Mammals News

October 21, 2024

Top Headlines

Plastic Pollution Sounds Just Like Food to Deep-Diving Whales

Oct. 17, 2024 — To whales that hunt with soundwaves in lightless ocean depths, a torn plastic party balloon and a delicious squid may appear remarkably similar, according to a study. Underwater acoustic testing with pieces of beach plastic showed that the trash ...

Microplastics Detected in Dolphin Breath

Oct. 17, 2024 — U.S. researchers have detected microplastic particles in air exhaled by wild bottlenose dolphins, suggesting that inhalation may be a relevant route of exposure to these potentially harmful ...

Alaska's Iliamna Lake Harbor Seals Genetically Isolated from Entire Pacific Ocean

Oct. 16, 2024 — Alaska's Iliamna Lake harbor seals have been difficult to study because of their remoteness. They weren't even identified as harbor seals until 2013. Now, a new genetic study has found significant ...

Tube Sock-Like Skunk Covers More Ground Than Deer, Impacted by Winter Weather, Study Finds

Oct. 15, 2024 — A study in the Cascade Range in Oregon of a tiny, elusive skunk found the animal can cover more ground than deer and is sensitive to climate change, particularly severe winter ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:16pm EDT

Genomic Study Identifies Human, Animal Hair in 'Man-Eater' Lions' Teeth

Oct. 11, 2024 — Scientists analyzed hairs extracted from the broken teeth of two 19th century 'man-eater' lions. Their analysis revealed DNA from giraffe, human, oryx, waterbuck, wildebeest and zebra as prey, along ...

Climate Report Warns of Escalating Crisis, Urges Immediate Action as UN Summit Nears

Oct. 8, 2024 — An international coalition of scientists concludes that the Earth's worsening vital signs indicate a 'critical and unpredictable new phase of the ...

Whale Shark Shipping Collisions May Increase as Oceans Warm

Oct. 7, 2024 — Global warming could increase the threat posed to whale sharks from large ships, according to a new ...

Bottlenose Dolphins 'Smile' at Each Other While Playing

Oct. 2, 2024 — Dolphins are extremely playful, but little is known about how they -- and other marine mammals -- communicate during playtime. New research shows that bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncates) use the ...

Do Coyotes Have Puppy Dog Eyes? New Study Reveals Wild Canines Share Dog's Famous Expression

Oct. 2, 2024 — A new study challenges the hypothesis that 'puppy dog eyes' evolved exclusively in dogs as a result of ...

Adapted -- Study Shows That Wild Animals Also Get Accustomed to Humans

Oct. 1, 2024 — Wild animals are less susceptible to human disturbance if they live in areas with a high human footprint. Researchers have highlighted this in their analysis of large-scale tracking data of more than ...

Return of the Elephants Seals: From a Few to Thousands

Sep. 27, 2024 — A new international study has revealed the genetic impact of hunting in northern elephant seals. The research shows that this species narrowly escaped extinction by hunting, resulting in lasting ...

Pigs May Be Transmission Route of Rat Hepatitis E to Humans

Sep. 25, 2024 — New research suggests that pigs may function as a transmission vehicle for a strain of the hepatitis E virus (HEV) common in rats that has recently been found to infect ...

Drone Footage Provides New Insight Into Gray Whales' Acrobatic Feeding Behavior

Sep. 25, 2024 — Drone footage is offering new insight into the acrobatics undertaken by gray whales foraging in the waters off the coast of ...

Brazilian Fossils Reveal Jaw-Dropping Discovery in Mammal Evolution

Sep. 25, 2024 — The discovery of new cynodont fossils from southern Brazil by a team of palaeontologists has led to a significant breakthrough in understanding the evolution of ...

Fruit-Only Diet Improves Bats' Immune Response to Viruses

Sep. 24, 2024 — Fruit bats generate more diverse antibodies than mice, but overall have a weaker antibody response, according to a new ...

Researchers Discover Gene Variants That Determine Speed of Graying in Horses

Sep. 19, 2024 — Scientists now understand why some gray horses turn completely white as they age, while others remain an eye-catching 'dappled' gray ...

How Do Coexisting Animals Find Enough to Eat? Biologists Unlock Insights Into Foraging Habits in Yellowstone

Sep. 19, 2024 — Ecologists have long sought clarity on the dietary habits of different animal species. For scientists, it wasn't obvious how herbivores in Yellowstone National Park, who subsist on grasses, ...

What's for Dinner? Scientists Unearth Key Clues to Cuisine of Resident Killer Whales

Sep. 19, 2024 — Scientists have discovered the cuisine preferences of two resident killer whale populations, also known as orcas: the Alaska residents and the southern residents, which reside primarily in the Salish ...

Are Cows Pickier Than Goats?

Sep. 19, 2024 — Linnaeus collected 643 different plant species that were then fed to horses, cows, pigs, sheep and goats. The results were carefully compiled but not analyzed until now, 275 years ...

Genetic Tracing at the Huanan Seafood Market Further Supports COVID Animal Origins

Sep. 19, 2024 — A new study provides a list of the wildlife species present at the market from which SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, most likely arose in late 2019. The study is based on ...

If You Build It, Will They Come? Wildlife Corridors Need Smarter Design

Sep. 18, 2024 — A study reveals that current methods of designing and evaluating wildlife corridors may not be adequate to ensure wildlife protection, and suggests that Best Management Practices should include ...

An Unexpected Result: The Mammalian Inner Ear Is a Striking Example of Convergent Evolution

Sep. 17, 2024 — A new study reveals the surprisingly convergent evolution in the inner ear of mammals. An international research team showed that a group of highly divergent mammals known as Afrotheria and distantly ...

Self-Medicating Gorillas and Traditional Healers Provide Clues for New Drug Discovery

Sep. 11, 2024 — Four plants consumed by wild gorillas in Gabon and used by local communities in traditional medicine show antibacterial and antioxidant properties, researchers ...

Spiny Mice Point the Way to New Path in Social Neuroscience

Sep. 11, 2024 — Scientists zeroed in on brain circuitry powering the desire of spiny mice to live in large groups, opening the door to a new model for the study of complex social behaviors in ...

Grim Statistics on Koala Survival Odds

Sep. 9, 2024 — Records of koala admissions to veterinary hospitals in South East Queensland shows euthanasia was the most common ...

Both Cats and Dogs Often Enjoy Playing Fetch With Their Owners

Sep. 4, 2024 — Although more common in dogs, 4 in 10 pet cats also choose to play fetch with their owners, researchers ...

Rein Tension May Affect Horse Behavior

Sep. 3, 2024 — High rein tension was found to be associated with trotters opening their mouths, which indicates pain or discomfort in the ...

Bats Are Surviving and Thriving on Nothing but Sugar

Aug. 28, 2024 — New research may enable potential solutions to metabolic disease by turning to evolution and to bats. 'Our study reports blood sugar levels that are the highest we have ever seen in nature -- ...

Aoudad, Bighorn Sheep Share Respiratory Pathogens

Aug. 27, 2024 — A team of researchers has discovered that aoudad -- an animal in the sheep and goat family -- can catch and spread many of the same respiratory pathogens that can impact desert bighorn sheep, a ...

CRISPR-Based Genome Editing in Nile Grass Rats

Aug. 23, 2024 — A team of researchers has discovered a set of methods that enabled the first successful CRISPR-based genome editing in Nile grass ...

Bonobos and Ancient Origin of the 'Common Enemy Effect'

Aug. 23, 2024 — A link between outgroup threats and ingroup cohesion has been considered since the time of Darwin to be an adaptation for group-based competition. During the years since, studies of all sorts -- from ...

Colorful Traits in Primates Ease Tensions Between Groups

Aug. 22, 2024 — Primate ornamentation plays a crucial role in communication not only within social groups but also between them, according to a new study. The research reveals that the males of species with ...

How Baleen Whales Have Adapted Over the Past 50 Million Years

Aug. 22, 2024 — The largest dataset of cetacean genes ever collated has helped scientists deep dive 'into the blue' to fathom the 'triumph' of baleen whale evolution. The new study explores the ...

Humpbacks Are Among Animals Who Manufacture and Wield Tools

Aug. 20, 2024 — Researchers suggest a new designation of the humpback whales they study: tool wielders. Researchers have known that humpback whales create "bubble-nets" to hunt, but they have learned that ...