Ecology & Zoology

Desert Design: Scorpions Are Master Architects

Scorpions build a platform on which to warm up before the evening hunt.  ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 3 2014 - 8:56am

Groovy Giraffes- How Do Those Spindly Legs Support All That Weight?

Researchers at the Royal Veterinary College have identified a highly specialized ligament structure that is thought to prevent giraffes' legs from collapsing under the immense weight of these animals. "Giraffes are heavy animals (around 1000 kg) ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 6 2014 - 3:26am

Bone House: Species Of Wasps Protects Its Home Using Bodies Of Dead Ants

Want to send a message to possible invaders? Pile dead bodies high and deep. A new species of wasp does just that. This wasp with a unique nest-building strategy was discovered in the forests of southeast China. The "bone-house wasp" shuts off it ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 3 2014 - 11:10am

Understanding African Elephant Body Fat Might Solve Their Fertility Issues

The first molecular characterization of the African elephant's adipose tissue, body fat, will form the basis of future studies aimed at securing the health and future survival of captive elephants. The population of captive elephants, both Asian and ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 5 2014 - 10:30am

Kangaroo Discovery- The First Animal To Use Its Tail As A Leg

A new study has found that kangaroos, commonly viewed as two-legged hoppers, move with a “pentapedal” gait, planting their tails on the ground in combination with their front and hind legs.  What’s remarkable is that the tail is anatomically quite differen ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 3 2014 - 10:31pm

Tropical Fish Are Like Locusts, But For Kelp

The migration of tropical fish poses a serious threat to the areas they invade, because they overgraze on kelp forests and seagrass meadows. The harmful impact of tropical fish is already evident in southern Japanese waters and the eastern Mediterranean, ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 9 2014 - 12:00am

Poop Evidence Shows 53 Percent More Adélie Penguins Than Estimated

If global warming is causing extinction, it isn't happening to Adélie penguins in the Southern Ocean. Adélie penguins have long been considered a key indicator species to monitor in order to understand the effects of climate change and fishing in the ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 9 2014 - 12:41pm

Smell You Later- Scent And Social Signals In Arousal

A new study finds that Silverback gorillas appear to use odor as a form of communication with other gorillas. ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 13 2014 - 2:33pm

Over-Fished Populations Rebuild In Belize No-Take Zones

A new systematic review says that no-take zones in Belize are helping rebuildeconomically valuable species such as lobster, conch, and fish- and perhaps also helping to re-colonize nearby reef areas. The literature in the review was from no-take areas aro ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 12 2014 - 1:30pm

Ecological Niche Visualized: 14 Fish Get A Four-Dimensional Food Diagram

We're all aware of the concept of an ecological food niche and a web that extends from it- but it is pretty simplistic and easily leads to claims that if species X is used too much, we are doomed. Literate people know that 99.999% of species had gone ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 12 2014 - 2:27pm