New research is cutting male mammals down to size. While we may think of hulking elephant seal bulls or huge stags, these males appear to be the exception, rather than the rule. A new analysis of more than 400 species suggests that there are more mammals where the females are actually the same size as, […]
Tag: mammals
Brazil’s mammals help humanity, but those services are at risk, study says
Brazil has an abundance of wildlife, including many mammal species found nowhere else on Earth. Most of Brazil’s 701 native mammal species provide services that benefit people, such as helping forests grow, fertilizing fisheries, curbing sickness, and supporting pollination. However, according to a new study in Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation, more than half of […]
Tiny, Spiny Mammal Finds Interesting Ways to Stay Cool in the Heat
We all have tricks for keeping cool when it gets a bit too toasty out. Maybe it’s a wet cloth on our necks or a kiddie pool with some cold water for our feet. A spiny, egg-laying mammal found in Australia and New Guinea has its own tricks. The echidna, which has a lower body […]
Bats are the death metal singers of the animal world, research shows
It has long been known Ozzy Osbourne has a taste for bats. But now it seems the mammals are also fans of his. Bats greet each other with death metal growls, scientists have discovered, and possess a vocal range which far surpasses that of most humans. While they emit ultrasonic chirps to echolocate flying insects […]
Forbidden fruit trees: Canadian national park urges locals to remove bear-attracting bushes
The waning days of summer and a bounty of ripe fruit have pitted hungry black bears against park rangers in a fight over a Canadian mountain town’s fruit trees. Residents living in the Jasper national park townsite have been warned that fruit trees on their properties are luring in black bears and need to be […]
Scientists Say Global Ant Population is 20 Quadrillion or 2.5 Million Per Person
Scientists have now estimated that the global population of ants around the world is 20 quadrillion or 2.5 million per person. The number was officially published in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences after scientists combed through 489 published studies that surveyed the number of ants in a given environment. “It’s […]
Woman horrifically savaged by bear in her garden while inspecting her hot tub
A woman has been horrifically savaged by a bear as she was investigating why the lid of her hot tub was removed. The unnamed woman from New Castle, Colorado, USA, went out into her garden at 2am to investigate what had happened to her hot tub. While inspecting her tub, she was viciously attacked by […]
This little penguin can waddle easily again thanks to his custom-made boots
Lucas, a San Diego Zoo penguin with a chronic condition called “bumblefoot” that makes walking painful, can now waddle and hop with ease again thanks to a new pair of orthopedic boots. “‘Bumblefoot’ is a word we use for pododermatitis in birds,” meaning inflammation of the skin of the foot, Dr. Beth Bicknese, senior veterinarian […]