Animals

Spiders ‘Smell’ Using Their Legs, Research Finds

Spiders ‘Smell’ Using Their Legs, Research Finds

Most spiders have eight legs, no ears and use fine leg hairs connected to nerve cells or their webs to hear sounds in their environment. But how do they smell? A new study by an international team of researchers has found that male spiders “smell” with their legs, using olfactory hairs — wall-pore sensilla — […]

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    Leopards Each Have Their Own Unique Roar, Study Finds

    Leopards Each Have Their Own Unique Roar, Study Finds

    Each leopard can be identified by their own unique roar, the first large-scale study of its kind has found. Using a combination of camera traps and recordings, the research team was able to identify the vocalizations of individual leopards with 93.1 percent accuracy, a press release from University of Exeter said. “Discovering that leopards have […]

    In Conservation Success Story, Massachusetts Piping Plovers Have Their Second Record Nesting Year in a Row

    In Conservation Success Story, Massachusetts Piping Plovers Have Their Second Record Nesting Year in a Row

    For the second year in a row, Massachusetts beaches have recorded more nesting Piping Plovers than anytime in the last four decades — 1,196 nesting pairs, a 1.5 percent increase over 2023 and a 500 percent jump since the program began, according to preliminary data gathered by MassWildlife’s Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program and […]

    Deep-Sea Mining 101: Everything You Need to Know

    Deep-Sea Mining 101: Everything You Need to Know

    Quick Key Facts What Is ‘Deep-Sea Mining’? Deep-sea mining is the process of retrieving mineral deposits from the ocean floor using destructive methods such as dredging, drilling and hydraulic pumps. These methods disrupt and harm marine life and their ecosystems. The seabed is a largely unexplored world of unidentified species and mystery. The Clarion-Clipperton Zone […]

    Right Whales Can Live 130 Years or Longer, Research Finds

    Right Whales Can Live 130 Years or Longer, Research Finds

    Scientists have estimated that bowhead whales — the longest-living whale species — can live more than 200 years. It was once thought that the bowhead’s cousin, the right whale, had an average lifespan of about 70 to 80 years, but new research has revised that estimate to more than 130 years — nearly twice as […]

    Amphibious Mouse Among 27 New Animal Species Found by Peruvian Amazon Expedition

    Amphibious Mouse Among 27 New Animal Species Found by Peruvian Amazon Expedition

    Researchers in northwest Peru’s Alto Mayo region have discovered 27 new animal species, including a semi-aquatic mouse, a salamander that climbs trees and a “blob-headed fish.” The 38-day survey uncovered and recorded more than 2,000 species of plants and wildlife, reported The Guardian. “Discovering even one new species of mammal on an expedition would be […]