Big Snails Mean Bigger Problems for Florida
The boys are back in town. Except, technically, they’re not “boys,” but hermaphroditic land snails. Also, the “town” in question is three separate counties in central and southern Florida. Let’s…
9 Reasons Why Octopuses Are the Smartest, Pettiest Animals
In February 2023, researchers announced that they had managed to record brain activity in freely moving octopuses for the first time. The scientists implanted electrodes and a data logger into…
Scientists Might Have Found the Best Way to Catcall a Cat
Scientists in France might have just found the most effective way to catcall an unfamiliar cat. The team discovered that cats living at a cat cafe responded most quickly to…
See a Newly Discovered ‘Pristine’ Deep-Sea Coral Reef in the Galápagos
There’s a new, ancient coral reef in town, and it’s magnificent. Scientists working to survey the deep ocean surrounding the Galápagos Islands discovered a never-before-observed reef complex, hundreds of meters…
New Zealand Children Will No Longer Compete to Kill Feral Cats
Children of New Zealand, lay down your arms and step away from the feral cats. The opportunity to fire on felines for a cash prize is no more. These Frogs…
Stay Warm Like a Polar Bear With Sunlight-Capturing Fabric
Bundling up in a puffy Canada Goose jacket isn’t just a fashion statement; the coats are filled with goose down that helps trap and retain body heat when temperatures plummet.…
Clever Elephant Starts Peeling Her Bananas After Seeing Humans Do It
Elephant see, elephant do, it seems. In a new paper this week, researchers describe an Asian elephant that has learned how to peel a banana before eating it. The pachyderm,…
Elephants Might Be Self-Domesticated, Scientists Argue
A group of scientists is making a provocative argument about the nature of elephants. They posit that these gentle giants have achieved self-domestication, meaning they’ve self-selected for traits commonly found…
12 Animals That Look Fake but Are Not
Evolution prioritizes adaptations that help organisms survive, but no one said that fitting your ecological niche was going to be particularly pretty. A house sparrow is small and mottled brown…
10 Species Driven Toward Extinction by Cats
Larry, 10 Downing Street’s cat, chasing a pigeon. Photo: Leon Neal (Getty Images) It has been thousands of years since the first cats were domesticated, but we still don’t seem…