A team of biologists recently hauled in the heaviest Burmese python ever captured in Florida, officials said. The female python weighed in at 215 pounds (98 kilograms), was nearly 18 feet long (5 meters) and had 122 developing eggs, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida said in a news release. The team used radio transmitters transplanted […]
Tag: mammals
Seals use their their long, cat-like whiskers to track down their prey in the deep, dark ocean
Seals use their whiskers to track down their prey in the deep, dark ocean, according to a study that observed the sea creatures in their natural habitat. Because light can’t penetrate the darkness of the ocean’s depths, animals have devised a range of adaptations to survive and hunt there. Whales and dolphins, for example, use […]
Numbers and experience count in mongoose warfare
Strength in numbers and experienced individuals are both vital in mongoose warfare, new research shows. Banded mongooses are one of a handful of mammals that engage in lethal intergroup battles, giving insight into the evolution of warfare. The new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences—by the University of Exeter and the […]
562 Florida manatees have died this year already – but a lawsuit offers hope
Following legal pressure from environmental groups, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has agreed to update important habitat safeguards for manatees, as the animals continue to die in record numbers. Last year, more than 1,000 manatees perished in Florida, accounting for more than 10% of the state’s population and making it the bloodiest year […]
One of Australia’s tiniest mammals is heading for extinction, but you can help
They weigh around 15 grams, the same as a 50 cent coin. They devour vast quantities of insects. And they’re in real trouble. Our new research has found the critically endangered southern bent-wing bat is continuing to decline. Its populations are centered on just three “maternity” caves in southeast South Australia and southwest Victoria, where […]
Rejection of Arctic mine expansion bid offers hope for narwhal population
The expansion of an iron ore mine in the Arctic that would have increased shipping and led to the “complete extirpation of narwhal” from the region has been blocked. After four years of consultations and deliberations, the Nunavut Impact Review Board rejected a request from Baffinland Iron Mines Corp asking to significantly increase mining on […]
Rats May Not Be As Dirty As We Thought, According to New Study
Rats often have a bad reputation for being dirty and carrying loads of diseases. However, according to a new study, these preconceptions may be unfair as they were found to carry no more pathogens than other mammals. In a study by Georgetown University, they examined 3,000 mammal species and looked for how many diseases they […]
80 critically endangered spotted tree frogs are jumping back into the wild in New South Wales
80 critically endangered spotted tree frogs are leaping back into the wild in NSW two years after the 2019-20 summer bushfires nearly wiped out the species. “Despite all the challenges this species has suffered, releasing these 80 spotted tree frogs back into the wild is a reminder to have optimism about the conservation work we’re […]