The woodcock is surprising in many ways, not least because of its association with woodland habitats, largely nocturnal behaviour and strange display-flight. Related to the snipes, the woodcock has evolved to take advantage of the small invertebrates found under woodland leaf litter and in damp soil. This ground-loving species flies only sparingly, except when on […]
Tag: invertebrates
Do worms feel pain and are ants happy? Why the science on invertebrate feelings is evolving
Does a worm feel pain if it gets trodden on? Does a fly ache when its wings are pulled off? Is an ant happy when it finds a food source? If so, they may be sentient beings, which means they can “feel”, a bit or a lot, like we do. Invertebrate sentience is becoming an […]
Most Conservation Funding Goes to Large, ‘Charismatic’ Vertebrates Instead of Lesser-Known, Threatened Species: Study
Larger, dynamic animal species like rhinoceroses and elephants get a lot of well-deserved attention. But they also get the lion’s share of global conservation funding, leaving threatened species that are not as well-known to fend for themselves. A 25-year study led by researchers at University of Hong Kong (HKU) has found that, of the nearly […]
Cloud Forest Animals Thrive After Invasive Rodent Eradication on Lord Howe Island–A World Heritage Site
In 2022, GNN reported on the return of wildlife seen on Lord Howe Island of Australia following an extermination campaign of rats. Now, an expedition to the island’s high forests has revealed stunning imagery of a one-of-a-kind ecosystem where 85% of plants are found nowhere else on Earth. “Ascending into this rare island cloud forest […]
Polar bears are back in Britain. But should they really be living here?
A small boy calls out the sights as the train speeds through the Suffolk countryside from London Liverpool Street. “Tractor. Church. Pigs. Polar bear! Dad! A polar bear!” The dad doesn’t glance up. “We don’t have polar bears in this country.” But the boy isn’t dreaming. There they are: four polar bears lumbering across a […]
Study Unravels the Mystery of False Memories in Cuttlefish
Memory can be a tricky thing. We often find ourselves confident in a memory that others dispute. This phenomenon isn’t just a human experience; recent research has shown that even cuttlefish can form false memories. A team of scientists from the University of Caen in France has made a groundbreaking discovery, demonstrating that cuttlefish can […]