How a Carnivorous Mushroom Poisons Its Prey
Scientists have known for decades that oyster mushrooms feasted on roundworms—and they’ve finally figured out how their toxins work -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.....»»
Research shows that brown treesnakes frequently kill prey too large to swallow
Brown treesnakes are not indigenous to Guam. The species arrived shortly after World War II, perhaps aboard shipping vessels. Since then, they have caused the local or total extinction of most native forest bird species......»»
Komodo dragons have iron-coated teeth to rip apart their prey, researchers find
Scientists have discovered that the serrated edges of Komodo dragons' teeth are tipped with iron. Led by researchers from King's College London, the study gives new insight into how Komodo dragons keep their teeth razor-sharp and may provide clues to.....»»
Low-cost cellphone-based Raman spectrometer system can identify unknown biological molecules within minutes
Imagine knowing what berry or mushroom is safe to eat during a hike or swiftly detecting pathogens in a hospital setting that would traditionally require days to identify......»»
Giant salamander-like creature was a top predator in the ice age before the dinosaurs
Forty million years before the first dinosaurs evolved, a ferocious predator lurked in swampy waters. Its skull alone was over two feet long. It lay in wait, its jaws open wide, preparing to clamp down its interlocking jaws on any prey unwise enough.....»»
Video: This edible mushroom could kill you
Morels are one of the most commonly eaten wild mushrooms. So how did two people die from eating them at a single restaurant in Bozeman, Montana?.....»»
Homo sapiens facilitated establishment of Bonelli"s eagle in the Mediterranean 50,000 years ago, study finds
Spanish and Portuguese scientists have unraveled the ancestral history of one of the most iconic birds of prey in the current Iberian fauna, the Bonelli's eagle (Aquila fasciata). The work, published in the journal People and Nature, integrates evide.....»»
How hunting may have turned humans into long-distance runners
Researchers have discovered hundreds of historical accounts of humans hunting prey by chasing them down over long distances, which some believe is why we evolved our unique talent for endurance running......»»
Sea otter study finds tool use allows access to larger prey, reduces tooth damage
Sea otters are one of the few animals that use tools to access their food, and a new study has found that individual sea otters that use tools—most of whom are female—are able to eat larger prey and reduce tooth damage when their preferred prey b.....»»
Tiger beetles fight off bat attacks with ultrasonic mimicry
Bats, as the main predator of night-flying insects, create a selective pressure that has led many of their prey to evolve an early warning system of sorts: ears uniquely tuned to high-frequency bat echolocation. To date, scientists have found at leas.....»»
Evolutionary biologists show that the color variants of female cuckoos are based on ancient mutations
Every cuckoo is an adopted child—raised by foster parents, into whose nest the cuckoo mother smuggled her egg. The cuckoo mother is aided in this subterfuge by her resemblance to a bird of prey. There are two variants of female cuckoos: a gray morp.....»»
How to spot AI-generated images: 5 tips you should know in 2024
Here are the best 5 tips to spot AI-generated images in 2024. Check these out and prevent yourself from falling prey to fake images. The post How to spot AI-generated images: 5 tips you should know in 2024 appeared first on Phandroid. “W.....»»
Small birds spice up the already diverse diet of spotted hyenas in Namibia
Spotted hyenas are known for hunting (or scavenging) larger mammals such as antelopes and occasionally feed on smaller mammals and reptiles. Being flexible in the choice of prey is a strategy of generalists—and this even extends to small passerine.....»»
Two coral snakes recorded battling for prey in a scientific first
Two red-tailed coral snakes have been observed competing over a caecilian in the first documented wild case of kleptoparasitism within the family Elapidae......»»
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......»»
Deadly morel mushroom outbreak highlights big gaps in fungi knowledge
Prized morels are unpredictably and puzzlingly deadly, outbreak report shows. Enlarge / Mature morel mushrooms in a greenhouse at an agriculture garden in Zhenbeibu Town of Xixia District of Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hu.....»»
Sea anemones study reveals insights into predator-prey dynamics
A new study reveals crucial insights into animal defense mechanisms and tradeoffs. The surprising discovery of a native anemone population lacking the Nv1 neurotoxin led to an investigation into its impact on defending against grass shrimp, a native.....»»
Researchers discover a new species of carnivorous dinosaur in La Rioja, Spain
The first dinosaur to be described in La Rioja, Spain, is a spinosaurid about 7–8 meters long with an estimated body mass of 1.5 metric tons. It is bipedal and had mainly piscivorous habits, although, as a good predator, it would also have been cap.....»»
New method finds higher carnivorous dinosaur biodiversity in Kem Kem beds of Morocco
An international team of paleontologists from The Netherlands, the UK, Argentina, Germany and Belgium applied recently developed methods to measure theropod (carnivorous) dinosaur species diversity. The newly applied method uses both traditional phyl.....»»
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.....»»