Despite growing levels of awareness of the importance of biodiversity, aesthetically pleasing species still receive far more conservation funding than others, a new study has shown. Invertebrate species often perform vital functions in ecosystems but receive 500 times less the amount of conservation funding than vertebrates do. The big funding receivers in the EU for […]
Tag: mammals
Study: Same ‘Jumping Genes’ are Active in Octopus and Human Brains
Transposons are DNA sequences that move from one location on the genome to another, shuffling or duplicating. These elements were first identified more than five decades ago by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory geneticist Barbara McClintock. For example, transposons make up approximately 50% of the human genome and up to 90% of the maize genome. In […]
Florida team hauls in 18-foot, 215-pound Burmese python
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 […]
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 […]