Spinning the right lines can accomplish feats of strength when muscle isn’t enough A small Steatoda spider used its own version of a pulleylike system, adding repeated silk threads to haul heavy loads, in this case, a lizard, upward bit by bit. Tangle web spiders, in the Theridiidae family,Continue Reading
This extra set of genes, never found in a vertebrate before, may help the reptile tolerate cold The lizard-like tuatara already was an oddball. Its superpowers include a century-long lifespan, resistance to many diseases and a unique tolerance (for a reptile) to the cold. Now, it turns out, a partContinue Reading
The different vocalizations may help colony members tell friend from foe When one naked mole-rat encounters another, the accent of their chirps might reveal whether they’re friends or foes. These social rodents are famous for their wrinkly, hairless appearance. But hang around one of their colonies for a while, andContinue Reading
Old-style science fieldwork finds an unknown bat in the sky islands of Africa’s Nimba Mountains Bats, better known for their mousy looks, can have a colorful side. A new species, discovered when two bats were caught at an abandoned miners’ tunnel in western Africa, sports showy swathes of orange fur.Continue Reading
Trace fossils are possible evidence of predatory behavior similar to modern bobbit worms Like modern bobbit worms, ancient worms may have dug holes in the seafloor to lie in wait before attacking their prey (illustrated), a new study suggests. Around 20 million years ago, giant ocean worms may have burrowedContinue Reading
Microbes that thrive in high nutrient settings deplete oxygen in water around the animals The mysterious culprit behind a deadly sea star disease is not an infection, as scientists once thought. Instead, multiple types of bacteria living within millimeters of sea stars’ skin deplete oxygen from the water and effectivelyContinue Reading
The giant reptiles are “ecosystem engineers,” providing a service similar to beavers and seabirds Meters below the copper, sun-broiled dirt of northwestern Australia, an entire community hides in the dark. Geckos lay their eggs as centipedes and scorpions scuttle by. A snake glides deeper underground, away from the light. ThisContinue Reading
The knifefishes were thought to dine alone, but in the Amazon, hundreds hunt together One Volta’s electric eel — able to subdue small fish with an 860-volt jolt — is scary enough. Now imagine over 100 eels swirling about, unleashing coordinated electric attacks. Such a sight was assumed to beContinue Reading
It’s snuggling and togetherness when the deadly, swaggering rodents have families Crested rats don’t just chew tree bark that’s poisonous enough to kill an elephant. The rabbit-sized rodents dribble and lick the toxic drool into their long rat fluff for a weaponized hairdo. Yet these dangerous rats, which scientists assumedContinue Reading
A never-before-seen climbing technique could inspire the creation of new serpentine robots Snakes do a lot more than slither. Some swim, while others sidewind across sand (SN: 10/9/14). Some snakes even fly (SN: 6/29/20). But no one has ever seen a snake move the way that brown tree snakes doContinue Reading
