The cane toad is a large and highly toxic amphibian. It’s considered one of the world’s most destructive invasive species after being introduced to countries across the globe as a biological control against insect ‘pests’ on sugar-cane crops, hence its common name. These introductions were largely unsuccessful, particularly in Australia. Find out everything you need […]
Tag: beetles
“A father’s input often ends at copulation, so males must impress females.” Why males are such show-offs
Male and female animals of the same species usually come in different forms or ‘morphs’. The two sexes have distinctive features that include not only visible differences in features such as colour, size and shape, but also in unseen traits that dictate physiology and behaviour. So why does this sexual dimorphism exist? What’s a sexual […]
Outfoxed: How well do you know your native animals? Australians’ questionable quoll knowledge exposed
Most people identify wombats and kangaroos as Australian animals, but one in six people surveyed in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria think red foxes are native wildlife. The polling commissioned by the Invasive Species Council also revealed that one in three Australians on the east coast did not know that quolls were native. More […]
It looks like a friendly garden bird, sings like one too – but it’s one of the most toxic creatures alive
What do a poison dart frog from South America and a perching bird from New Guinea have in common? Well, both exude neurotoxins that are, gram for gram, some of the most powerful poisons in nature. That Phyllobates poison dart frogs are highly poisonous is well known – it’s in their name, after all, and a single frog can […]
“Its toxins affect the nerves and heart and it has enough poison to kill 10 grown men”
One of Earth’s most toxic animals, poison dart frogs are famed for their colourful, vibrant appearance. Despite their small size, measuring just one inch in length, these tiny amphibians possess enough potent toxins to deter or even kill predators many times their size. Their bright hues serve as a warning signal to potential threats, showcasing […]
Removal of African elephants causes coextinction of dung beetles, study finds
A field experiment in Kenya shows that dung beetles disappear when the African elephants they depend on for their fecal food and shelter also vanish locally. This is the first time that coextinction, the disappearance of one species leading directly to the extinction of another species, has been demonstrated in a large-scale field experiment, according to […]
A New York Cemetery Was Hiding Over 5 Million Burrowing Bees, One of the World’s Largest Concentrations
At roughly 5.5 million, a colony of ground-nesting bees that scientists discovered under a New York cemetery may be one of the largest bee aggregations ever documented. Subsequent research showed that the bees have likely lived there for more than 100 years, thriving in the cemetery’s undisturbed sandy soil—an incredible discovery. Rachel Fordyce used to […]
Forget Harry Potter these creatures have real-life invisibility cloaks… 10 weird, translucent animals you can see right though
There are many varied and clever forms of camouflage in the natural world, from the colour-changing prowess of chameleons and cuttlefish to the mimicry of orchid mantis‘ and leaf-tailed geckos, to the eye-boggling spots and stripes of zebra and tigers. But one of the weirdest has to be the transparent animal. Why are some animals transparent? One of the most out-the-box solutions to […]