Like many owls, it was probably a nighttime predator. A tiny, meat-eating dinosaur had superb low-light vision and hearing that was likely as good as an owl’s. And like an owl, the wee dinosaur probably used those exceptional abilities to stalk and catch its desert prey under the cover ofContinue Reading
Can they hear predators or prey? Snakes are unique animals, with their limbless bodies, flicking tongues and the ability to devour prey whole. They mostly rely on their sense of smell to hunt prey, although they do use sight and sound too. But do snakes have ears? Yes and no,Continue Reading
They look like normal earthworms, but can writhe, jump and even shed their tails to escape danger. Some call them crazy worms. Pick one up, and you’ll see why, as the creepy-crawly jerks, writhes and springs out of your hand. (It may even leave its tail behind, as a grimContinue Reading
Mosasaurus and other mosasaurs ruled the seas for millions of years. Mosasaurus was a ferocious predator in the ancient oceans of the Cretaceous period (145.5 million to 65.5 million years ago). While dinosaurs dominated the land, Mosasaurus used its long tail and stumpy, paddle-like limbs to cruise through the water,Continue Reading
The monster-like shark was first discovered in 2013. A 300 million-year-old shark relative, nicknamed the Godzilla shark after its discovery in 2013, has finally received a proper name after being classified as its own species. Paleontologists found the unusually complete and well-preserved 6.7-foot-long (2 meters) fossilized skeleton of the ancientContinue Reading
It’s unknown how the whale actually died. A huge dead whale rotting away on an island Down Under is attracting locals and even thieves, but the rancid smell of its decomposing corpse is keeping many of them at bay. One man who went to see the whale said itsContinue Reading
Simple artificial structures could help reconnect forests fragmented by human activities With acrobatic leaps, Hainan gibbons can cross a great gully carved by a 2014 landslide in the forest on China’s Hainan Island. But when a palm frond caught by the vaulting apes to steady their landing started to sag,Continue Reading
It is not often that a comedian gives an astrophysicist goose bumps when discussing the laws of physics. But comic Chuck Nice managed to do just that in a recent episode of the podcast StarTalk. The show’s host Neil deGrasse Tyson had just explained the simulation argument—the idea that weContinue Reading
Nature documentaries showcase the most exciting moments of daily life in the natural world, and a new series reveals that survival for some of the tiniest creatures can be as harrowing, suspenseful and dramatic as it is for big animals. Apple TV+’s “Tiny World” introduces a fresh look at howContinue Reading
Stan sold for more than five times its low estimate. A 67 million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex specimen nicknamed Stan has just shattered a record; on Tuesday (Oct. 6), Stan was sold at Christie’s New York for nearly $32 million. That makes it the most expensive fossil ever sold at an auction.Continue Reading