For most ant species, being born as a worker ant means you’ll spend your whole life on the clock. But for Harpegnathos saltator (also known as Jerdon’s jumping ants or Indian jumping ants), there’s always hope of ascension. If the colony’s queen dies, workers face their peers in a showdown for a shot at the
On the hunt in swamps, river mouths, and brackish coastal water, archerfish pick off insects with pinpoint precision. They don’t need arrows—instead, they shoot jets of water over a meter at their prey. The streams of water knock bugs out of the sky and are incredibly accurate. Despite their popularity—the fish are common in zoos
The Greater Sac-winged bat, known for clinging to the sides of buildings and feasting on insects, couldn’t seem more different from a human. However, it turns out we have more in common with these three-inch-long flying mammals than meets the eye. According to a study published today in Science, Greater Sac-winged pups babble just like human
Bats are masters at detecting sound—and a lot of it has to do with the mechanics and structure of those adorably large ears. A set of unique inner ear features may explain how one group of bats evolved the sophisticated echolocation strategies that have allowed them to thrive on every continent except Antarctica, scientists report
