Featherwing beetles are smaller than the period at the end of this sentence. They get their name from the feathery fringe on their wings that enables them to catch the air and float like dandelion seeds. And, it turns out, they go way back -- scientists discovered a 99-million-year-old featherwing beetle preserved in amber, and...
Study of sleeping fur seals provides insight into the function of REM sleep
All land mammals and birds have two types of sleep: rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM (also called slow-wave sleep). Earlier evidence had suggested that REM sleep -- associated with dreaming -- is essential for physical and mental well-being and learning, and that a lack of it could even be deadly. But the underlying function...
Australian lizard scares away predators with ultra-violet tongue
When attacked, bluetongue skinks open their mouth suddenly and as wide as possible to reveal their conspicuously coloured tongues. This surprise action serves as their last line of defence to save themselves from becoming prey says Martin Whiting, of Macquarie University in Australia, who conceived the study just published in Springer's journal Behavioral Ecology and...
Dolphins deliberately killed for use as bait in global fisheries
Important new research released ahead of World Oceans Day exposes the widespread practice of killing aquatic mammals such as dolphins, sea lions, seals and otters for use as bait in global fisheries. Published in open-access journal Frontiers in Marine Science, the study shines a new light into what researchers say is an issue that has...
How much is wildlife tourism affecting the animals it targets?
A new study in Conservation Physiology, published by Oxford University Press, reveals that white shark activity increases dramatically when the animals are interacting with cage-diving operators.
In recent decades, wildlife tourism has rapidly expanded and is one of the fastest growing sectors of the tourism industry. Ecotourism opportunities to cage-dive with white sharks, large marine predators,...
Desert bighorn sheep are crossing Interstate 40 in California
Desert bighorn sheep are able to climb steep, rocky terrain with speed and agility. New research shows that they can cross a four-lane highway.
At some point in the last decade, at least one of these rare beasts -- notable for their large curled brown horns -- crossed Interstate 40 in at least one location in...