Wild Biology News Archives Page 4

Male tuatara are desperate, and may soon be dateless (7/3/2008)

A new study has predicted that temperature increases due to climate change will cause the tuatara, an endangered reptile, to produce only male offspring by 2085, guaranteeing its extinction. ...> Full Article

Species extinction threat underestimated due to math glitch (7/3/2008)

Extinction risks may be underestimated by as much as 100-fold, say researchers ...> Full Article

Penguins setting off sirens over health of world's oceans (7/2/2008)

Like the proverbial canary in the coal mine, penguins are sounding the alarm for potentially catastrophic changes in the world's oceans, and the culprit isn't only climate change ...> Full Article

Book's plea: Save the bonobos (7/2/2008)

Great ape proven to understand language is being slaughtered ...> Full Article

Sea anemone researcher sits on 'supreme court' of species identification (7/1/2008)

Almost 17,000 species of animals and plants new to science were described last year ...> Full Article

Census of Marine Life lists 122,500 known species, over halfway to complete inventory by Oct. 2010 (6/30/2008)

Inaugurated with first 122,500 validated names; over 56,000 aliases for ocean species identified ...> Full Article

What It's Like to Be a Bat (6/29/2008)

Bats' vocal sonar does more than locate objects; it cues memory and assists flight ...> Full Article

Life on the edge: To disperse, or become extinct? (6/28/2008)

Plants existing at the edges of their natural habitats may enhance survival of the species during global warming ...> Full Article

Birds Migrate Earlier, But Some May Be Left Behind As The Climate Warms Rapidly (6/27/2008)

Many birds are arriving earlier each spring as temperatures warm along the East Coast of the United States. However, the farther those birds journey, the less likely they are to keep pace with the rapidly changing climate. ...> Full Article

Where Are You Now, My Love? (6/27/2008)

Discovery related to Japanese beetles' sex pheromones has implications for agricultural pest control ...> Full Article

Aquatic Insect 'Family Trees' Provide Clues About Sensitivity to Pollution (6/26/2008)

Rxamining an insect's "family tree" might help predict a "cousin" insect's level of tolerance to pollutants, and therefore could be a reliable way to understand why certain insect species thrive or suffer under specific ecological conditions. ...> Full Article

Migrating songbirds learn survival tips on the fly (6/26/2008)

Observing local birds' 'mob' behavior helps migrants avoid predators ...> Full Article

When threatened, a few African frogs can morph toes into claws (6/25/2008)

Biologists have determined that some African frogs carry concealed weapons: When threatened, these species puncture their own skin with sharp bones in their toes, using the bones as claws capable of wounding predators. ...> Full Article

From the egg, baby crocodiles call to each other and to mom (6/24/2008)

pre-hatching calls of baby Nile crocodiles actually mean something to their siblings and to their mothers ...> Full Article

Primate's Scent Speaks Volumes (6/24/2008)

Lemur's scented name tag indicates kin relationships ...> Full Article

High hormone levels in seabird chicks prepare them to kill their siblings (6/23/2008)

The Nazca booby, a Galápagos Island seabird, emerges from its shell ready to kill its brother or sister ...> Full Article

When it comes to female red squirrels, it seems any male will do (6/22/2008)

Researchers have found that female red squirrels showed high levels of multimale mating and would even mate with males that had similar genetic relatedness, basically mating with their relatives. ...> Full Article

New study shows shallow water corals evolved from deep sea ancestors (6/22/2008)

New research shows that the second most diverse group of hard corals first evolved in the deep sea, and not in shallow waters. ...> Full Article

Efforts to Relocate Terns Beginning to See Success (6/21/2008)

A major initiative to create alternative nesting sites for the largest colony of Caspian terns in the world - and to help protect juvenile salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River - is finding early success. ...> Full Article

Great apes think ahead (6/21/2008)

Study provides conclusive evidence of advanced planning capacities in non-human species ...> Full Article

Birds communicate reproductive success in song (6/20/2008)

Some migratory songbirds figure out the best place to live by eavesdropping on the singing of others that successfully have had baby birds - a communication and behavioral trait so strong that researchers playing recorded songs induced them to nest in places they otherwise would have avoided. ...> Full Article

Identifying Canadian freshwater fish through DNA barcodes (6/19/2008)

New research by Canadian scientists, brings some good news for those interested in the conservation of a number of highly-endangered species of Canadian fish. ...> Full Article

How female chimps call off the competition (6/18/2008)

New research suggests that females use copulation calls strategically to prevent competition ...> Full Article

New catfish species named for museum mail supervisor (6/16/2008)

Rhinodoras gallagheri, a new species of catfish, is named for museum's retired mailroom supervisor ...> Full Article

When it comes to nitrogen, the 'fix' is in (6/15/2008)

The discovery in the last decade of new suites of microorganisms capable of using various forms of nitrogen is one reason to rethink what we know about the nitrogen cycle. ...> Full Article

Lizards pull a wheelie (6/15/2008)

Why bother running on hind legs when the four you've been given work perfectly well? ...> Full Article

Threatened or invasive? Species' fates identified (6/14/2008)

A new ecological study should help identify species prone to extinction under environmental change, and species that are likely to become a pest. ...> Full Article

Potent, Powerful Venom Cause for Concern (6/14/2008)

Toxicologist Offers Summer Bite & Sting Advice ...> Full Article

Taking the temperature of the no-fly zone (6/13/2008)

Research has implications for understanding disease vectors, mechanisms of pain and inflammation ...> Full Article

Climate change hastens extinction in Madagascar's reptiles and amphibians (6/13/2008)

New research from the American Museum of Natural History shows animals are moving uphill ...> Full Article