Alligators on the beach. Killer whales in rivers. Mountain lions miles from the nearest mountain.
In recent years, sightings of large predators in places where conventional wisdom says they "shouldn't be" have increased, in large part because local populations, once hunted to near-extinction, are rebounding -- thanks to conservation.
Many observers have hypothesized that as these populations...
Could seismology equipment help to protect elephants from poachers?
Using tools developed to monitor earthquakes, an interdisciplinary team of researchers reporting in Current Biology on May 7 have found that it's possible to eavesdrop on elephants by listening in to vibrations through the ground as they move about and vocalize. The findings lend support to theories suggesting that elephants could use ground vibrations for...
Carnivores in captivity give birth at the same time of year as those in the wild
Many species have a specific mating season when living in their natural habitat. The young animals are usually born in spring when environmental conditions are optimal for their survival, while births at less favorable times such as the start of winter are thus avoided. Depending on whether seasonal reproduction is a strong characteristic of a...
Russian cuckoo invasion spells trouble for Alaskan birds
Common cuckoos and oriental cuckoos in eastern Russia appear to be expanding their breeding range into western Alaska, where songbirds are naive to the cuckoos' wily ways, researchers report. A new study suggests the North American birds could suffer significant losses if cuckoos become established in Alaska.
Like brown-headed cowbirds, cuckoos are "brood parasites," laying their...
New evidence that bullfrogs are to blame for deadly fungus outbreaks in western US
In the 1890s, settlers crossed the Rocky Mountains seeking new opportunities -- and bearing frogs. A new study coauthored by a San Francisco State University biology professor draws a link between that introduction of American bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) to the western half of the United States with the spread of a fungus deadly to amphibians....
Racing can be fatal to horses
Intense exercise can be fatal to racehorses, according to a new University of Guelph study.
Prof. Peter Physick-Sheard and a team of researchers examined 1,713 cases of racehorse deaths from 2003 to 2015, and found racing was connected to some of the deaths.
"The study reveals parallels between mortality and the intensity of the overall management of...