http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/zoology/ Zoology. Full-text news, articles and photos on animal life sciences. Read the latest research in zoology. Updated daily. en-us Fri, 16 May 2008 17:05:01 EDT Fri, 16 May 2008 17:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/zoology/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080516111849.htm The Etruscan shrew (Suncus etruscus) is one of the world's smallest mammals. It is about four centimetres long and weighs merely two grams. Being a nocturnal animal, it hunts predominantly with its sense of touch. "As quick as a flash, the Etruscan shrew scans its prey and adapts, when necessary, its hunting strategy," explained one of the researchers. "Thus, no prey escapes." Sat, 17 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080516111849.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515145426.htm As Charles Darwin showed nearly 150 years ago, bird beaks are exquisitely adapted to the birds' feeding strategy. A team of mathematicians and engineers has now explained exactly how some shorebirds use their long, thin beaks to defy gravity and transport food into their mouths. Some species rely exclusively on a feeding mechanism that takes advantage of water's surface tension, and so are extremely vulnerable to oil spills. Sat, 17 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515145426.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080516123153.htm Palaeontologists have discovered fossil remains in Scandinavia of parrots dating back 55 million years. The fossils indicate that parrots once flew wild over what is now Norway and Denmark. Parrots today live only in the tropics and southern hemisphere, but this new research suggests that they first evolved in the North, much earlier than had been thought. Sat, 17 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080516123153.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515092624.htm Studies with non-human primates have made major contributions to our understanding of the brain and will continue to be an important, if small, part of neuroscience research, according to a recent review. Sat, 17 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515092624.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515120759.htm Evolution is supposed to inch forward over eons, but sometimes, at least in the case of a little fish called the threespine stickleback, the process can go in relative warp-speed reverse, according to a new study. The adaptation coincides with the '60s cleanup of toxic pollution in Seattle's Lake Washington. Fri, 16 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515120759.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080516125934.htm Using empirical tests, a pioneering study shows how plant species, such as the prickly pear, invade Mediterranean ecosystems, and can either rob the native plants of pollinating insects, or, surprisingly, can attract them, thus benefiting the whole plant community, such as in the case of balsam. The research contradicts the hypothesis of the "floral market" whereby only the invasive flowers are seen to benefit and the native flowers are no longer visited by pollinating insects. Fri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080516125934.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513210450.htm Pointed wings, together with carrying less weight per wing area and avoidance of high winds and atmospheric turbulence, save a bird lots of energy during migration. This is shown for the first time in free-flying wild birds. Researchers state that climate change might have a critical impact on small migrants' energy budgets if it causes higher winds and atmospheric instability as predicted. Thu, 15 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513210450.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080514175045.htm The U.S. government has finally decided to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The listing is based on the fact that loss of sea ice will likely continue to threaten polar bear habitat. Thu, 15 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080514175045.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512113508.htm The most attractive male birds attract more females and as a result are most successful in terms of reproduction. This is the starting point of many studies looking for factors that influence sexual selection in birds. However, is it reasonable to assume that birds see what we see? Researchers now show that our human vision is not an adequate instrument. Thu, 15 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512113508.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515120750.htm Now that high school biology students can recite that genes are made of DNA, which is transcribed into messenger RNA (mRNA), which is then translated into protein, along comes a new class of molecules, sending students -- and many scientists -- scrambling for updated textbooks. Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515120750.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515113308.htm Researchers have sequenced the entire genetic code of 23 strains of Flavivirus, the virus that causes St. Louis encephalitis, to understand its evolutionary history. This study, published in Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, found that a single mutation made the virus pathogenic to humans and that the North and South American strains divided about 116 years ago. Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515113308.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515094614.htm Biologists studying tropical tuna fisheries aimed to establish if the use of drifting fish aggregation devices, a technique employed increasingly for industrial-scale tuna fishery, could act as just such an ecological trap for these species. Examination revealed that the tuna species caught from under the floating objects were less healthy than those taken from free schools. Results suggested that the tuna, in following the artificial rafts, move away from their usual migration routes, which leads them into ecologically less appropriate waters. Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515094614.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512153631.htm Over a decade of work and contributions by more than 200 leading conservation scientists have produced a first-ever comprehensive map and database of the diversity of life in the world's freshwater ecosystems. Freshwater Ecoregions of the World divides the world's freshwater systems into 426 distinct conservation units, many of which are rich in species but under increasing pressure from human population growth, rising water use, and habitat alteration. Wed, 14 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512153631.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513191934.htm In the first experiment to record the electrophysiology of sleep in a wild animal, three-toed sloths carrying miniature electroencephalogram recorders slept 9.63 hours per day -- 6 hours less than captive sloths did. Wed, 14 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513191934.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507084005.htm Some Malagasy mouse lemurs are so similar that picking a mate of the right species, especially at night time in a tropical forest, might seem like a matter of pot luck. However, new research has shown that our desperately cute distant cousins use vocalizations to pick up a partner of the right species. Wed, 14 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507084005.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080514171807.htm You might think that stocking the Great Lakes with things like trout and salmon would be good for the herring gull. The birds often eat from the water, so it would be natural to assume that more fish would mean better dining. But a new report published in the journal Ecology says that restoring fish has not been good for the birds. Wed, 14 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080514171807.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512094446.htm People diet to look more attractive. Fish diet to avoid being beaten up, thrown out of their social group and getting eaten as a result. Researchers have discovered that subordinate gobis deliberately diet to avoid posing a challenge to their larger rivals by consistently remaining 5-10% smaller. Once a subordinate fish grows to within 5-10% of its larger rival, it provokes a fight which usually ends in the smaller goby being expelled from the group. Tue, 13 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512094446.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512145154.htm Buying chicken these days is not like it used to be. With labels like "100 percent natural," "organic," "grain-fed," and "free range," many consumers don't really know what they're buying. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture "100 percent natural" means the poultry doesn't contain artificial ingredients like preservatives. But experts warn--there are no guarantees. Mon, 12 May 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512145154.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508174651.htm Scientists used to think that hermaphrodites, due to their low position in the evolutionary scale, did not have sufficiently developed sensory systems to assess the "quality" of their mates. A new work has shown, however, that earthworms are able to detect the competition by fertilizing the eggs that is going to find its sperm, tripling its volume when there is rivalry. This ability is even more refined as they are able to transfer more sperm to more fertile partners. Mon, 12 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508174651.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080509113330.htm Individual birds can adjust their behavior to take climate change in their stride, according to a study by scientists from the University of Oxford. A study of the great tit population in Wytham Woods, near Oxford, has shown that the birds are now laying their eggs, on average, two weeks earlier than half a century ago. Mon, 12 May 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080509113330.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508170916.htm Investigations continue into the cause of a mysterious illness that has killed thousands of bats since March 2008. At more than 25 caves and mines in the northeastern US, bats exhibiting a condition now referred to as "white-nosed syndrome" have been dying. The US Geological Survey recently issued a Wildlife Health Bulletin, advising wildlife and officials throughout the US to lookout for the condition known as "white-nose syndrome" and to report suspected cases of the disease. Sun, 11 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508170916.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508173558.htm Eco-friendly plant and animal life have been thriving in intensively managed cereal farms alongside increasing crop yields, according to the first study of its kind. The analysis of 230 farms shows that Government and EU policies which subsidize farmers to protect the environment are - at least to some degree - working. Sun, 11 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508173558.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508172939.htm In the Ebro River delta, the fishing of elver (an eel, Anguilla anguilla) leads to the accidental capture of other fish species, with the capture of one ton of elver possibly resulting in the capture of up to 8.2 tons of accompanying species. Researchers who have assessed the effects of this method of fishing and identified the most fragile species, propose improvements in current methodologies. Sun, 11 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508172939.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508132545.htm Since ancient times, locust plagues have been viewed as one of the most spectacular events in nature. In seemingly spontaneous fashion, as many as 10 billion critters can suddenly swarm the air and carpet the ground, blazing destructive paths that bring starvation and economic ruin. What makes them do it? In a word, cannibalism. Fri, 09 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508132545.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507083955.htm Nearly 35% of all amphibians are now threatened of extinction raising them to the position of the most endangered group of animals in the world. Decline of amphibian populations and species is ongoing due to habitat loss, fungal disease, climate shift and agrochemical contaminants. These impacts are even worse to frogs that reproduce in water bodies such as streams and ponds. Scientists now propose a priority set of areas for the conservation of frogs and toads in Latin America. The study is unprecedented in terms of not only the proposition of key-conservation areas, but also because it shows that the inclusion of species biological traits, such as reproductive modes, affects the performance of area-prioritization analyses. Fri, 09 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507083955.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507105625.htm Male seagulls may be more vulnerable to their environment during embryonic development than females. Until now, the sex differences in developmental rate and susceptibility to unfavorable conditions during the embryonic stage in birds have received little attention. Thu, 08 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507105625.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506195605.htm An event as simple as the world's first bite may have sparked an ancient "explosion" of life 500 million years ago that led to the rise of the broad groups of animals that are still alive today. A Harvard professor suggests that it was an increase in interactions between species, such as predation, that drove an escalating evolutionary process that led to the development of teeth and claws and the wide variety of characteristics that we see among Earth's animals today. Thu, 08 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506195605.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506100310.htm An outbreak of the insidious "screw worm" fly in Yemen, is threatening livelihoods, in a country where rearing livestock is a traditional way of life. The menacing fly lays its eggs in a cut or open wound of a warm-blooded animal. The maggots then feast off the living flesh, and can kill the animal if it´s not treated in time. Thu, 08 May 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506100310.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507133330.htm What if hydrology is more important for predicting biodiversity than biology? New research challenges current thinking about biodiversity, and opens up new avenues for predicting how climate change or human activity may affect biodiversity patterns. Thu, 08 May 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507133330.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507131453.htm The duck-billed platypus: part bird, part reptile, part mammal -- and the genome to prove it. Scientists have decoded the genome of the platypus, showing that the animal's peculiar mix of features is reflected in its DNA. An analysis of the genome can help scientists piece together a more complete picture of the evolution of all mammals, including humans. Wed, 07 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507131453.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505211822.htm Highly diverse and so far apparently untouched by emergent diseases, Malagasy frogs nevertheless are threatened by ongoing habitat destruction, making proactive conservation actions especially important for preserving this unique, pre-decline, amphibian fauna. Tue, 06 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505211822.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505221645.htm Paleontologists have long been perplexed by dinosaur fossils with missing pieces -- sets of teeth without a jaw bone, bones that are pitted and grooved, even bones that are half gone. Now a Brigham Young University study identifies a culprit: ancient insects that munched on dinosaur bones. Tue, 06 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505221645.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505211806.htm The quality of pollen a plant produces is closely tied to its sexual habits, ecologists have discovered. As well as helping explain the evolution of such intimate relationships between plants and pollinators, the study also helps explain the recent dramatic decline in certain bumblebee species found in the shrinking areas of species-rich chalk grasslands and hay meadows across Northern Europe. Tue, 06 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505211806.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501125508.htm Scientists have found the first evidence of an animal using ultraviolet B (UVB) rays to communicate with other members of its species. In a series of mate choice experiments with the Chinese jumping spider (Phintella vittata), the researchers found that female spiders would rather mate with males that reflect UVB than those that do not. Tue, 06 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501125508.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505211835.htm The Arctic has become a poster child for the negative effects of climate change, but new research that species living in the tropics likely face the greatest peril in a warmer world. Tue, 06 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505211835.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430075912.htm In humans, the eyes are said to be the 'window to the soul,' conveying much about a person's emotions and intentions. New research demonstrates for the first time that birds also respond to a human's gaze. Mon, 05 May 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430075912.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429204244.htm Researchers studying the echolocation behavior in bats have discovered that the diminutive flying mammals emit exceptionally loud sounds -- louder than any known animal in air. Sat, 03 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429204244.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501143416.htm Young songbirds babble before they can mimic an adult's song, much like their human counterparts. Now, in work that offers insights into how birds -- and perhaps people -- learn new behaviors, scientists have found that immature and adult birdsongs are driven by two separate brain pathways, rather than one pathway that slowly matures. Sat, 03 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501143416.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501180253.htm Fewer caribou calves are being born -- and more of them are dying -- in West Greenland as a result of a warming climate. The researchers believe that caribou may serve as an indicator species for climate changes including global warming. The research shows that the timing of peak food availability no longer corresponds to the timing of caribou births. Fri, 02 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501180253.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501154209.htm Scientists rediscovered the highly distinctive greater dwarf cloud rat, last seen in 1896. Thought to be extinct, Carpomys melanuru has never before been discovered in its natural habitat. It has dense fur, black mask around large eyes, and a broad/blunt snout. It was found in the canopy of a large tree, on a branch covered with moss, orchids, and ferns. This gives hope for the conservation of one of the world's most diverse, threatened mammal fauna. Fri, 02 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501154209.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501125451.htm Male seahorses are nature's real-life Mr. Moms -- they take fathering to a whole new level: pregnancy. Although it is common for male fish to play the dominant parenting role, male pregnancy is a complex process unique to the fish family Syngnathidae, which includes pipefish, seahorses and sea dragons. Fri, 02 May 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501125451.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430134238.htm Scientists from Arizona State University and the University of Oxford, whose work appears in the April 30 advanced online publication of the journal Nature, have synthesized and studied a sophisticated molecule that, under illumination, is sensitive to both the magnitude and the direction of magnetic fields as tiny as the Earth's, which is, on average, one-twenty thousandth as strong as a refrigerator magnet. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430134238.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424210747.htm Divorce is widespread, not only in humans, but also in socially monogamous birds like the blue tit. Behavioural ecologists have found divorce rates of up to 50% in a long-term study of this species. But why do partners split up? To answer this question, it helps to know who suffers and who benefits from the separation. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424210747.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429095049.htm Researchers discovered a legless lizard and a tiny woodpecker along with 12 other suspected new species in Brazil's Cerrado, one of the world's 34 biodiversity conservation hotspots. The Cerrado's wooded grassland once covered an area half the size of Europe, but is now being converted to cropland and ranchland at twice the rate of the neighboring Amazon rainforest, resulting in the loss of native vegetation and unique species. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429095049.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428080356.htm A study into one of the world's rarest seabirds provides knowledge that could help avoid extinction. Molecular analysis of the Critically Endangered Magenta Petrel Pterodroma magentae (also known as the Chatham Island Taiko) discovered that 95% of non-breeding adults were male. This suggests that critically low population levels may be causing male birds difficulty in attracting a mate. Their calls are too spread out to attract the infrequent females which pass by. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428080356.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428124235.htm German scientists are engaging bats to kick-start natural reforestation in the tropics by installing artificial bat roosts in deforested areas. The researchers report that the deployment of artificial bat roosts significantly increases seed dispersal of a wide range of tropical forest plants into their surroundings, providing a simple and cheap method to speed up natural forest regeneration. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428124235.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428125221.htm A new 'artificial airway' being developed in a test tube could make it possible to develop better therapies for asthma and allergy sufferers and could reduce the need for animal testing. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428125221.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080427233813.htm Many animal species detect and avoid predators by smell, but this ability has been largely overlooked in the study of birds, since it was traditionally thought that they did not make use of this sense. However, it has now been discovered that birds are not only capable of discerning their enemies through chemical signals, but that they also alter their behavior depending on the perceived level of risk of predation. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080427233813.htm