From elephants to star-nose moles to proboscis monkeys to hammerhead sharks, some animals have really odd noses. Let’s talk noses. For humans, noses enable us to smell and breath, as well as providing us a place to perch our sunglasses. Animals rely more on their noses, particularly their sense of smell. It enables them to …
As reptiles, alligators are cold-blooded and need the heat of their surroundings for their body warmth. Fortunately, alligators are found in tropical and subtropical habitats so it is not uncommon for them to experience freezing temperatures. Weather patterns in recent years, however, have gone awry and occasionally, a cold snap hits a normally balmy region. …
The Pickerel frog, Lithobates palustris, is unique among North American frogs. Common in the clear, cool ponds and streams of the northeastern and eastern United States and Canada, as well as the coastal swamps and marshes of the south, the Pickerel Frog is plentiful in the wild. In fact, International Union for Conservation of Nature …
What is the world’s oldest living vertebrate? As it turns out, it just might be a Greenland shark, and it could date back to medieval times. This is what marine biologist Julius Nielsen and his team of researchers have claimed in a new paper published in Science. The group discovered a Greenland shark, 18 feet …
Speed and strength are gifts some creatures possess that help to keep them safe from predators. Not every animal can be the fastest or the fiercest. Several of Earth’s animals have a unique way of defending themselves…they smell really, really bad! These top seven olfactory offenders have adapted to have the ability to release strong, …
Most of us know that dogs evolved from wolves thousands of years ago, but how did they become as domesticated as they are today? Furthermore, is there any science behind their friendliness toward humans? As it turns out, there is data on this very topic. Recently, a group of researchers came together to look at …
Dads in the animal world often get a bad rep, probably because the majority of them are only interested in mating, mating, and more mating. After the deed is done, the dad-to-be moves on to other mates, leaving the mother to raise her offspring as a single mom who must feed them, protect them, and …
They say you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince. Now, you might have to do it to avoid the flu. At least this is what some scientists are hinting with the findings in a new study. According to their research, certain molecules found in frog mucus can potentially combat the …
They may be endangered, but that doesn’t mean they’re impossible to spot in the wild. The North Atlantic right whales are in Cape Cod Bay, feeding on plankton and putting on a show for locals. According to an aerial survey team, there are 112 of them swimming between the Cape Cod Canal and Provincetown, Massachusetts. …
You might say “Eek!” when you think of a mouse potentially residing in your house, but what if you knew that these little creatures were actually domesticated by humans? They might not be your standard household pet, but mice have been groomed over time to live alongside us in our humble abodes. At least this …