Mammals News

June 1, 2024

Top Headlines

May 28, 2024 — Why do primates have big brains? In the Panamanian rainforest, scientists pitted large-brained primates against smaller-brained mammals to find out who was the smartest ...

Complete X and Y Chromosome Sequences of Living Great Ape Species Determined

May 29, 2024 — Newly generated, complete genomes for the sex chromosomes of six primate species may inform conservation of these endangered species and shed light on sex-related genetic diseases in both humans and ...

Florida Fossil Porcupine Solves a Prickly Dilemma 10-Million Years in the Making

May 28, 2024 — An exceptionally rare fossilized porcupine skeleton discovered in Florida has allowed researchers to trace the evolutionary history for one of North America's rarest ...

Echidnapus Identified from an 'Age of Monotremes'

May 27, 2024 — Australian researchers have found evidence of the oldest known platypus and a new species, dubbed 'echidnapus', which has a platypus-like anatomy alongside features that more closely resemble an ...

Latest Headlines

updated 10:58pm EDT

Fatal Attraction: When Endangered Species Try to Mate With Domestic Relatives, Both Wildlife and People Lose

May 29, 2024 — Sticks and stones aren't enough to thwart biological attraction, but sometimes those are the only tools available to pastoralists trying to prevent ...

Future Climate Impacts Put Whale Diet at Risk

May 22, 2024 — A new study predicts future climate change impacts could disrupt the krill-heavy diet that humpback whales in the southern hemisphere ...

Constantly on the Hunt for Food: Harbor Porpoises More Vulnerable Than Previously Thought

May 23, 2024 — Constantly on the hunt for food: Harbor porpoises more vulnerable than previously thought to the disturbances from humans. The small whales spend ...

Genes Provide Hope for the Survival of Arabia's Last Big Cat

May 20, 2024 — The release of captive bred animals carefully selected for their genes can make a significant contribution to the successful recovery of the dwindling wild population and avert the prospect of ...

Chronic Wasting Disease Unlikely to Move from Animals to People

May 17, 2024 — A new study of prion diseases, using a human cerebral organoid model, suggests there is a substantial species barrier preventing transmission of chronic wasting disease (CWD) from cervids -- deer, ...

Australian Study Proves 'Humans Are Planet's Most Frightening Predator'

May 22, 2024 — A new study demonstrates that kangaroos, wallabies and other Australian marsupials fear humans far more than any other ...

Rabies Outbreaks in Costa Rica Cattle Linked to Deforestation

May 21, 2024 — Deforestation in Costa Rica raises the risk of cattle becoming infected with rabies by vampire bats, finds a new ...

A Rise in Sea Urchins and Related Damage to Kelp Forests Impacts Oregon's Gray Whales and Their Food

May 21, 2024 — A recent boom in the purple sea urchin population off the southern Oregon Coast appears to have had an indirect and negative impact on the gray ...

Pagan-Christian Trade Networks Supplied Horses from Overseas for the Last Horse Sacrifices in Europe

May 17, 2024 — Horses crossed the Baltic Sea in ships during the Late Viking Age and were sacrificed for funeral rituals. Studies on the remains of horses found at ...

Diverse Headgear in Hoofed Mammals Evolved from Common Ancestor

May 20, 2024 — From the small ossicones on a giraffe to the gigantic antlers of a male moose -- which can grow as wide as a car -- the headgear of ruminant hooved mammals is extremely diverse, and new research ...

Otters, Especially Females, Use Tools to Survive a Changing World

May 16, 2024 — Sea otters are one of the few animals that use tools to access their food, and a new study has found that individual sea otters that use tools -- most of whom are female -- are able to eat larger ...

How Neighboring Whale Families Learn Each Other's Vocal Style

May 16, 2024 — Researchers have developed a method to investigate sperm whale communication by determining their vocal style, finding that groups living in close proximity can develop similar styles to each ...

Killer Whales Breathe Just Once Between Dives, Study Confirms

May 15, 2024 — A new study has confirmed a long-held assumption: that orcas take just one breath between dives. The researchers used drone footage and biological data from tags suction-cupped to 11 northern and ...

Parasitic Worm Likely Playing Role in Decline of Moose Populations

May 15, 2024 — A parasitic worm that can infest the brains of moose appears to be playing a role in the decline of the iconic animal in some regions of North America. Moose populations have been dwindling for years ...

Iconic Baobabs: The Origin and Long-Distance Travels of Upside Down Trees

May 15, 2024 — The research cracks the code on the iconic baobab tree's origin story, revealing their surprising origins in Madagascar and incredible long-distance dispersals to Africa and Australia. The study ...

Some Mice May Owe Their Monogamy to a Newly Evolved Type of Cell

May 15, 2024 — What makes the oldfield mouse steadfastly monogamous throughout its life while its closest rodent relatives are promiscuous? The answer may be a previously unknown hormone-generating cell. Scientists ...

Tiger Beetles Fight Off Bat Attacks With Ultrasonic Mimicry

May 15, 2024 — When tiger beetles hear a bat nearby, they respond by creating a high-pitched, ultrasonic noise, and for the past 30 years, no one has known why. In a new study, scientists lay the mystery to rest by ...

Most Dangerous Areas for Whale Shark-Shipping Vessel Collisions Revealed

May 14, 2024 — Heavily-used shipping lanes that pass through whale shark feeding grounds pose a threat to the species, according to scientists who have revealed areas where the creatures are at the highest ...

Young Whale's Journey Highlights Threats Facing Ocean Animals

May 14, 2024 — A young whale's journey across the Mediterranean highlights the many threats facing ocean animals, researchers ...

High Genetic Diversity Discovered in South African Leopards

May 14, 2024 — Researchers say the discovery of very high genetic diversity in leopards found in the Highveld region of South Africa has increased the need for conservation efforts to protect leopards in the ...

In Medieval England, Leprosy Spread Between Red Squirrels and People, Genome Evidence Shows

May 3, 2024 — Evidence from archaeological sites in the medieval English city of Winchester shows that English red squirrels once served as an important host for Mycobacterium leprae strains that caused leprosy in ...

Protecting Endangered Monkeys from Poachers, Habitat Loss

Apr. 30, 2024 — The 17 species of red colobus monkey living across Africa, including in the Tai Project field station region, have been singled out by scientists as a priority conservation target. Protection of ...

Long Snouts Protect Foxes When Diving Headfirst in Snow

Apr. 29, 2024 — When hunting for mice in winter, red and arctic fox are known to plunge headfirst at speeds of 2-4 meters per second, but their sharp noses reduce the impact force in snow and protect them from ...

Study Reveals Cancer Vulnerabilities in Popular Dog Breeds

Apr. 29, 2024 — Medium-sized dogs have a higher risk of developing cancer than the very largest or smallest breeds, according to a new ...

Florida Dolphin Found With Highly Pathogenic Avian Flu

Apr. 26, 2024 — Report details first-ever finding of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus in North American ...

With Hybrid Brains, These Mice Smell Like a Rat

Apr. 25, 2024 — Mice lacking an olfactory system have had their sense of smell restored with neurons from rats, the first time scientists have successfully integrated the sensory apparatus of one species into ...

Deer Are Expanding North, and That's Not Good for Caribou

Apr. 25, 2024 — In the boreal forest of Western Canada, researchers have considered that both changing climate and increased habitat alteration have enabled deer to push farther ...

Laser Technology Offers Breakthrough in Detecting Illegal Ivory

Apr. 24, 2024 — A new way of quickly distinguishing between illegal elephant ivory and legal mammoth tusk ivory could prove critical to fighting the illegal ivory trade. A laser-based approach could be used by ...

Lemur's Lament: When One Vulnerable Species Stalks Another

Apr. 19, 2024 — What can be done when one threatened animal kills another? Scientists studying critically endangered lemurs in Madagascar confronted this difficult reality when they witnessed attacks on lemurs by ...

Octopus Inspires New Suction Mechanism for Robots

Apr. 18, 2024 — A new robotic suction cup which can grasp rough, curved and heavy stone, has been developed by ...