For some octopuses, motherhood almost certainly means a tragic death. After laying its eggs, a female octopus undergoes a dramatic mental shift—from living a normal den life and gently caring for its embryos to no longer eating, dropping muscle tone, and changing color. Worse, it might engage in acts of self harm, like scarring itself
A woolly mammoth that perished above the Arctic Circle spent his life as a vagabond, scientists reported this week in the journal Science. The researchers examined chemicals deposited over time in one of the mammoth’s well-preserved tusks in order to map his movements and geographic range. They discovered that the intrepid animal roamed over most
Kak vam takaya krasavica? Ta #himera, kotoraya segodnya popalasy v #tral. #foto_s_borta_sudna #promisel #Barencevo_more #riba #ulov #zubi pic.twitter.com/gl4WWlCboc— Roman Fedorcov (@rfedortsov) December 11, 2016 You can count on the deep ocean to spawn surreal creatures that, depending on your point of view, look very beautiful or very unnerving. A deep-sea fisherman in Murmansk, Russia, has
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v241TF-cSzU To escape a vicious attack from a predatory bird, this crab snips off its injured claw to make a quick getaway. Only a few humans have ever opted for self-amputation in order to escape from danger, but some animals do it all the time. You probably already know that lizards can shed their tails.
This is the face of an animal who knows she’s polluting the world’s air with her fart (or is she?). Flickr user Chris Marchant Everyone poops, but not everyone farts. Or at least, not everything farts. You probably didn’t know that soft-shell clams do not fart (though they do puke), but that hedgehogs do. Thanks
This is Pepin, a dog on a mission in the Serengeti. Pete Coppolillo It’s hard to pay other species for their labor, though they work endlessly to support human existence. None of the MGM lions ever garnered royalties for their famous roars. Honey bees contribute more than $15 billion to the U.S. economy by pollinating
This polymer sheet mimics the intricate structure found in conch shells. Courtesy of Markus Buehler / MIT The animal kingdom is full of formidable armors. Some creatures don rigid shells or bony plates. Others favor a more flexible coating of scales. All of these shields are specialized to help their wearer withstand whatever nature throws
Fisherman off the coast of Norway are presumably accustomed to the strange sights of the subarctic ocean in which they make their living. In Norse mythology, the Kraken lurks just under the surface, waiting to make a meal of unsuspecting seafarers. Mermaids are idolized in art throughout Scandinavia; three bronze fish-ladies are permanently seated at
Ticks are the leading cause for the majority of vector-borne diseases in North America. Yet, the molecular tools to study and genetically modify these arthropods lag behind other insect vectors, such as mosquitoes. New research published in the journal iScience is the first to tinker with the DNA of black-legged ticks, better known as deer
Is there anything dreamier than a giant phantom jelly billowing in the midst of a deep-sea “snowstorm” ? Depends on personal preference. Maybe you’d be more inspired by a whalefish flickering in the calm waters like an infrared sensor. Or a barreleye fish snaking through the inky depths. These are among the dozens of rare
