Cats create “mental maps” using audio cues, scientists have discovered. Your cat is probably keeping track of where you are, even if your feline friend isn’t in the same room with you and can’t see you. Scientists recently learned that domestic cats create “mental maps” that tell them where nearbyContinue Reading
Fish keep their friends close and their enemies closer Fish keep their friends close and their enemies closer … but only because they need to exfoliate. Researchers recently discovered that different species of fish use sharks as scrub brushes by pushing up against the sea predator’s scaly bodies to getContinue Reading
They might look cute, but the toxins from a poison dart frog can be strong enough to kill several humans. Poison dart frogs are small, brightly colored amphibians that live on tropical rainforest floors across Central and South America. They are members of the family Dendrobatidae, and there are moreContinue Reading
The tropical fungus made it to sea for two big reasons. Scientists have finally found the cause of a mysterious brain-invading tropical fungus outbreak that killed more than 40 dolphins and porpoises in the Pacific Northwest: humans. Between 1997 and 2016, scientists found 42 dead dolphins in the Salish SeaContinue Reading
Scientists criticize the plan for leaving too many remaining horses. Wildlife officials plan to kill or rehome more than 10,000 wild horses in Australia as part of a new plan to limit the species’ numbers. But scientists have criticized the proposal for not going far enough. There are more thanContinue Reading
Great white sharks’ vision may lead to mistaken identity. Great white sharks can’t see the difference between their typical prey and humans swimming or paddling on surfboards, suggesting some shark attacks are cases of mistaken identity, according to a new study. Researchers filmed seals and humans in water and editedContinue Reading
Great white sharks’ vision may lead to mistaken identity. Great white sharks can’t see the difference between their typical prey and humans swimming or paddling on surfboards, suggesting some shark attacks are cases of mistaken identity, according to a new study. Researchers filmed seals and humans in water and editedContinue Reading
The team wasn’t expecting to see a shipwreck … or a squid. Scientists mapping the seafloor in the Gulf of Aqaba, the “right antenna” part of the northern Red Sea, recently made two remarkable sightings almost simultaneously: a sunken shipwreck and a mysterious big squid zipping around it, according toContinue Reading
The sea scorpion was the apex predator of its time. A 3.3 foot-long (1 meter) sea scorpion prowled the seas of what is now China some 435 million years ago, using its giant, spiny arms to ensnare prey. Palaeontologists recently discovered the remains of this scorpion (Terropterus xiushanensis), which wasContinue Reading
My, what big feet you have. A dinosaur that lived in Australia 220 million years ago left behind footprints that hinted that it was a fierce predator. But a new analysis of the tracks suggests that the animal wasn’t a hefty meat eater, as scientists thought when they first analyzedContinue Reading