Animals

Mar 06, 2019 12:52 PM EST

Disrupting wolf movement may be more effective at protecting caribou

New research suggests disrupting the ability of wolves to travel on the linear developments can reduce the ability of wolves to access caribou habitat, without building fences or culling wolves

Jackals Feeding on Waterfowl in Namibia (IMAGE)

Mar 06, 2019 08:33 AM EST

Diet may be an important factor for Influenza A virus exposure in wild African mammals

Given the importance and wide distribution of Influenza A viruses, it is surprising how little is known about infections of wild mammals. A new study led by Alex D. Greenwood and Gábor Á. Czirják of the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) in Berlin sheds light on which species are commonly infected and why.

Mar 04, 2019 09:25 AM EST

Asian elephants may lose up to 42 percent of suitable habitats in India and Nepal

Protecting and expanding suitable habitats for wildlife is key to the conservation of endangered species, but owing to climate and land use change the ideal habitats of today may not be fitting in 30 or 50 years.

Mar 02, 2019 08:20 AM EST

Koala-spotting drones proves a flying success

QUT researchers have developed an innovative method for detecting koala populations using drones and infrared imaging that is more reliable and less invasive than traditional animal population monitoring techniques.

Mar 02, 2019 07:42 AM EST

Balloons the No. 1 marine debris risk of mortality for seabirds

The data showed that a seabird ingesting a single piece of plastic had a 20 percent chance of mortality, rising to 50 percent for nine items and 100 percent for 93 items.

Feb 27, 2019 08:12 AM EST

Batmobile with cruise control

Bats migrate at the most energy-efficient flying speed for maximum range

A concept rendering of a Chinle frog, inside the jaw of a phitosaur.

Feb 27, 2019 08:05 AM EST

Oldest frog relative found in North America

A team of paleontologists led by Virginia Tech's Michelle Stocker and Sterling Nesbitt of the Department of Geosciences has identified fossil fragments of what are thought to be the oldest known frogs in North America.

Feb 26, 2019 07:24 AM EST

Maasai farmers only kill lions when they attack livestock

Maasai farmers do not kill lions for retribution whenever they lose sheep or cattle, new research shows.

Feb 25, 2019 08:29 AM EST

Early life stress alters helping behavior of meerkat offspring

Parents make sacrifices to allow their children to have better lives than they did, but this isn't the case for Kalahari meerkat mothers, according to a new University of Michigan study.

A Mother Is Simultaneously Suckling Two Infants in the Same Social Unit (IMAGE)

Feb 25, 2019 07:53 AM EST

Scientists find routine allomaternal nursing in an Old World monkey

A team of scientists led by Prof. LI Ming of the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, found widespread allomaternal nursing behavior in nursing others' offspring in an Old World monkey, the golden snub-nosed monkey.

Feb 23, 2019 07:55 AM EST

Antarctic flies protect fragile eggs with 'antifreeze'

The temperature-resistant gel helps the eggs of wingless flies survive the extreme conditions of the southern continent.

Origins of Extinct Giant Bird Uncovered (IMAGE)

Feb 22, 2019 10:48 AM EST

Origins of giant extinct New Zealand bird traced to Africa

Scientists have revealed the African origins of New Zealand's most mysterious giant flightless bird - the now extinct adzebill - showing that some of its closest living relatives are the pint-sized flufftails from Madagascar and Africa.

Feb 22, 2019 08:09 AM EST

Research reveals why the zebra got its stripes

Why do zebras have stripes? A study published in PLOS ONE today takes us another step closer to answering this puzzling question and to understanding how stripes actually work.

Feb 21, 2019 10:18 AM EST

Radio-tracking dolphins reveals intimate details about their behavior

Using telemetry units in hospitals to monitor patient health is standard practice. Now, a similar approach is proving to be invaluable for dolphins, too. Researchers from Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute and collaborators have conducted the most extensive radio-tracking effort of bottlenose dolphins in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) using radio-telemetry.

Feb 21, 2019 08:34 AM EST

Scientists solve mystery of a fish called Mary's 'virgin' birth

A female stickleback fish, nick-named 'Mary', has produced offspring from eggs that appear to have been fertilized while they were still inside her, according to scientists at the University of Nottingham.