Animals

More Stories in Animals

  1. A close up photo of a newfound millipede on a dark background with part of a silver coin in the top left corner.
    Animals

    The newfound Los Angeles thread millipede is ready for its close-up

    Found in Southern California, Illacme socal is the third of its genus found in North America, with the rest of its relatives scattered around the world.

    By Darren Incorvaia
  2. A gloved hand tickles a rat lying on its back
    Neuroscience

    Playful behavior in rats is controlled by a specific area of their brains

    Cells in a brain region called the periaqueductal gray are activated by chasing and tickling, a study finds. Blocking their activity reduces play in rats.

    By Simon Makin
  3. A photo of several bees sitting on top of a honey comb structure.
    Math

    How geometry solves architectural problems for bees and wasps

    Adding five - and seven - sided cells in pairs during nest building helps the colonyfit together differently sized hexa gonal cells , a new study shows.

    By Darren Incorvaia
  4. A swarm of driver ants on a forest floor
    Animals

    Some African birds follow nomadic ants to their next meal

    Specialized interactions between birds and driver ants in Africa could help explain why the birds are especially sensitive to forest disturbances.

    By Yao-Hua Law
  5. A photo of a bird nest made partly out of antibird spikes high up in a tree.
    Animals

    In a ‘perfect comeback,’ some birds use antibird spikes to build their nests

    The spikes were meant to keep birds away. But five corvid nests in Europe use the bird-deterrents as structural support and to ward off predators.

    By Luis Melecio-Zambrano
  6. A photo of a spectacled bear and cubs in South America
    Animals

    Explore the past, present and future of ‘Eight Bears’

    The book invites readers to meet the eight species of bears left on Earth and looks at how humans are shaping their future, for better or for worse.

    By Jake Buehler
  7. A photo of a brown rat standing on its hind legs on a black background.
    Life

    Rats sense the wind with antennae-like whiskers above their eyes

    Long, thin whiskers above rats’ eyes appear to sense faint air movement, which may be helpful for detecting moving threats in dark, narrow corridors.

    By Jake Buehler
  8. A photo of Ambika Kamath and Melina Packer standing next to each other.
    Animals

    These researchers are reimagining animal behavior through a feminist lens

    Ambika Kamath and Melina Packer are working to overturn biased, outdated views in biology.

    By Darren Incorvaia
  9. A close up photo of a castor bean tick sitting on dry grass.
    Animals

    Static electricity can pull ticks on to their hosts

    Ticks brought near objects with a static charge frequently get pulled to those surfaces, a new study finds, suggesting one way the bugs find hosts.

    By Soumya Sagar