animals

Stories 61 - 80 | << Prev   Next >>

&#39;Eagle Shark&#39; Swam in Ancient Seas
'Eagle Shark' Swam
in Ancient Seas
in case you missed it
Mar 21, 2021 2:54 PM CDT

'Eagle Shark' Swam in Ancient Seas

93-million-year-old shark would have resembled manta and devil rays

(Newser) - It swam slowly through the seas with a tail fin resembling those of modern sharks and side fins that stretched outward like the wings of modern birds. It's no wonder, then, that this bizarre creature, which died in what is now Mexico some 93 million years ago, has been...

There's Only One Option: Kill Pablo Escobar's Hippos

Unchecked, Colombian herd will hit ecosystem's carrying capacity by 2039: experts

(Newser) - In the 6.5 years since we last visited Pablo Escobar's hippo herd , it's become illegal to kill any member of the Colombian population, which is considered something of a country emblem. It's no surprise, then, that the non-native animals are breeding out of control in a...

Monarch Butterfly Count Suggests Extinction Is Near

Only 2K western monarch butterflies were counted in California this winter

(Newser) - The number of western monarch butterflies wintering along the California coast has plummeted precipitously to a record low, putting the insects closer to extinction, researchers announced Tuesday. An annual winter count by the Xerces Society recorded fewer than 2,000 butterflies, a massive decline from the millions that clustered in...

This Might Be the Oldest Drawing of an Animal, Ever
This Drawing of a Pig
Might Be Historic
new study
Jan 14, 2021 10:55 AM CST

This Drawing of a Pig Might Be Historic

Study suggests image in Indonesian cave is oldest known depiction of an animal

(Newser) - An ancient artist ventured into an Indonesian cave 45,000 years ago and used primitive paint to sketch pigs on the ceiling. In a study at Science Advances , archaeologists have now declared the painting to be the oldest depiction of animals known in history, reports Smithsonian Magazine . The scene depicts...

Kangaroos Can Communicate With People
Kangaroos Are Like Dogs
in One Important Way
NEW STUDY
Dec 18, 2020 11:43 AM CST

Kangaroos Are Like Dogs in One Important Way

Study shows they can communicate with people, possibly a first in undomesticated animals

(Newser) - It's not just domesticated animals that can communicate with people. A first-of-its-kind study shows kangaroos can do the same thing. Researchers from the University of Roehampton in England and the University of Sydney in Australia presented 11 kangaroos from a variety of Australian zoos with an "unsolvable problem...

After 9-Year Fight, Couple Ordered to Dump Superloud Frogs

French couple still hopes to save their pond and its breeding amphibians

(Newser) - A French couple is being forced to drain their pond under court order because of the racket caused by its breeding frogs. The outcome is the result of a nine-year legal battle in which Michel and Annie Pecheras fought to save their pond in the small village of Grignols, Dordogne....

Tasmanian Devils May Survive Contagious Cancer After All
Tasmanian Devils Get Good
News on Cancer Front
NEW STUDY
Dec 15, 2020 8:27 AM CST

Tasmanian Devils Get Good News on Cancer Front

Gruesome facial cancer 'might eventually go extinct'

(Newser) - A new study is offering hope for Tasmanian devils, an endangered species battling a contagious cancer. Devil facial tumor disease is a nasty condition causing deep mouth sores that eventually lead to starvation. Since it was first discovered in 1996, researchers have feared the disease would prompt the extinction of...

Cher's Rescue Tour Continues. This Time It's a Gorilla

Star is begging for help to rehome Thailand's only gorilla from a department store zoo

(Newser) - If you're thinking a department store zoo doesn't sound like a great place for a gorilla, Cher agrees. The singer, fresh off of her Pakistan trip to rescue the "world's loneliest elephant," is now making a plea to Thailand to free the country's last...

Look Who Turned Up in Australian Christmas Tree

An apparently confused koala

(Newser) - On one side of the world, an adorable owl emerged from the Rockefeller Christmas tree. On the other side, a cute, curious koala emerged from a fake tree to startle an Australian family. Amanda McCormick was in shock after finding the koala in the living room of her home in...

US Marine Animals Are Drowning in Plastic—Literally

Report mentions 1.8K cases of animals consuming or being entangled in plastic since 2009

(Newser) - Plastic pollution is taking a disastrous toll on marine animals in the US, particularly those threatened with extinction, according to a new report . It tells of 1,792 cases in which 40 different species of animals consumed or were entangled in plastic since 2009. Of those, 88% involved animals that...

Orphaned White Giraffe Gets Some Added Protection

GPS tracker to provide hourly location updates in Kenya

(Newser) - An orphaned white giraffe has been fitted with a tracking device in Kenya in an effort to protect him from poachers, like those who killed his mother and sibling. News outlets including the AP refer to the lonely male with leucism, a genetic condition resulting in partial loss of pigmentation,...

Long-Lived Great White Given a Fitting Name

'Queen of the Ocean' is tagged and released off Nova Scotia

(Newser) - We may be losing our link to one great white shark, but we have another, much larger one to fascinate us in Katherine's place. Off the east coast of Canada, OCEARCH, the nonprofit that tracks marine life, has just tagged a female great white measuring just over 17 feet...

Penguins&#39; First Home: Not Antarctica
Penguins' First Home
Isn't What We Thought
NEW STUDY
Aug 18, 2020 10:55 AM CDT

Penguins' First Home Isn't What We Thought

Researchers trace origin to Australia, New Zealand, not Antarctica, some 22M years ago

(Newser) - Penguins have had quite the journey, from Australia some 22 million years ago to modern-day Antarctica, according to a new study. With help from institutions around the world, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, analyzed blood and tissue samples from 18 species of penguins, finding that the animals originated...

The Case Against Having Pets
We May Be
Doing Our Pets
More Harm
Than Good
in case you missed it
Aug 16, 2020 2:10 PM CDT

We May Be Doing Our Pets More Harm Than Good

Esther Woolfson writes about the ways humans unintentionally hurt the animals they love

(Newser) - Esther Woolfson was at a street corner waiting for the light to turn when she noticed that the young dog being walked by the man next to her was wheezing. Might have been a pug or French bulldog, "but he’s one of those that now form a widespread,...

California Cops Find Thousands of Cockfighting Roosters

Hundreds of other animals were rescued from Los Angeles property

(Newser) - As many as 3,000 cockfighting roosters were rescued from a California ranch this week as part of an investigation into animal cruelty. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said 2,000 to 3,000 roosters were kept on the multi-acre ranch in Los Angeles' Chatsworth area, where a...

Emperor Penguin Poop Reveals Hidden Colonies

On the downside, all are in fragile areas

(Newser) - Good news following a massive breeding failure of emperor penguins: There are 20% more colonies in Antarctica than previously known. They were discovered thanks to patches of penguin poop so large they could be seen from space. The red-brown guano left behind on ice, captured in high-resolution images from a...

After 'Strict Instructions' to Stay Put, Rare Birds Disappear

NZ experts working to reintroduce shore plovers are just a bit frustrated

(Newser) - A colony of rare birds has disappeared in New Zealand to the chagrin of scientists who required government approval to carefully transport the birds to a predator-free island in the midst of the pandemic. The shore plover, the world's rarest plover, is native to New Zealand, but was almost...

Welcome to the &#39;Anthropause&#39;
Our Strange Era
Now Has a Name
in case you missed it
Jul 5, 2020 1:50 PM CDT

Our Strange Era Now Has a Name

Scientists say it's time for an in-depth study of animals during the pandemic

(Newser) - Jellyfish gliding through the calm waters of Venice, Italy. Wild mountain goats "running rampant" in a small Welsh town. Deer seen in "usually bustling areas" of Toronto. At least anecdotally, there's evidence of animals advancing during our absence, for which scientists have coined a new term: the...

Wolverine Sighting Almost Too Rare to Be Believed
Wolverine Sighting Almost
Too Rare to Be Believed
in case you missed it
May 31, 2020 10:35 AM CDT

Wolverine Sighting Almost Too Rare to Be Believed

Woman thankfully snapped a photo of animal on Pacific coast beach

(Newser) - There are thought to be only 300 wolverines in the US and less than 20 in Washington state, where the elusive animals are generally limited to the Cascades mountain range, reports CNN . That's probably why state wildlife officials struggled to believe a woman's claim that she saw a...

China&#39;s New Dog Policy Is a &#39;Game Changer&#39;
China Pulls a 180
on Its Dog Policy
May 30, 2020 4:45 PM CDT

China Pulls a 180 on Its Dog Policy

Beijing says it's following 'the progress of the times'

(Newser) - Looks like China has a new official dog policy—namely that people can no longer raise and trade them for commercial purposes, People reports. "With the progress of the times, people's civilization ideas and eating habits are constantly changing, and some traditional customs about dogs will also change,...

Stories 61 - 80 | << Prev   Next >>