Zoology

New, Possibly Arboreal Rice Rat Varieties Uncovered in Ecuador

New, possibly arboreal rice rat species discovered in Ecuador - ScienceDaily - Verve timesVisitar"In total, the expeditions to the Kutukú region in southeastern Ecuador involved 1,200 trap nights, but only one specimen of the new species Mindomys kutuku was found," claims Dr. Claudia Koch, curator of herpetology at the LIB, Gallery Koenig Bonn, describing the effort...

Biologists Discover New Insect Species

Neuroterus valhalla is a newly described species of cynipid gall wasp discovered in the branches of a live oak tree near the Rice University graduate student pub Valhalla. Credit: Miles Zhang/Smithsonian NMNHIts name sounds legendary, but the newly uncovered insect Neuroterus (noo-ROH'- teh-rus) Valhalla does not look or act the part. It is barely...

The Warming Climate is Triggering Animals to ‘Shapeshift’

Climate change is not only a human concern; animals have to adjust to it too. Some "warm-blooded" animals are shapeshifting and getting bigger beaks, legs, and ears to manage their body temperatures better as the planet's temperature increases. Bird scientist Sara Ryding of Deakin University in Australia explains these modifications in a review released...

Tiger Coastline Study Discloses Tiger Sharks Have Social Preferences for One Another

Researchers at the University of Miami Rosenstiel College of Marine and Atmospheric Science (UM) and the Institute of Zoology at the Zoological Society London (ZSL) discovered that tiger sharks, often regarded as lone nomadic species, are social animals, having preferences for each other.A first of its kind, the study additionally evaluated if exposure of...

Monitoring Species Condemned to Extinction May Assist Conservationists Save Others as Global Temperature Levels Increase

Perfect Bush-crow and Swallow habitat in Ethiopia. Credit: Andrew BladonThe White-tailed Swallow, Hirundo megaensis, and Ethiopian Bush-crow, Zavattariornis Stresemann, live in 'climatic lifeboats' with their small ranges restricted on all sides by temperature level as well as rains patterns. Also, under moderate climate warming, simulations predict a severe loss of ideal environment for these...

Evidence That Giraffes Are an Extremely Socially Complex Species – As Socially Sophisticated As Elephants

A mother Rothschild’s giraffe tending to her baby. The photo was taken in Soysambu Conservancy, in the Rift Valley region of Kenya. Giraffes are attentive mothers to their offspring, and all female adults in a group are invested in each others’ offspring. Credit: Zoe MullerBefore, giraffes were thought to have little to no social...