English
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Dutch
Esperanto
French
German
Greek
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish
UrduPeople rely on sight to identify weeds but ants grow fungus underground in the dark and must have other ways to sense undesirable garden denizens. A team led by Jonathan Klassen, Ph.D., at the University of Connecticut and Marcy Balunas, Ph.D., at the University of Michigan has found that the ants sniff out diseased fungus by detecting chemicals called peptaibols.
Tag: behavioral ecology
Can some snakes do cartwheels to escape or startle predators?
In research published in Biotropica, investigators report that the Dwarf Reed Snake (Pseudorabdion longiceps) performs cartwheels when threatened. This is the first time such an active rolling motion has been documented in snakes, with images and a detailed description.
“It’s me!” fish recognizes itself in photographs
A research team led by Specially Appointed Professor Masanori Kohda from the Graduate School of Science at the Osaka Metropolitan University has demonstrated that fish think “it’s me” when they see themselves in a picture, for the first time in animals.
Whiskers help nectar-eating “acro bats” hover like hummingbirds
From dragonflies to hummingbirds, hovering flight is among the most complex and captivating forms of animal movement—a physiological feat of size, musculature and wing development.
Reliance on moose as prey led to rare coyote attack on human
Coyotes that fatally attacked a Canadian woman in 2009 were forced to rely on moose instead of smaller mammals for the bulk of their diet, and as a result of adapting to that unusually large food source, perceived a lone hiker as potential prey, a new study finds.
Spider can hide underwater for 30 minutes
A tropical spider species uses a “film” of air to hide underwater from predators for as long as 30 minutes, according to faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York.
Scientists pretend to be Neanderthals to explore how they caught birds in caves for food
Neanderthals, our closest relatives, became extinct between 40,000 to 35,000 years ago.
Good Night? Satellite Data Uncovers Dolphins on the Move at Nighttime
More than 1,000 bottlenose dolphins live in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon year-round. Although extensively studied, what they do at nighttime is still a mystery. Using satellite telemetry, scientists provide the first documentation that these dolphins have a larger range that encompasses more habitats than previously thought. They regularly leave the brackish waters of the estuarine system and, not only travel into the ocean, but swim substantial distances – up to 20 kilometers – up freshwater rivers, creeks, and canals.