Biology News

Rorqual Whales Have Unique Stretchy Nerves

The sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) is the fourth-largest rorqual after the blue whale, the fin whale and the humpback whale. Sei whale mother and calf as seen from the air. Image credit: Christin Khan / NOAA / NEFSC.
May 5, 2015 by News Staff

A group of marine biologists from the University of British Columbia, Stanford University, and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History, has discovered that nerves in the mouth and tongue of rorqual whales can more than double their length with no trouble at all. The sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) is the fourth-largest rorqual after the blue whale, the fin whale and the humpback whale. Sei whale mother and calf as seen...

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African elephants at the Amboseli national park near Mount Kilimanjaro. Image credit: Amoghavarsha / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Extinction of World’s Largest Herbivores May Lead to Empty Landscapes, Say Researchers

May 4, 2015 by News Staff

According to a new study led by Prof William Ripple of Oregon State University, many populations of large plant-eaters such as elephants, bison, rhinoceroses,...

The Sichuan bush warbler (Locustella chengi), Laojun Shan, China. Image credit: Per Alström et al.

Sichuan Bush Warbler: New Bird Species Discovered in China

May 1, 2015 by News Staff

A multinational group of ornithologists, co-led by Dr Per Alström of the Swedish Species Information Centre and Dr Fumin Lei of the Chinese Academy of...

A bombardier beetle (Brachinus sp.) from Greenville County, SC. Image credit: David Hill / CC BY 2.0.

New Study Shows How Bombardier Beetles Produce Defensive Spray

May 1, 2015 by News Staff

Using high-speed synchrotron X-ray imaging, a team of scientists led by Prof Christine Ortiz of Massachusetts Institute of Technology was able to look...

The big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus). Image credit: Angell Williams / CC BY 2.0.

Bats Have Unique Touch Sensors on Their Wings, New Study Finds

Apr 30, 2015 by News Staff

Bat wings are equipped with an unusual repertoire of very sensitive touch sensors, a new study in the journal Cell Reports has found. The big brown bat...

Liolaemus scorialis, male, 7 km NW of the summit of the Antuco Volcano, near the Laja Lagoon, Biobio Region, Chile. Image credit: Troncoso-Palacios J et al.

Two New Species of Iguanid Lizards Discovered in Chile

Apr 29, 2015 by Enrico de Lazaro

A group of researchers led by Dr Jaime Troncoso-Palacios of the Universidad de Chile in Santiago has described two new species of iguanid lizards from...

The buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris). Image credit: Kintaiyo / CC BY 3.0.

Parasite-Infected Bumblebees Use Nectar Nicotine as Self-Medication, Say Scientists

Apr 27, 2015 by News Staff

Bumblebees that have been infected by parasites seek out flowers with nicotine in the nectar, says a group of scientists from Royal Holloway University...

A specimen of the pocket shark (Mollisquama parini) from the Gulf of Mexico, young male. Scale bars - 10 mm. Image credit: Mark A. Grace et al.

Extremely Rare Deep-Water Pocket Shark Caught in Gulf of Mexico

Apr 24, 2015 by News Staff

Marine biologists have discovered what they say is the second specimen ever found of the pocket shark (Mollisquama parini). A specimen of the pocket shark...

The honey bee (Apis sp.). Image credit: Zarapp.

Bees Prefer Nectar, Pollen of Pesticide-Treated Plants

Apr 23, 2015 by News Staff

A new study published in the journal Nature has found that honeybees (Apis mellifera) and buff-tailed bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) could not taste imidacloprid,...

The Diane’s bare-hearted glassfrog (Hyalinobatrachium dianae), adult female. Image credit: Brian Kubicki et al.

Hyalinobatrachium dianae: New Species of Glassfrog Discovered in Costa Rica

Apr 21, 2015 by Natali Anderson

A group of scientists led by Dr Brian Kubicki of Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center has described a new glassfrog species from the Caribbean foothills...

The vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis). Image credit: MBARI.

Vampire Squid Possesses Unique Reproductive Strategy

Apr 21, 2015 by News Staff

According to a new study published in the journal Current Biology, the vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis) has a reproductive strategy unique among...

According to scientists at the University of Manchester, UK, the color of light has a major impact on how mammalian body clock measures the time of day. Image credit: Axel Kristinsson / CC BY 2.0.

Color of Light Influences Circadian Clock in Mammals, Scientists Say

Apr 20, 2015 by News Staff

A new study appearing in the journal PLOS Biology is the first to demonstrate that the color of light influences the circadian clock in any mammalian species. According...

The first photograph ever taken of the Bouvier’s red colobus (Piliocolobus bouvieri): an adult female and infant. Image credit: Lieven Devreese.

Bouvier’s Red Colobus Monkey Rediscovered in Congo, Photographed for First Time

Apr 17, 2015 by News Staff

It’s not often that a mammal thought extinct, appears once again in the wild. But that’s what happened to the Bouvier’s red colobus (Piliocolobus...

An octopus at the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island. Image credit: University of Southern California.

Octopuses Use Unique Strategies to Coordinate Their Arms in Crawling

Apr 17, 2015 by News Staff

Octopuses can crawl in any direction relative to the body orientation, says a team of marine biologists headed by Dr Binyamin Hochner of the Hebrew University...

White-cheeked macaques (Macaca leucogenys), juveniles of different age. Image credit: Cheng Li et al.

Macaca leucogenys: New Species of Macaque Discovered in Tibet

Apr 16, 2015 by News Staff

A group of scientists led by Dr Peng-fei Fan of the Dali University’s Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research in Yunnan has described a new...

The gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus). Image credit: Merrill Gosho / NOAA.

Female Western Gray Whale Sets Record for Longest Mammal Migration

Apr 16, 2015 by News Staff

Varvara, a female western gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus), swam from northeastern Sakhalin Island to Mexico and back again – nearly 22,500 km...

Adult male West African chimpanzee uses tree branch with modified end to stab into a cavity within a hollow tree branch that houses a Senegal bush baby he ultimately captures as his adolescent brother looks on. Image credit: J. D. Pruetz et al / Royal Society Open Science / BBC.

Female West African Chimpanzees Prefer Tool-Assisted Hunting

Apr 15, 2015 by News Staff

According to a team of scientists headed by Dr Jill Pruetz of Iowa State University, female West African chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes ssp. verus) hunt...

The green turtle (Chelonia mydas). Image credit: Brocken Inaglory / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Young Sea Turtles Very Active Swimmers, Marine Biologists Say

Apr 10, 2015 by News Staff

According to a new study published in the journal Current Biology, young sea turtles don’t just passively drift in ocean currents during a period known...

Scientists Decode ‘Language’ of Lar Gibbons

Apr 10, 2015 by News Staff

Researchers led by Dr Esther Clarke of the Durham University and the University of St Andrews, UK, have revealed that lar gibbons (Hylobates lar) produce...

The Alto Tambo woodlizard (Enyalioides altotambo), adult female, 13.2 cm long. Image credit: Luis A. Coloma.

Three New Species of Woodlizards Discovered in Peru, Ecuador

Apr 8, 2015 by Natali Anderson

An international team of researchers has described three new species of the genus Enyalioides from the tropical Andes in Ecuador and northern Peru. The...

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