The gathering was "atypical" and a first of its kind for the area......»»
Research reveals traits that make fish prey tasty to tuna
A cross-border science collaboration has yielded a global database that will help researchers understand how climate change is affecting ocean predators like the albacore tuna—which also happens to be an important food source for people around the.....»»
New analysis uncovers major issues with earlier suggestions that Spinosaurus pursued prey underwater
For years, controversy has swirled around how a Cretaceous-era, sail-backed dinosaur—the giant Spinosaurus aegyptiacus—hunted its prey. Spinosaurus was among the largest predators ever to prowl the Earth and one of the most adapted to water, but.....»»
Birds, beetles, bugs could help replace pesticides: Study
Natural predators like birds, beetles and bugs might be an effective alternative to pesticides, keeping crop-devouring pests populations down while boosting crop yields, researchers said Wednesday......»»
Study highlights urgency of parasitic wasp release to save native bird
Researchers with the University of Minnesota hope to release highly specialized parasitic wasps to serve as a biological control method to save Darwin's finches from a dire threat: the invasive avian vampire fly, Philornis downsi......»»
Researcher: The true cost of food is far higher than what you spend at the checkout counter
After several years of pandemic-driven price spikes at the grocery store, retail food price inflation is slowing down. That's good news for consumers, especially those in low-income households, who spend a proportionally larger share of their income.....»»
Butterflies mimic each other"s flight behavior to avoid predators, show scientists
Researchers have shown that inedible species of butterfly that mimic each others' color patterns have also evolved similar flight behaviors to warn predators and avoid being eaten......»»
Native animals are easy prey after a fire. Could artificial refuges save them?
Australia is home to some of the most spectacular and enigmatic wildlife on Earth. Much of it, however, is being eaten by two incredibly damaging invasive predators: the feral cat and the red fox......»»
Predatory fish use rapid color changes to coordinate attacks, scientists discover
Striped marlin are some of the fastest animals on the planet and one of the ocean's top predators. When hunting in groups, individual marlin will take turns attacking schools of prey fish one at a time. Now a new study reported in the journal Current.....»»
Big lemming populations are important for far more than just predators
The number of lemmings (Lemmus lemmus) in the mountains can fluctuate sharply from one year to the next. Years when populations explode are called lemming years. These population explosions are important for many other species. More predators and bir.....»»
Killer instinct drove evolution of mammals" predatory ancestors, scientists suggest
The evolutionary success of the first large predators on land was driven by their need to improve as killers, researchers at the University of Bristol and the Open University suggest......»»
Baleen whales evolved a unique larynx to communicate but cannot escape human noise
Baleen whales are the largest animals to have ever roamed our planet and as top predators play a vital role in marine ecosystems. To communicate across vast distances and find each other, baleen whales depend critically on the production of sounds th.....»»
Unlocking the energetic secrets of collective animal movement: How group behavior reduces energy costs in fish
Many animals, including apex predators, move in groups. We know this collective behavior is fundamental to the animal's ability to move in complex environments, but less is known about what drives the behavior because many factors underlie its evolut.....»»
Researchers find having good neighbors and few top predators make predatory fish populations more resilient
A regime shift is gradually spreading through the archipelagos of the Swedish Baltic Sea coast, where shallow bays, previously dominated by pike and perch have one by one become dominated by one of their prey species, the three-spined stickleback......»»