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 Wed, 25 Nov 2009 04:05:01 EST Wed, 25 Nov 2009 04:05:01 EST 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/2009/11/091122161748.htm A butterfly's proboscis looks like a straw -- long, slender and used for sipping -- but it works more like a paper towel, according to researchers. They hope to borrow the tricks of this piece of insect anatomy to make small probes that can sample the fluid inside of cells. Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091122161748.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091124204329.htm A journey that started with a box of bird feet carried three graduate students into the gruesome world of raptors. Normally focused on dinosaurs, the students compared the claws and killing methods of four types of raptors and published a new paper on their research. The birds of prey that were studied live in North America and Europe and include eagles and hawks, owls, osprey and falcons. Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091124204329.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118120307.htm Not just birds, but also a few species of bats face a long journey every year. Researchers have studied the migratory behavior of the largest extant family of bats, the so-called "Vespertilionidae" with the help of mathematical models. They discovered that the migration over short as well as long distances of various kinds of bats evolved independently within the family. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118120307.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091124121429.htm The last remaining population of Siberian tigers has likely declined significantly due to the rising tide of poaching and habitat loss, according to a new report Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091124121429.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091124113608.htm Rocket science is opening new doors to understanding how sounds associated with Navy sonar might affect the hearing of a marine mammal -- or if they hear it at all. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091124113608.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123114640.htm Amphibians like frogs and toads have existed for 360 million years and survived when the dinosaurs didn't, but a new aquatic fungus is threatening to make many of them extinct, according to a new article. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123114640.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123114650.htm A novel approach to classify the gender of six-week-old turkey poults could save millions of male chicks from being killed shortly after birth, according to researchers. Their use of infrared spectroscopy to determine the gender of young birds shows that it is a fast and accurate method. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123114650.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123114648.htm A new species of chameleon has been discovered in a threatened forest in Tanzania. Researchers first spotted the animal while surveying monkeys in the Magombera Forest when they disturbed a twig snake eating one. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123114648.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120094745.htm Surplus biomass from the production of flax sheaves, and generated from Brassica carinata, a yellow-flowered plant related to those which engulf fields in spring, can be used to produce bioethanol. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120094745.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123114646.htm With Bt crop acreage increasing worldwide, incorporating enhanced understanding of observed patterns of field-evolved resistance into future resistance management strategies can help to minimize the drawbacks and maximize the benefits of current and future generations of transgenic crops. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123114646.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091124152803.htm Popular thinking about how to improve food systems often misses the point, according to the results of a three-year global study of salmon production systems. Rather than pushing for organic or land-based production, or worrying about simple metrics such as "food miles," the study finds that the world can achieve greater environmental benefits by focusing on improvements production and distribution. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091124152803.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091122161736.htm Understanding mixing in the ocean is of fundamental importance to modeling climate change or predicting the effects of an El Niño on our weather. Modern ocean models primarily incorporate the effects of winds and tides. However, they do not generally take into account the mixing generated by swimming animals. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091122161736.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091122161740.htm Scientists have inventoried an astonishing abundance, diversity and distribution of deep sea species that have never known sunlight -- creatures that somehow manage a living in a frigid black world down to 5000 meters (three miles) below the ocean waves. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091122161740.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117161127.htm A new study finds that a species of sea star stays cool using a strategy never before seen in the animal kingdom. The sea stars soak up cold sea water into their bodies during high tide as buffer against potentially damaging temperatures brought about by direct sunlight at low tide. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117161127.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091124093548.htm Recent theories suggesting that half of fishes' food comes from from land-based ecosystems may not hold water. Experiments show that algae, not land-based matter, is needed to build healthy and fertile aquatic organisms. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091124093548.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119085216.htm Bird flu viruses would have to make at least two simultaneous genetic mutations before they could be transmitted readily from human to human, according to new research. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119085216.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117161004.htm Baked or boiled fish is associated with more benefit from heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids than fried, salted or dried fish. Caucasian, Japanese-American and Latino men may be more likely to get the health benefits of fish than African-American or Hawaiian men, perhaps because of how their fish is prepared or genetic predisposition. Omega-3s from plant sources such as soy may do more to improve women's heart health than fish sources. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117161004.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119135642.htm Most countries throughout the world participate in the $40-million-per-year culinary trade of frog legs in some way, with 75 percent of frog legs consumed in France, Belgium and the United States. Scientists have found that this trade is a potential carrier of pathogens deadly to amphibians. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119135642.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119101048.htm Rodent, reptile and ant lion species behave differently on either side of the Israel-Jordan border. Researchers found that Israeli gerbils are more cautious than their Jordanian friends, and the funnel-digging ant lion population in Israel is unmistakably larger than in Jordan. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119101048.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119212100.htm A new study suggests that naturally occurring bacteria on the skin of salamanders could help protect other amphibians, including some species of endangered frogs, from a lethal skin disease. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119212100.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117191048.htm A species of common skate is to become the first marine fish species to be driven to extinction by commercial fishing, due to an error of species classification 80 years ago. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117191048.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091113124302.htm Hemlock woolly adelgids (HWA) -- aphidlike insects that have destroyed stands of hemlocks throughout the East Coast -- were first identified in hemlocks in the central Finger Lakes in summer 2008. To battle the hemlock-killing insects, a team of entomologists has released one of the adelgids' natural predators as a case study. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091113124302.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112141319.htm Scientists have established a successful captive breeding program for dwarf cuttlefish, Sepia bandensis. The program is the first of its kind in a US aquarium, and offers the academy and other institutions the opportunity to study a species that is both captivating and little known. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112141319.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118092633.htm The evolutionary history of New Zealand's many extinct flightless moa has been re-written in the first comprehensive study of more than 260 sub-fossil specimens to combine all known genetic, anatomical, geological and ecological information about the unique bird lineage. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118092633.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116165633.htm Scientists have shown how plants can protect themselves against genetic damage caused by environmental stresses. The growing tips of plant roots and shoots have an in-built mechanism that, if it detects damage to the DNA, causes the cell to "commit suicide" rather than pass on its defective DNA. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116165633.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116131824.htm Adults who use pet therapy while recovering from total joint-replacement surgery require 50 percent less pain medication than those who do not, according to new research. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116131824.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116103443.htm The Sterile Insect Technique, the release of sexually sterile male insects to wipe out a pest population, is one suggested solution to the problem of malaria in Africa. A new article reviews the history of the technique, and features details about aspects of its application in the elimination of malaria. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116103443.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116131822.htm A group of researchers has found that any future increases in precipitation would be unlikely to compensate for the declines in forage quality that accompany projected temperature increases. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116131822.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111121543.htm The color vision of birds stops working considerably earlier in the course of the day than was previously believed, in fact, in the twilight. Birds need between 5 and 20 times as much light as humans to see colors. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111121543.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116131831.htm Recording hundreds of thousands of individual uplinks from satellite transmitters fitted on penguins, albatrosses, sea lions, and other marine animals, the Wildlife Conservation Society and BirdLife International have released the first-ever atlas of the Patagonian Sea -- a globally important but poorly understood South American marine ecosystem. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116131831.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116103449.htm Reconstructing ancient fossils from hundreds of thousands of jumbled up pieces can prove challenging. A new study tested the reliability of expert identification versus computer analysis in reconstructing fossils. The investigation, based on fossil teeth from extinct vertebrates, found that the most specialized experts provided the most reliable identifications. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116103449.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110135411.htm Penguins that died 44,000 years ago in Antarctica have provided extraordinary frozen DNA samples that challenge the accuracy of traditional genetic aging measurements, and suggest those approaches have been routinely underestimating the age of many specimens by 200 to 600 percent. Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110135411.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111123606.htm The most extensive DNA study to-date of Africa's rarest monkey reveals that the species had an intriguing sexual past. Of the last two remaining populations of the recently discovered kipunji, one population shows evidence of past mating with baboons while the other does not, says a new study. The results may help to set conservation priorities for this critically endangered species, researchers say. Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111123606.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105143815.htm The impact of airborne nitrogen released from the burning of fossil fuels and wide-spread use of fertilizers in agriculture is much greater that previously recognized and even extends to remote alpine lakes. Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105143815.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111123618.htm Scientists in Washington, DC, are reporting development and successful tests of a new way for exploring the insides of living cells, the microscopic building blocks of all known plants and animals. They explode the cell while it is still living inside a plant or animal, vaporize its contents, and sniff. Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111123618.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110135415.htm The war between the sexes has been fought on many fronts throughout time -- from humans to birds to insects, the animal kingdom is replete with species involved in their own skirmishes. A recent study demonstrates that certain plants, with some help from fungal friends, may also be involved in this fray. Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110135415.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106145249.htm Some 350 experts from 50 nations gathering in Mexico for their 3rd global meeting will outline the latest creative applications of DNA barcoding, including several projects related to human health, fraud, smuggling, the food chain and reconstructing environmental history. Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106145249.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105143817.htm For the insects called water striders, the pushiest guys don't always get the girls. New research provides support for the theory of multi-level selection and contradicts previous laboratory experiments that suggested that the most aggressive males are the most successful at reproducing. Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105143817.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110211333.htm Researchers have identified a key component that increases the toxicity of golden algae which kills millions of fish in the southern U.S. every year. Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110211333.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110202853.htm Were dinosaurs "warm-blooded" like present-day mammals and birds, or "cold-blooded" like present day lizards? The implications of this simple-sounding question go beyond deciding whether or not you'd snuggle up to a dinosaur on a cold winter's evening. In a new study, researchers have found strong evidence that many dinosaur species were probably warm-blooded. Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110202853.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110105351.htm Researchers in Spain have confirmed a higher presence of the parasite Anisakis in anchovies of the Atlantic South East coast and the Mediterranean North West coast, and they insist on freezing or cooking fish before consuming it. Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110105351.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029160739.htm New anti-flu drugs could become a reality as a result of a new study. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029160739.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111092051.htm Amphibians, for years considered a leading indicator of environmental degradation, are not uniquely susceptible to pollution, according to a new meta-analysis. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111092051.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102112104.htm Why do so many animal species -- including fish, birds and insects -- display such rich diversity in coloration and other traits? New research offers an answer. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102112104.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109173728.htm They may only be 1.5mm in size, but the tiny wasps that pollinate fig trees can travel over 160km in less than 48 hours, according to new research. The fig wasps are transporting pollen ten times further than previously recorded for any insect. The fig wasps travel these distances in search of trees to lay their eggs, which offers hope that trees pollinated by similar creatures have a good chance of surviving if they become isolated through deforestation. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109173728.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109121338.htm Evolutionary biologists argue in a new article that high cooperation and low conflict between components, from the genetic level on up, give a living thing its "organismality," whether that thing is an animal, a plant, a bacteria or a colony. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109121338.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105121050.htm Despite their fearsome fangs, male sabertoothed cats may have been less aggressive than many of their feline cousins, says a new study of male-female size differences in extinct big cats. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105121050.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106111214.htm Predictions made over the last decade about the impacts of climate change on biodiversity may be exaggerated, according to a paper published in the journal Science. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106111214.htm