Search
Showing results for “Animals”
Jump to a topic
AnimalsOne of the loudest creatures on Earth is a 2 cm-long shrimp. The deadliest creature is a mosquito. Garden snails have around 14,000 teeth. Otters hold hands while sleeping to keep from drifting apart. Some jellyfish are immortal. From massive sea creatures to tiny land dwellers, animals are a critical component of our environment and ecosystems. They also offer companionship and, with it, health benefits. Explore the most interesting (and lighthearted) animal-related content here.Explore Animals
What we've found
Research shows that during total solar eclipses, some animals change their behavior to match their nighttime activities. IFLScienceSee nine celebrities who adopted animals they met on set. People.comElectrogenic animals generate their own electricity within an electric organ by changing the pattern of electrical charges in disc-shaped cells called electrocytes. Let's Talk ScienceNo one is tracking the total number of animals used for research across US labs, though partial data without any rodents puts the 2024 count above 775,000 animals, including some 40,000 dogs and 100,000 primates. The AtlanticView a gallery of animals found on abyssal plains, hydrothermal vents, seamounts, and other deep-sea habitats. Monterey Bay Aquarium Research InstituteExtreme heat is neurologically impairing animalsDog bites increase in summer, birds struggle to learn, and goats pick more fights. Scientists are unraveling new details about how heat impairs animals' neurological systems. Knowable MagazineNine different studies exploring animals' relationship to musicResearchers have conducted multiple studies attempting to answer a certain question: do animals like human music? Across species, they observed different results and no clear pattern. Primates appear to prefer silence, and cockatoos appear to dance to funky beats.
HowtownAn academic on why the animals in 'Animal Farm' matterAlthough Orwell intentionally wrote his 1945 novella as an allegory of the Russian Revolution, Charlotte Sleigh—an associate professor of science and technology—argues that the text can also be used to understand (and complicate) our relationship with the nonhuman world. The ConversationFoot-and-mouth disease, which affects animals, has been eradicated in many locationsThe disease, which causes fevers and painful blistering in the mouth, muzzle, snout, teats, and feet—somewhat similar to hand, foot, and mouth disease in people—is transmitted via contact with infected animals or their fluids or eating infected foods or meat. Though it primarily affects cloven-hoofed animals, it's also been known to sicken camels and even elephants. Merck Veterinary ManualSee a list of six famous people with animals named in their honorThe bird Polioptila attenboroughi, the spider Spintharus barackobamai, and the water beetle Grouvellinus leonardodicaprioi are just a few of the creatures named after celebrities. Popular ScienceMitochondria—only inherited from mothers in most animals—have their own DNAMitochondrial DNA, or mtDNA, typically takes the shape of a circle and contains genes that code for proteins essential to the production of energy-containing molecules called ATP. When mitochondria fuse, the mixing of healthy and damaged mtDNA helps alleviate the effects of mutations that may have occurred during mitochondrial division or environmental interactions. TED-EdAs immobile animals, corals and the organisms that live on them have evolved a suite of chemical compounds to prevent disease and ward off predators they cannot outrun. Coral Reef AllianceSome animals may anchor their brain cells to specific landmarks to determine directionIn a study of bats exploring a new area, specific sets of "head direction cells" were seen becoming active based on bats' orientation when moving, and this activity became more coordinated over time. Researchers suspect, like humans, bats and other animals establish this sense of direction based on movement relative to known points of interest. Quanta MagazineMosquitoes top the ranking of the world's deadliest animals. Our World in DataSome animals may speak because of duplicated connections in the brainNeuroscience suggests that connections responsible for motion made during embryonic brain development—such as those connecting hearing and movement pathways that allow reactive motion when started—are duplicated and connected to the larynx in some animals. This allows some mammals and song-learning birds to speak, provided they have the necessary physiological structures. NOVA PBS OfficialCalvin Coolidge had many animals—including a White House raccoonCalvin Coolidge and First Lady Grace Coolidge adopted a raccoon named Rebecca, initially intended for Thanksgiving dinner. Instead, she became a beloved pet, roaming the White House lawn with a handmade collar reading "White House Raccoon." CBS Sunday MorningZoo animals have developed allergies, tooAlthough scientists do not know if allergies manifest among wild animals—and if animals can survive with them—in a zoo setting, veterinarians have observed zoo animals with common allergy symptoms, including itchiness, crusty skin, and runny eyes. Veterinarians have identified Asian elephants with pollen allergies and at least one jaguar with an allergy to fleas. Discover MagazineAnimals get SAD—especially those in zoos, like pandasGiant pandas in locations outside their evolved latitudinal range (from southeast Asia to northern regions around Beijing) exhibit more sluggish behavior, even when they were born there. Researchers have observed that similar sensitivities to "photoperiods" (or time with light) impacts many animals, including birds, insects, and our pets. (Nautilus imposes a metered paywall.) NautilusFarm animals help maintain the grounds at Chicago's O'Hare International AirportSince 2013, a herd of goats, sheep, and a donkey have grazed on the scrub vegetation at the airport. In the process, they also help keep out animals that can be dangerous for pilots, like coyotes. Atlas ObscuraOne prankster started a movement to clothe animals in the mid-20th centuryG. Clifford Prout founded the Society for Indecency to Naked Animals, saying that animal nudity was rude and immoral. The campaign continued for years until CBS employees realized Prout was actually a comedian named Buck Henry. Museum of HoaxesSome animals possess sensitive hearing to help pinpoint prey and map the worldBats and dolphins produce sound to reflect off surfaces and create a mental image of their surroundings. Owls' faces are dish-shaped to help funnel sounds to their ears, including that of mice moving along leaves or snow. Pinnipeds, such as seals and walruses, hear in both air and water. Live ScienceWhy 75% of ocean animals glowAbout 75% of ocean creatures can make their own light. It's called bioluminescence—and it all comes down to a special chemical reaction happening inside their bodies. 1440Cats evolved from arid land animals, contributing to their aversion to waterAlthough positive water experiences can make some cats water-loving, they usually self-clean, making baths unnecessary. Popular ScienceImagining if Disney films about animals were scientifically accurateThen when Scar took over from Mufasa, he would have likely killed all of the existing cubs in the pride, including Nala. Or when Nemo's mom died, his dad would technically have become a female. Be SmartGastroliths, or ‘stomach stones,’ help animals digest plants in their stomachsMost often used by birds and reptiles, gastroliths help break down the cellulose of plant cells, which can resist decomposition from stomach acid alone. Over time, gastroliths become smooth and are regurgitated before being replaced by larger stones. HowStuffWorksHow US horse breeders sourced animals from the Syrian desertAlexander Keene Richards was a pioneer in thoroughbred racing in the US in the 1800s, a time when every town with a few thousand people had a horse track. This interview highlights how Richards went to great lengths to perfect horse breeding. History UnpluggedEnvironment and genetics explain why animals have widely different lifespansBoth environmental conditions and genetic factors shape how long various animals live. For some creatures, colder conditions allow for less energy use and slower aging. Larger animals have fewer predators. While humans don't live the longest, we are a rare species that successfully lengthened its average lifespan over time. TED-EdSome Colosseum fighters battled wild animals instead of other humansNot everyone who entered the Colosseum was a gladiator. Learn about the bestiarii—who ranged from trained animal fighters to condemned prisoners—and how their encounters with wild beasts became one of Rome’s most lethal spectacles. 1440Animals' stomach lining produces cheeseCheesemaking would be impossible without rennet, the enzyme that separates milk’s liquid and solid components. Rennet occurs naturally in the stomach lining of young goats, cows, and lambs to help them digest milk, a process that also allows cheesemakers to use it to make curds. Now we have plant-based rennet that comes from thistles, artichokes, and other similar plants. The Spruce EatsCan animals understand fairness?Academics have long wondered if fairness is solely a concern of humans. In the largest meta-analysis to date, UC Berkeley researchers tested whether monkeys felt jealousy after receiving unequal rewards. The patterns showed low evidence for inequity aversion and instead frustration due to their expectations not being met by humans. These findings suggest that pursuing fairness and equality is uniquely human. Neuroscience NewsThomas Edison publicly executed animals with AC to convince the public of its dangersJ.P. Morgan first backed Thomas Edison's direct current system, seeing electricity's potential to usurp John D. Rockefeller's kerosene empire. Despite the investments and smear campaign against alternating current, alternating current ultimately won public support after lighting the 1893 World's Fair, after which Morgan would fund Tesla's wireless transmission tower. HistoryThe animals that paved the way for space travelThe history of animals in space exploration is often overlooked. Before humans first made their way to space in 1961, fruit flies, primates, and canines preceded us. Watch this video for a further appreciation of the contributions and sacrifices made by animals for scientific progress. AeonZoonotic diseases: Pathogens that jump from animals to humansSuch diseases may be caused by a variety of pathogens—viruses, bacteria, fungi, or parasites—and can originate in creatures ranging from ticks and mosquitoes to pigs and bats. Because they develop in animals and are often new to human immune systems, zoonotic diseases have severe consequences for public health. 1440Seven known types of coronaviruses have jumped from animals to humansCoronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, belong to a large family of viruses characterized by their crown-like appearance under a microscope, due to spike proteins on their surface. While thousands are believed to exist in animals, only seven are known to have made the jump to humans. Yale MedicineIncreasing contact between humans and wild animals is driving zoonotic threatsZoonotic diseases, which spread from animals to humans, present one of the most significant emerging threats worldwide. Scientists have identified around 200 viruses capable of infecting humans, and unfortunately, the number of such diseases are on the rise—at least 60% of all emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic in origin. USA TODAYSome animals seem to live well on little sleepAfrican bush elephants typically sleep for about 2 hours per 24-hour day, coming in well under a human's recommended seven-hour minimum. Other animals also appear to skimp on sleep, by human standards, without the consequences humans associate with being sleep deprived. This academic article details the sleeping habits of animals that appear to thrive on fewer than 40 winks and explores whether their sleep processes are just built different. Oxford University PressSome animals, including certain tropical ants, have little or no microbial populations in their gut, upending the idea that all animals rely on this ecosystem to help maintain their health and proper functioning.Researchers have discovered that some animals, ranging from ants and caterpillars to birds and bats, have no stabilized gut microbiota population—if any at all. This finding upends scientific expectations of the gut microbiome, which is so critical to health that some researchers consider creatures "the sum of their microbial parts." Subverting the human-centric understanding of the gut microbiome has highlighted the spectrum of possible microbe symbiosis. Quanta MagazineThe tongue evolved in animals roughly 350 million years agoCreatures like fish rely on suction to consume food, flexing their gills to create water currents that vacuum up their meals. The evolution of the tongue enabled vertebrates to completely cut ties with the sea, moving onto land where they could sample new foods and ways to eat them. ScienceEvolution doesn't want you to see these animalsInvisibility is an oft-coveted superpower that many creatures throughout the animal kingdom have evolved to mimic through transparent camouflage. This article explores the science of this seemingly magical ability.
The two critical ingredients in... Nautilus MagazineThe adorable happiness of animals, in photosCan animals experience happiness? And even if they do, do their bodies manifest happiness in similar ways to humans? Regardless, you surely will derive some happiness after viewing these thirty photos of a variety of animals appearing to smile big, beautiful smiles. Bored PandaAdapt or freeze: How plants and animals thrive in the Arctic TundraThis article explores the fascinating ways both animals and plants adapt to survive in Alaska's arctic tundra, an ecosystem marked by its extreme weather. Most tundra plants are perennials with short growing seasons that focus on gathering and... Alaska Department of Fish and GameStress affects different animals in different, but useful, waysAnimals feel stress when they experience actual dangers—such as a zebra chased by a lion. Humans often feel stress from worries, memories, or even thoughts about problems that may occur in the future. For this reason, animals tend to experience stress in short, intense bursts. Conversely, people can feel stressed for long periods, which can eventually be harmful to their health. Greater Good Science CenterMedieval bestiaries blended real animals with myth and moral lessonsMedieval bestiaries combined observed animals with fantastical creatures, using vivid imagery to convey symbolism and moral meaning. This lecture explores England’s Worksop Bestiary (c. 1185), showcasing over 100 illustrated beasts from the Morgan Library’s collection. The Morgan Library & MuseumExplaining why animals don't cross this invisible line in IndonesiaAlthough the distance separating the two regions is small, East and West Indonesia have starkly different species, puzzling scientists for decades. Biogeographers use the theory of plate tectonics to explain the phenomenon, arguing the two regions... YouTubeTake an interactive dive and see the animals that populate the oceans, from fish and coral near the surface to the cusk eel and hadal snailfish on the way down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench.The world's oceans are home to a stunning amount of diverse creatures, ranging from microscopic organisms to blue whales. Scroll down the page in this fascinating interactive display to learn which types of creatures live at various depths in the ocean, and past, down to more than 10,000 meters below sea level. Neal AgarwalThese animals are only found in the Amazon rainforest.The mighty Amazon River and its surrounding rainforest is home to millions of different species of animals, with new ones being discovered regularly. Reader's DigestVisualizing the 75 largest underwater animalsWith so many fish in the sea, which are the largest? This infographic shows fantastic illustrations of the 75 largest sea animals, ranked by average size. The detailed visual is organized in descending order of size, starting with the blue whale,... Staten Island Yacht SalesWhat animals live in the ocean?The oceans host an incredible diversity of fascinating species. Oceana's Marine Life Encyclopedia beautifully presents facts and photos of ocean animals from Atlantic Cod to Zebra Sharks. OceanaLarge animals like giraffes and elephants have evolved unique cancer defenses.Researchers have observed a correlation between species' mutation rates and lifespan, redefining how we look at cancer and aging. These illustrations depict how the speed of DNA errors may be critical in determining lifespan and aging. Visual CapitalistWatch how wild animals are projected into a mallCentered around a dynamic, ever-changing watering hole, the experience allows you to meet a diverse range of animals from Africa to the Arctic as they graze, drink, and interact with the environment around them. YouTube