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Limnonectes larvaepartus is unique among frogs in having both internal fertilization and birth of tadpoles. Top: male, left, and female. Bottom: an adult male observed calling while perched on the edge of a small pool 2 m away from a 2 m wide stream; several tadpoles were present in the pool including the two visible within the yellow circle. Image credit: Jimmy McGuire.

Limnonectes larvaepartus: Scientists Discover Tadpole-Bearing Species of Frog in Indonesia

Jan 3, 2015 by News Staff

The newly-discovered species of fanged frog, Limnonectes larvaepartus, from the Indonesian island of Sulawesi is the only frog known that gives direct...

A strolling leopard in the Bandipur National Park and Tiger Reserve seems to have a camera trap strapped to its back. Image credit: WCS India.

Best Camera-Trap Pictures of 2014

Jan 3, 2015 by News Staff

Scientists at the Wildlife Conservation Society have released their favorite camera-trap pictures of 2014. They use camera traps as a non-invasive tool...

These are the 98 new species of Trigonopterus plus T. amphoralis (row 1, 7th from left), a species lost since 1922. Image credit: Alexander Riedel.

98 New Beetle Species Discovered in Indonesia, One Named after Sir David Attenborough

Dec 24, 2014 by News Staff

A group of scientists headed by Dr Alexander Riedel of Natural History Museum Karlsruhe in Germany has described 98 new species of the beetle genus Trigonopterus...

Phryganistria tamdaoensis, male. Image credit: Joachim Bresseel / Jerome Constant.

World’s Second-Longest Insect Discovered in Vietnam

Dec 20, 2014 by Natali Anderson

The fascinating creature, a stick-insect, can reach up to 32 cm in body length and 52 cm with forelimbs stretched out. It has reportedly been found in...

This snailfish (bottom-left of the image) at 8,145 meters is a record for the deepest fish ever filmed; small amphipods are visible in the center. Image credit: University of Aberdeen.

Marine Biologists Capture Footage of World’s Deepest-Dwelling Fish in Mariana Trench

Dec 19, 2014 by News Staff

The world’s deepest fish has been captured on film by scientists from the University of Hawaii, Schmidt Ocean Institute and the University of Aberdeen...

Tornado. Image credit: Macbroadcast / CC BY-SA 2.0.

Songbirds Can Sense Tornado-Producing Storms, Ornithologists Say

Dec 19, 2014 by News Staff

While tracking a population of golden-winged warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera) in Tennessee in April 2014, a team of ornithologists led by Dr Henry Streby...

Newly discovered species of sea lily. Image credit: Charles Messing.

Scientist Discovers New Species of Sea Lily, Auctioning Off Naming Rights on eBay

Dec 18, 2014 by News Staff

Prof Charles Messing from the Nova Southeastern University’s Oceanographic Center is auctioning off the naming rights on eBay to a new species of...

Hycleus marcipoli, male, in dorsal view. Image credit: Pan Z et al.

Newly Discovered Blister Beetle Named after Famed Explorer Marco Polo

Dec 17, 2014 by Enrico de Lazaro

An international group of entomologists led by Dr Marco Bologna from the University Roma Tre, Italy, has described a new species in the beetle genus Hycleus. Hycleus...

Alviniconcha strummeri, a new species of deep-sea snail named after Joe Strummer of The Clash. Image credit: Shannon B. Johnson et al.

Five New Species of Spiky Sea Snails Discovered, One Named after Joe Strummer

Dec 16, 2014 by News Staff

A group of marine biologists headed by Dr Robert Vrijenhoek from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute has described five new species of deep water...

A close-up view of a male Osedax priapus. Scale bar - 0.3 mm. Image credit: Greg Rouse.

Osedax priapus: New Species of Bone-Eating Worm Discovered

Dec 13, 2014 by News Staff

A team of marine biologists led by Dr Robert Vrijenhoek from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute has discovered a new species of bone-devouring...

The Blue dasher, female, photographed in Skaneateles, NY. Image credit: R.A. Nonenmacher / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Entomologists Amazed by How Dragonflies Dance

Dec 11, 2014 by News Staff

Dragonflies move like ballet dancers when they hunt, according to new research by entomologists from the University of Arizona, Howard Hughes Medical Institute,...

The volcano hummingbird (Selasphorus flammula), a tiny bird that is a resident breeder in the highlands from Costa Rica to Panama. Image credit: Dick Daniels, www.carolinabirds.org / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Background Motion Confuses Hummingbirds

Dec 10, 2014 by News Staff

According to a new study carried out by ornithologists at the University of British Columbia, Canada, hummingbirds are surprisingly sensitive to movements...

Electric eel (Electrophorus electricus). Image credit: Kenneth Catania / Vanderbilt University.

Electric Eels Use Taser-like System to Shock, Remotely Control Their Prey

Dec 5, 2014 by News Staff

A new study carried out by Dr Kenneth Catania from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, reveals that an electric fish known the electric eel (Electrophorus...

The Lesser short-nosed fruit bat (Cynopterus brachyotis). Image credit: Anton Croos / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Old World Fruit Bats Use Unique Form of Echolocation, Researchers Find

Dec 4, 2014 by News Staff

An international team of scientists from Israel and Thailand has found that Old World fruit bats, which have always been classified as non-echolocating,...

Arabian Sea Humpback whale photographed in Dhofar, Southern Oman. Image credit: T. Collins / D. MacDonald.

Arabian Sea Humpback Whale Population Genetically Distinct, Isolated for 70,000 Years

Dec 4, 2014 by News Staff

According to a new study published in the journal PLoS ONE, a small, non-migratory population of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the Arabian...

Normal anatomy of the human eye and orbit, anterior view. Image credit: Patrick J. Lynch / CC BY 2.5.

Humans Can See Infrared Light, Scientists Say

Dec 3, 2014 by News Staff

Human eyes can detect light at wavelengths in the visual spectrum; other wavelengths, such as infrared and ultraviolet, are supposed to be invisible, but...

The newly-discovered bird, the Cryptic treehunter, was formerly confused with the Alagoas foliage-gleaner (photographed November, 2007 in Frei Caneca, Brazil). Image credit: © Ciro Albano, NE Brazil Birding / via Papeis Avulsos de Zoologia.

New Bird Species Discovered in Brazil: Cryptic Treehunter

Nov 30, 2014 by Natali Anderson

Brazilian ornithologists Dr Juan Mazar Barnett and Dr Dante Buzzetti of the Center for Ornithological Studies in São Paulo have discovered a new species...

The Sulawesi streaked flycatcher (Muscicapa sodhii). Image credit: © Martin Lindop.

Sulawesi Streaked Flycatcher: New Species of Bird Discovered in Indonesia

Nov 25, 2014 by News Staff

An international group of ornithologists from the United States and Indonesia led by Dr Berton Harris of Princeton University has described a new species...

Black seadevil (probably Melanocetus johnsonii), about 9 cm long. Image credit: © Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.

Marine Biologists Capture Footage of Rare Black Seadevil Anglerfish

Nov 24, 2014 by News Staff

Scientists from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute using their remotely operated vehicle Doc Ricketts have filmed a rare and bizarre-looking...