Ecology & Zoology

Pauline Avibella: Tiny New Species Discovered

Researchers have announced discovery of a species of animal related to crabs, lobsters and shrimps that is new to science. ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 12 2012 - 11:40am

Nycticebus In Borneo:: New Species Of Primate, Same Toxic Bite

The slow loris (Nycticebus) is a primate genus closely related to the lemur and found across South East Asia, from Bangladesh and China's Yunnan province to the island of Borneo. The slow loris is rare amongst primates for having a toxic bite, and is ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 13 2012 - 1:22am

How Many Arthropod Species Are In The Rainforest Of Panama Alone?

A new paper detailing research from the rainforests of Panama provides an unprecedented level of detail regarding the diversity and distribution of arthropod species from the soil to the forest canopy- the authors estimate that a 6,000 hectare forest host ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 17 2012 - 12:00pm

Male Bushcrickets Are Boss: Spermatophores Can Be 40 Percent Of Their Bodyweight

In America, human women wake up every day and decide whether they want to have sex or not.  They know somewhere a man is willing to make that happen. In bushcrickets, the male is in charge.  When bushcrickets mate, the male attaches a spermatophore to the ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 14 2012 - 12:30pm

Great Lakes Phragmites Map Visualizes Invasive Species Incursions

Phragmites australis is an invasive species of plant called common reed that grows rapidly into dense stands of tall plants and then pose an extreme threat to Great Lakes coastal wetlands.  a GROUP FROM Michigan Technological University', the US Geol ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 3 2013 - 1:05pm

Who Don't Mammals Produce Equal Numbers Of Male And Female Offspring?

The process involved in the formation of sperm cells involves symmetry, the equal chance that a mammalian egg will be fertilized by "male" sperm, carrying a Y chromosome or a "female" sperm, carrying an X chromosome, and that symmetry ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 18 2012 - 10:39am

33 New Trapdoor Spider Species Published In Zookeys

A researcher at the Auburn University Museum of Natural History has reported the discovery 33 new trapdoor spider species from the American Southwest. These newly described species all belong to the genus Aptostichus and the paper revises it to discuss al ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 4 2013 - 11:32am

Not Just Your Kids: Dragonflies Have 'Selective Attention' Too

In a discovery that may prove important for cognitive science, our understanding of nature and applications for robot vision, researchers at the University of Adelaide have found evidence that the dragonfly is capable of higher-level thought processes whe ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 20 2012 - 1:39pm

Black Piranha Vs Megapiranha For Most Powerful Bite Ever

Taking body size into account, the black piranha and the extinct megapiranha have the most powerful bites of carnivorous fishes throughout known history. It's no surprise they were both in the finals: The piranhas' specialized jaw morphology all ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 21 2012 - 11:51am

Even T. Rex Had To Be Impressed By Megapiranha

A piranha's specialized jaw morphology and mean nature allow them to be in an extreme biting Hall of Fame.  And it isn't a new development.  While Serrasalmus rhombeus, the black piranha, is a contender for most powerful bite for its size today, ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 27 2012 - 2:16pm