All posts tagged: animal behavior

A rare sperm whale birth captured how families rally around a newborn

A rare sperm whale birth captured how families rally around a newborn

Published by Jenni Sidey

Eleven sperm whales gathered near the surface off the coast of Dominica on the morning of July 8, 2023, and stayed there for hours. That alone was unusual. What researchers watching from a drone above them were about to record had never been documented in such detail in any cetacean. What unfolded over the next several hours, captured on aerial video and underwater audio, has now been published across two separate papers: one in Science, one in Nature’s Scientific Reports, both produced by Project CETI, the Cetacean Translation Initiative. Together they provide the most complete account of a sperm whale birth ever recorded, and the first quantitative evidence that non-primate animals cooperate during birth in ways that parallel some of the most sophisticated social behaviors observed in humans. A Family That Normally Keeps Its Distance The whales gathered that morning belonged to a social unit researchers call Unit A, a group that has been followed and documented since 2005 by Shane Gero, the Biology Lead for Project CETI and founder of the Dominica Sperm Whale …

The hidden forest lizard that forced scientists to rethink reptile classification

The hidden forest lizard that forced scientists to rethink reptile classification

Published by Jenni Sidey

A slender reptile slips beneath damp leaf litter in Taiwan’s mountain forests, rarely seen and often mistaken for a snake. For more than a century, scientists have argued over what, exactly, it is. That question has now been settled, at least for the moment. A study in the journal ZooKeys concludes that Taiwan’s elusive legless lizard represents its own distinct species, Dopasia formosensis, rather than a variant of a more widespread mainland species. The work, led by Si-Min Lin at National Taiwan Normal University, also restores a name that had effectively disappeared after its original reference specimen was lost during World War II. A Taxonomic Puzzle That Wouldn’t Settle Confusion around these lizards dates back to 1909, when the first specimen from Taiwan was collected near what is now Yangmingshan. Early researchers debated whether the animal belonged to an existing species, Dopasia harti, or represented something new. Sample localities in this study: 1 = Yangmingshan, Taipei; 2 = Hinokiyama (type locality in 1930); 3 = Baling, Taoyuan; 4 = Siling, Taoyuan; 5 = Mingchi, Yilan …

A New Study Details How Cats Almost Always Land on Their Feet

A New Study Details How Cats Almost Always Land on Their Feet

Published by skeptic

It’s well established that when cats fall, they’re able to land perfectly most of the time, nimbly maneuvering to right themselves before they hit the ground. Now, researchers at Japan’s Yamaguchi University have advanced our understanding of this extraordinary ability, focusing on the mechanical properties of feline spines. What they found, as detailed in a recent study in the journal The Anatomical Record, is that those sure-footed landings are due in part to the fact that a cat’s thoracic region is much more flexible than its lumbar region. While a cat’s ability to rotate in the air without something to push again seems to defy the laws of physics, it’s instead a complex righting maneuver. To find out how they do it, researchers in the new study first analyzed the spines of five deceased cats, separating the thoracic and lumbar regions and then subjecting them to mechanical tests to measure their flexibility, strength, and resistance to rotation. In another experiment, researchers used high-speed cameras to film two cats dropping onto a soft cushion. From the …

Researchers discover a hidden whistle inside a horse’s whinny

Researchers discover a hidden whistle inside a horse’s whinny

Published by Jenni Sidey

A horse’s whinny can sound like two calls at once. One part sits low and rough, like a familiar mammal voice. Another rides high, almost piercing, and it does not seem to fit a 500-kilogram animal. That mismatch has bothered researchers for years. Big bodies usually mean big larynges, and big larynges usually mean low pitches. Yet horses break that pattern in a very public way, every time they call across a field. Reporting in the Cell Press journal Current Biology, a team says it has pinned down the mechanics behind that strange blend. Horses, they argue, create a two-frequency sound by using two sound sources at the same time: vibrating vocal folds for the lower tone, and a whistle formed inside the larynx for the higher tone. “We now finally know how the two fundamental frequencies that make up a whinny are produced by horses,” says author Elodie Briefer of the University of Copenhagen. “In the past, we found that these two frequencies are important for horses, as they convey different messages about the …

It’s Peak Season for Birdwatchers to Spot Migratory Hummingbirds, and Our Favorite Feeder Is on Sale

It’s Peak Season for Birdwatchers to Spot Migratory Hummingbirds, and Our Favorite Feeder Is on Sale

Published by skeptic

Though most people associate the beginning of March with the hopefulness of spring and the indignities of daylight saving time, there’s another important event taking place yards all over the country: hummingbird season. While many species of hummingbirds can be seen in regions year-round, others are migratory, and this time typically marks their return from wintering grounds in Central and South America. These tiny birds can lose up to 40 percent of their body weight by the time they arrive here after having flown thousands of miles, and since many flowers haven’t bloomed yet, nectar feeders can be a source of essential fuel. Though I test smart bird feeders year-round, I don’t use hummingbird feeders as often as I should, as it’s imperative that they be cleaned and refilled with new nectar every two or three days (a ratio of 1:4 granulated sugar to water is best, and avoid any dyes or additives) to prevent deadly bacteria and mold, and I don’t always have the time. But if you are going to invest the energy …

Caterpillars use precise vibrational patterns to communicate with ants

Caterpillars use precise vibrational patterns to communicate with ants

Published by Jenni Sidey

If you were small enough to fit inside an ant nest, you would hear it as much as you would see it. The walls shiver with tiny footsteps. The ground carries constant vibration. In that crowded, dark space, a caterpillar trying to survive has a problem: how do you convince a suspicious ant colony that you belong? A team led by researchers at the University of Warwick says some butterfly caterpillars may solve that problem with rhythm. The new work, conducted with the University of Turin and the Forest Research Institute and published in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, reports that caterpillars closely tied to ants produce precisely timed vibrational patterns that resemble the ants’ own signals. Chemical mimicry has long been known in these partnerships. This study argues that timing, down to steady beats and alternating long-short patterns, also helps caterpillars get treated like insiders. Dr. Chiara De Gregorio, a research fellow in Warwick’s Department of Psychology, put it bluntly: “These caterpillars are essentially speaking the ants’ language, not just chemically, …

‘Veronika’ Is the First Cow Known to Use a Tool

‘Veronika’ Is the First Cow Known to Use a Tool

Published by skeptic

Justice for Far Side cartoonist Gary Larson: A team of scientists has observed, for the first time, a cow using a tool in a flexible manner. The ingenuity of “Veronika,” as the animal is called, shows that cattle possess enough intelligence to manipulate elements of their environment and solve challenges they would otherwise be unable to overcome. Veronika is a pet cow in Austria. Her owners don’t use her for meat or milk production. Nor was she trained to do tricks; on the contrary, for the past 10 years she has developed the ability to find branches in the grass, choose one, hold it with her mouth, and scratch herself with it to relieve skin irritation. Until now, only chimpanzees had convincingly demonstrated the ability to employ tools to improve their living conditions. Recent studies also point to whales as the only marine animals capable of using complex tools. This European cow is about to join that exclusive group of ingenious animals. Videos of Veronika circulating online caught the attention of veterinary researchers in Vienna. …

Winter Bird Feeding Tips for the Peak of Bird Watching Season (2026)

Winter Bird Feeding Tips for the Peak of Bird Watching Season (2026)

Published by skeptic

For many regions, winter feels like a time of dormancy. Trees are bare, mammals are hibernating, people are bed-rotting. While migratory birds do fly south for the winter, many seed- and insect-eating birds do not, and with leaves off the trees, the winter months are often the best time to watch them. As someone who tests smart bird feeders year-round for WIRED, I’m always interested in ways to ensure I’m attracting the largest and most interesting variety of birds to my yard, no matter the season. Further, if you received a smart bird feeder for Christmas and your neighborhood flocks haven’t discovered it yet, you may be looking for some ways to speed up the process. I talked to some ornithologists to learn how to boost the attractiveness of the average yard during these cold, windy, rainy, and sometimes icy months. Mix Your Menu Though there may be less diversity of bird species around your area due to some migratory birds having moved on (warblers and tanagers, for instance), many seed and insect eaters find …

9 Best Cat Water Fountains, WIRED-Tested and Reviewed (2025)

9 Best Cat Water Fountains, WIRED-Tested and Reviewed (2025)

Published by skeptic

Compare Our Picks Others We Tested Photograph: Molly Higgins Petlibro Capsule Fountain for $37: This Petlibro fountain is a solid, inexpensive choice. It’s made from BPA-free plastic, has a five-layer filtration system and a stainless steel top reservoir, there’s a transparent water tank for easier monitoring, and it comes in a bunch of cute colors. The spout is tall and has a continuous flow, making it ideal for cats who love to drink from faucets. However, it’s not connected to an app, so you’ll have to monitor water levels and set manual reminders for filter replacement and cleaning. The plastic is also harder to clean, and it has a wired pump, which makes cleaning trickier (water and electricity are never an ideal combo). It’s a solid model that’s worked effectively, but there are better options out there at this price point. Photograph: Molly Higgins Petkit Eversweet Max for $80: This techy automatic fountain can be either cordless or battery-powered (lasting up to 83 days), and the drinking bowl is made of stainless steel, but the …