Populations of northern bottlenose whales (Hyperoodon ampullatus), playful animals that resemble large dolphins, stretch across the Atlantic Ocean, with each group of whales living year-round in a particular deep ocean canyon. Historically, commercial whaling targeted these animals, causing their numbers across the basin to collapse. Even as protections against whaling increase, northern bottlenose whale populations […]
Category: Wildlife
Changes to polar bear DNA could help them adapt to global heating, study finds
Changes in polar bear DNA that could help the animals adapt to warmer climates have been detected by researchers, in a study thought to be the first time a statistically significant link has been found between rising temperatures and changing DNA in a wild mammal species. Climate breakdown is threatening the survival of polar bears. […]
Capybara Cafes Are Fueling A Dangerous Trend In The Exotic Pet Trade
According to a recent report from the Guardian, cafes across Asia are turning exotic animals into props for selfie culture, and experts say the trend is pushing the illegal pet trade to new heights. In Bangkok, visitors can now pay to cuddle capybaras, the gentle giants native to South America, even though these rodents belong […]
Ancient Origins Of Kissing Reveal A Surprising Connection To Nature
Kissing may seem like a modern expression of romance, yet emerging research shows it is rooted deep in our shared past with other species. According to Earth.com, scientists from Oxford examined primate behavior, oral microbes, and ancient DNA to understand how this intimate act began. Their findings suggest that early humans and even Neanderthals likely […]
To save jaguars from extinction, scientists in Brazil are trying IVF and cloning
MIRANDA, Brazil — We made three attempts to capture a jaguar after arriving at Fazenda Bodoquena in Miranda, Mato Grosso do Sul state, on a Thursday afternoon in early September. Part of the team went to set up a snare trap near a cow carcass that had been found earlier that day. We were sure […]
A dead whale shows up on your beach. What do you do with the 40-ton carcass?
When a whale dies, its body descends to the bottom of the deep sea in a transformative phenomenon called a whale fall. A whale’s death jump-starts an explosion of life, enough to feed and sustain a deep-ocean ecosystem for decades. There are a lot of ways whales can die. Migrating whales lose their way and, […]
60,000 African penguins starved to death after sardine numbers collapsed – study
More than 60,000 penguins in colonies off the coast of South Africa have starved to death as a result of disappearing sardines, a new paper has found. More than 95% of the African penguins in two of the most important breeding colonies, on Dassen Island and Robben Island, died between 2004 and 2012. The breeding […]
Hybrid ‘Grolar Bears’ Reveal a Changing Climate for Arctic Wildlife
According to New Scientist, the strange family story of grolar bears offers a window into a rapidly changing world. A lone polar bear pushed south by disappearing sea ice found herself in grizzly territory and produced several hybrid cubs. Their tangled lineage surprised biologists because cross species offspring are often infertile, yet these cubs were […]