A female Tasmanian tiger that died in 1936, not a male named Benjamin, was actually the last surviving member of this extinct species. The female’s remains had been hidden in museum storage. It has long been believed that Benjamin, a male Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus), was the last surviving memberContinue Reading
Not only did ankylosaurs like “Zuul” use their tails as weapons against potential predators, but they also used them to battle their peers. Equipped with massive tails studded with spikes, ankylosaurs were heavily armored herbivores that could do real damage in a fight. Paleontologists once thought that these tank-like dinosaursContinue Reading
Four exceptional fossils represent newly described species. Just beneath the scrubby plains of southern North Dakota at the site of an ancient riverbed, paleontologists are hard at work digging up the end of the world as the dinosaurs knew it. Now, they’ve discovered two newfound species of 66 million-year-old sturgeonContinue Reading
Orcas sometimes pick up a behavior for a while and then quit it just as quickly. Orcas are snapping the rudders off boats off the European coast, and scientists aren’t sure why. According to NPR, the spate of odd encounters has spanned from the coasts of Portugal and Spain upContinue Reading
This bug is a ticking time bomb of killer fungus. On a leaf in the Peruvian Amazon, a fly’s exoskeleton bursts open. Seven fungal stems emerge, flaring outward in a twisted bouquet. The fungus already took control of the fly’s mind and body — now, it’s time to find aContinue Reading
This helps protect the tadpole-like fish from the cold. Scientists drilling deep into an iceberg off Greenland have discovered a fish with glowing green antifreeze coursing through its veins. The juvenile variegated snailfish (Liparis gibbus) contained the “highest expression levels” of antifreeze proteins ever reported, a new study found. SimilarContinue Reading
Time-lapse video reveals the surprising way debris-filled mucus moves out of a sponge’s body The next time you spot a sea sponge, say “gesundheit!” Some sponges regularly “sneeze” to clear debris from their porous bodies. As filter feeders, sponges draw in water through inlet pores — called ostia — andContinue Reading
Parasite transmission was lower when the insects landed on long, narrow flowers Bees that land on short, wide flowers can fly away with an upset stomach. Common eastern bumblebees (Bombus impatiens) are more likely to catch a diarrhea-inducing gut parasite from purple coneflowers, black-eyed Susans and other similarly shaped floraContinue Reading
The book showcases the diverse sensory abilities of other creatures Emerald jewel wasps know what cockroach brains feel like. This comes in handy when a female wasp needs to turn a cockroach into an obedient zombie that will host her larvae and serve as dinner. First, the wasp plunges itsContinue Reading
Older than the dinosaurs and ecologically vital, sharks deserve more than our fear. Long portrayed in pop culture as remorseless people-killers, sharks in reality are no Hollywood monsters. Sharks are a diverse group of mostly predatory fish, including the largest living fish, with skeletons made of cartilage. They have pliedContinue Reading