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Falco peregrinus babylonicus. Image credit: John Gould, Birds of Asia, vol. 1, pl. 4.

Scientists Finally Find Elusive Hormone Leptin in Birds

Jun 25, 2014 by News Staff

Researchers have found leptin – a hormone that regulates body fat storage, metabolism and appetite – in the Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus),...

Monarch butterflies cluster in Santa Cruz, California. Image credit: Brocken Inaglory / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Monarch Butterflies Use Light-Dependent Magnetic Compass during Migration

Jun 25, 2014 by News Staff

Eastern North American monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) use a light-dependent, inclination magnetic compass to orient during migration, according...

Paratropis tuxtlensis, adult female protecting her egg sac. Image credit: Valdez-Mondragón A et al.

New Species of Spider with Strange Camouflage Discovered in Mexico

Jun 24, 2014 by News Staff

Entomologists led by Dr Alejandro Valdez-Mondragón have described a new species of spider from a tropical rainforest in Veracruz, Mexico. Paratropis tuxtlensis,...

Sphaeromimus lavasoa (top right), Sphaeromimus andrahomana (bottom right) and color morphs of the previously known species Sphaeromimus musicus (left). Image credit: Wesener T et al.

Seven New Species of Chirping Giant Pill-Millipedes Discovered in Madagascar

Jun 23, 2014 by Enrico de Lazaro

Entomologists from the United States and Germany have described seven new species of giant pill-millipedes belonging to the Malagasy genus Sphaeromimus. Sphaeromimus...

Emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri): adults and chicks. Image credit: Michael Van Woert / NOAA NESDIS / ORA.

New Research Disproves Hypothesis that Emperor Penguins are Strictly Philopatric

Jun 22, 2014 by News Staff

A new study led by Dr Peter Fretwell of British Antarctic Survey is the first to use satellite imagery to suggest that emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri)...

Five tropical tanagers, clockwise from upper left: Golden Tanager, Swallow Tanager, Blue-winged Mountain-Tanager, Red-necked Tanager, Beryl-spangled Tanager. Credit: Peter Wendelken / Frank Shufelt / Keith Bowers / Vivek Tiwari / Priscilla Burcher.

Study into Plumage, Song Evolution in Tanagers Dispels Darwin’s Transfer Hypothesis

Jun 21, 2014 by News Staff

A new study of Thraupidae – the largest songbird family, representing nearly 10 per cent of all songbirds – has dispelled the long-held ‘transfer...

Example from Europe. Gravid adult female Dolomedes plantarius captured stickleback, Pungitius laevis, in turf pond in East Anglia, UK. Image credit: Helen Smith, South Lopham, Norfolk, UK.

Spiders Catch and Eat Fish, Says New Study

Jun 19, 2014 by News Staff

A new research conducted by Prof Martin Nyffeler from the University of Basel and Prof Bradley Pusey from the University of Western Australia provides...

This scanning electron microscope image shows a cast of polyp chambers and connections of Protulophila in a worm tube. Image credit: Paul Taylor / Natural History Museum, London.

Marine Animal Thought to be Extinct for 4 Million Years Found Alive

Jun 17, 2014 by Natali Anderson

Protulophila, a microscopic marine animal thought to have been extinct for 4 million years, has been found living in seas around New Zealand. This scanning...

Supersonus piercei, female. Image credit: Natasha Mhatre.

Newly Discovered Bushcrickets Have Highest-Pitch Love Calls

Jun 16, 2014 by News Staff

A group of entomologists headed by Dr Fernando Montealegre-Z from the University of Lincoln, UK, reported the discovery of a new genus and three species...

Elachuridae: Ornithologists Describe New Family of Passerine Birds

Jun 16, 2014 by Sergio Prostak

A group of ornithologists led by Dr Trevor Price of the University of Chicago has described a new family of birds that is represented by just one species,...

Lycodon zoosvictoriae. Image credit: Neang Thy / Fauna & Flora International.

New Wolf Snake Species Discovered in Cambodia

Jun 12, 2014 by Enrico de Lazaro

Herpetologists from Fauna & Flora International (FFI) and Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig in Germany have described a new species of wolf...

The Wakatobi flowerpecker (Dicaeum kuehni), male. Image credit: Kelly SBA et al.

Wakatobi Flowerpecker: New Species of Bird Discovered in Indonesia

Jun 9, 2014 by News Staff

A group of ornithologists from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, has described a new species of flowerpecker from the Wakatobi Islands of Indonesia, off...

Cissampelos arenicola, herbarium. Image credit: Ortiz RdC / MH Nee.

New Species of Sand-Dwelling Plant Discovered in Bolivia, Paraguay

Jun 6, 2014 by News Staff

Biologists have described a new species of moonseed plant from the dry forests and transient sand dunes of Bolivia and Paraguay. Cissampelos arenicola,...

Thermal image of a koala hugging the cool lower limb of a tree, illustrating a posture typically observed during hot weather. Image credit: Natalie J. Briscoe et al.

Australia’s Koalas Hug Trees to Stay Cool, Study Finds

Jun 5, 2014 by News Staff

Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) cope with extreme heat by resting against cooler tree trunks, according to a new study led by Dr Michael Kearney from...

Alopoglossus viridiceps, male, about 5.8 cm long. Image credit: Omar Torres-Carvajal.

New Species of Shade Lizard Discovered in Ecuador

Jun 2, 2014 by News Staff

Scientists have described a spectacular new species of shade lizard from the cloudforests of northwestern Ecuador. Alopoglossus viridiceps, male, about...

Amblyopsis hoosieri in life, 6.1 cm long. Image credit: M.L. Niemiller.

Hoosier Cavefish: Eyeless Fish Species Discovered in Indiana

May 30, 2014 by News Staff

Ichthyologists from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and the University of Kentucky have announced the discovery of a new eyeless cavefish in...

Parasitic fig wasp Apocrypta westwoodi on a fig. Photo credit: Lakshminath Kundanati.

Parasitic Fig Wasps Use Zinc-Tipped Ovipositor to Drill into Fruits

May 29, 2014 by News Staff

An immensely long (7–8 mm) and slender (15 μm) ovipositor of the parasitic fig wasp Apocrypta westwoodi is equipped with a sharp, zinc-coated tip, ready...

Domestic Cats Eat More in Winter, Study Finds

May 28, 2014 by News Staff

Cats eat more during the winter and owners should give their pet more food during this time, a four-year observational study of 38 adult colony cats has...

The Southern Small White (Pieris mannii) in Madrid, Spain.

Scientists Find Direct Link between Insect Color and Climate

May 28, 2014 by News Staff

According to new research reported in the journal Nature Communications, light-colored insects are out-competing darker-colored ones in the face of climate...