How the age of mammals could end
Throughout the past 500 million years, our planet has experienced a total of five mass extinctions. One of these—the Permo-Triassic mass extinction event—led to the demise of roughly 90% of Earth's species......»»
Surprising behavior in one of the least studied mammals in the world
Some animals live in such remote and inaccessible regions of the globe that it is nearly impossible to study them in their natural habitats. Beaked whales, of which 24 species have been found so far, are among them: They live far from land and in dee.....»»
Poland"s "Bat-mum" saving bats from climate change
A Polish pensioner has been dubbed "Bat-mum" for taking care of ailing bats from her ninth-floor flat as the nocturnal mammals increasingly struggle with the effects of climate change......»»
Fooled: Herbivorous animals "led by the nose" to leave plants alone
University of Sydney researchers have shown it is possible to shield plants from the hungry maws of herbivorous mammals by fooling them with the smell of a variety they typically avoid......»»
Experiment shows how predator mass mortality events affect food webs
Over the last century, die-offs of animal populations, known as mass mortality events (MMEs), have increased in frequency and magnitude. The scale of these events can be staggering: billions of dead fish, hundreds of thousands of dead mammals and bir.....»»
We are losing tetrapod species at a faster rate than we are rediscovering them, researchers say
Lost species are those that have not been observed in the wild for over 10 years, despite searches to find them. Lost tetrapod species (four-limbed vertebrate animals including amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles) are a global phenomenon—there.....»»
Study shows otters, beavers and other semiaquatic mammals keep clean underwater, thanks to their flexible fur
Underwater surfaces can get grimy as they accumulate dirt, algae and bacteria, a process scientists call "fouling." But furry mammals like beavers and otters that spend most of their lives wet manage to avoid getting their fur slimy. These anti-fouli.....»»
New research sheds light on an old fossil, solving an evolutionary mystery
A new research paper published in Biology Letters has revealed that picrodontids—an extinct family of placental mammals that lived several million years after the extinction of the dinosaurs—are not primates as previously believed......»»
High levels of mercury traced to particular cell types in brains of mammals
Exposure to mercury (Hg) is extremely neurotoxic in most chemical forms. Even scientists who study mercury compounds are at risk due to potential exposure to Hg. Renowned physicist Michael Faraday suffered from Hg poisoning due to prolonged exposure.....»»
California singing fish"s midbrain may serve as a model for how mammals control vocal expressions
For talkative midshipman fish—sometimes called the "California singing fish"—the midbrain plays a robust role in initiating and patterning trains of sounds used in vocal communication......»»
California seal pups were turning up headless. Experts finally confirmed the culprit
Finding dead seals along California's coast is not novel in and of itself. The marine mammals get sick, are stillborn or even wash ashore after being fatally struck by a boat......»»
Several groups of birds and mammals avoid wind turbines, finds review
While wind power is an important part of the green transition, its downsides include the disturbances caused by wind turbines in animal habitats. According to the international review of the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), many bird and m.....»»
People, not the climate, found to have caused the decline of the giant mammals
For years, scientists have debated whether humans or the climate have caused the population of large mammals to decline dramatically over the past several thousand years. A new study from Aarhus University confirms that climate cannot be the explanat.....»»
Beluga whales" calls may get drowned out by shipping noise in Alaska"s Cook Inlet
Beluga whales are highly social and vocal marine mammals. They use acoustics to navigate, find prey, avoid predators and maintain group cohesion. For Alaska's critically endangered Cook Inlet beluga population, these crucial communications may compet.....»»
In hotter regions, mammals shown to seek forests and avoid human habitats
The cool of the forest is a welcome escape on a hot day. This is especially true for mammals in North America's hottest regions, according to a study from the University of California, Davis. The study indicates that, as the climate warms, preserving.....»»
MicroRNA holds clues to why some mammals are cancer-prone
Researchers at the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) have identified an important pathway that reveals why some mammals, like humans, dogs, and cats, regularly develop mammary cancer while others, such as horses, pigs, and cows, rarely do......»»
Toxic chemicals in UK whales and dolphins are exceeding safe limits
Almost half of marine mammals around the UK are being poisoned by banned chemicals......»»
Scientists navigate uncharted waters in fish immunology research
Upon infection or immunization, all jawed vertebrate species generate proteins called antibodies that bind and neutralize pathogens. Strong and long-lasting antibody responses in warm-blooded species such as mammals are produced in secondary lymphoid.....»»
Skunks" warning stripes less prominent where predators are sparse, study finds
Striped skunks are less likely to evolve with their famous and white markings where the threat of predation from mammals is low, scientists from the University of Bristol, Montana and Long Beach, California have discovered......»»
These bats use their penis as an "arm" during sex but not for penetration
Mammals usually mate via penetrative sex, but researchers report Nov. 20 in the journal Current Biology that a species of bat, the serotine bat, (Eptesicus serotinus) mates without penetration. This is the first time non-penetrative sex has been docu.....»»
New study shows in real-time what helps mammals survive a natural disaster
When Cyclone Idai swept through Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park in May 2019, one of nature's deadliest forces encountered one of the most technologically sophisticated wildlife parks on the planet. Princeton researchers and colleagues from aroun.....»»