Animal Science Thread (Non Human)

[Robertvincent]

Zebra stripes evolved to keep biting flies at bay

Why zebras evolved their characteristic black-and-white stripes has been the subject of decades of debate among scientists.

Now researchers from Hungary and Sweden claim to have solved the mystery.

The stripes, they say, came about to keep away blood-sucking flies.

BBC Nature - Zebra stripes evolved to keep biting flies at bay

[Robertvincent]

Razor-sharp scales help sharks speed through the water

Skin generates tiny whirlpools that pull the beasts along, researchers find

Razor-sharp scales on their skin seem to make it easier for sharks to race through the water, by generating whirlpools that help pull them along, researchers say.

This research eventually could lead to an artificial shark skin that enhances the swimming of underwater robots, the researchers add.

Razor-sharp scales let sharks swim speedily - Technology & science - Science - LiveScience - msnbc.com

[Robertvincent]

The amazing ginger mammoth: Ice Age creature killed by cavemen is found perfectly preserved after 10,000 years

The shaggy ginger coat is just as bright as it was when the animal wandered over the ice-covered terrain.

Its eyes, foot pads and even internal organs are all intact. Yet this is a young woolly mammoth – which lived more than 10,000 years ago.

Its perfectly preserved body was discovered in the frozen ground of Siberia by tusk-hunters, who handed it over to scientists.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...#ixzz1rEV2wW2S

[Robertvincent]

Shark teeth have built-in toothpaste — and no cavities

Study helps to explain why the predators are so effective at tearing or cutting their prey




The ample teeth and jaw of a great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias)

An in-depth look at shark teeth has found that they contain fluoride, the active ingredient of most toothpaste and dental care mouthwashes.

It helps to explain why sharks are so effective at either tearing or cutting prey. Their teeth are perfectly designed for such tasks, never suffering from cavities, according to the study, recently published in the Journal of Structural Biology.

While shark teeth contain the mineral fluoroapatite (fluorinated calcium phosphate), the teeth of humans and other mammals contain hydroxyapatite, which is an inorganic constituent also found in bone, explained co-author Matthias Epple.

Shark teeth have built-in toothpaste - Technology & science - Science - DiscoveryNews.com - NBCNews.com

[Nordic Angel]

Zebra stripes evolved to keep biting flies at bay

Why zebras evolved their characteristic black-and-white stripes has been the subject of decades of debate among scientists.

Now researchers from Hungary and Sweden claim to have solved the mystery.

The stripes, they say, came about to keep away blood-sucking flies.

BBC Nature - Zebra stripes evolved to keep biting flies at bay

The question to be asked is.....If the stripes on the Zebra evolved for the purpose of resisting flies....Why didn't the dark coated horses evolve stripes?

[Robertvincent]

Scientists discover new species of 'blind snake' in Brazilian river that looks remarkably like a piece of the human anatomy (and stop s******ing)

Forgive us if this puts you off your dinner because, as snakes go, this is not much of a charmer.

The unique creature, atretochoana eiselti, was found after engineers drained a hydroelectric dam which spans a river connected to the Amazon.

Biologists discovered six of the unusual-looking creatures - each about a metre long - at the bottom of the river-bed on the Madeira river in Rondonia, in Brazil.

Read more: Scientists discover new species of 'blind snake' in Brazilian river (and please stop s******ing at the back) | Mail Online __________________

[Robertvincent]

Mystery of elephant infrasounds revealed

Elephants can communicate using very low frequency sounds, with pitches below the range of human hearing. These low-frequency sounds, termed "infrasounds", can travel several kilometers, and provide elephants with a "private" communication channel that plays an important role in elephants' complex social life. Their frequencies are as low as the lowest notes of a pipe organ.


Although the sounds themselves have been studied for many years, it has remained unclear exactly how elephant infrasounds are made. One possibility, favored by some scientists, is that the elephants tense and relax the muscles in their larynx (or "voice box") for each pulse of sound. This mechanism, similar to cats purring, can produce sounds as low in pitch as desired, but the sounds produced are generally not very powerful.

Mystery of elephant infrasounds revealed

[Robertvincent]

Huge Burmese python caught in Florida

Female snake, which was pregnant with 87 eggs and measured over five metres long, is largest ever found in US state



Florida Museum of Natural History researchers examine the internal anatomy of the largest Burmese python found to date.

The biggest Burmese python ever caught in Florida, over five metres (17ft) long and weighing 74kg (11st 9lb), has been found in Everglades national park, the University of Florida said on Monday.

The snake was pregnant with 87 eggs, also said to be a record. Scientists said the python's stats show just how pervasive the invasive snakes, which are native to south-east Asia, have become in south Florida.

Huge Burmese python caught in Florida | World news | guardian.co.uk

[Robertvincent]

New Genitalia-Headed Fish Is Evolutionary Mystery



Both the male (top) and female of P. cuulong bear their genitalia behind their mouths.

How's this for a head turner? A tiny new species of fish from Vietnam sports its genitalia on its noggin.

Phallostethus cuulong is only the 22nd known species of its family, Phallostethidae, all of which bear their copulatory organs just behind their mouths.

As with all Phallostethus—"***** chest" in Greek—species, the male uses its bony "priapium" to clasp a female while he inserts sperm into her urogenital opening, also located on the head, said Lynne Parenti, curator of fishes at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

New Genitalia-Headed Fish Is Evolutionary Mystery

[Robertvincent]

Eats, flips, shoots and leaves: Scientists solve the mystery of why pandas like to do a handstand when they urinate (and say it is to mark their territory)

If you go down to the woods in China today, you're in for a big surprise.

Researchers have uncovered the mystery behind one of the oddest animal behaviours ever found - male pandas performing a handstand when they urinate.

There is a purpose to this gymnastic feat, however, for an upside-down panda can get his pee higher up a tree - allowing him to spread his scent further afield and therefore increase his chances during the limited mating window.

Scroll down for video:

Going up: A panda in the Qinling Mountains region of China makes a handstand in order to mark his territory



Once he's found the right position, the panda can leave a high water-mark on the tree bark

Like many species, pandas mark their territory, and with a rapidly dwindling population, it is crucial that the males can make their presence known to ensure successful mating.

How pandas like to pee on a tree while doing a handstand to mark their territory | Mail Online

[Robertvincent]

Scientists discover new monkey species in Congo



A new species of monkey found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and identified as lesula (Cercopithecus lomamiensis).

A team of scientists has identified a new species of monkey in central Africa that had been known to the locals simply as lesula, a medium-sized, slender animal that looks similar to an owl-faced monkey that was already known to scientists.

Read more: Scientists discover new monkey species in Congo

[Robertvincent]

Virgin births discovered in wild snakes



A virgin female and her son

A form of virgin birth has been found in wild vertebrates for the first time.

Researchers in the US caught pregnant females from two snake species and genetically analysed the litters.

That proved the North American pit vipers reproduced without a male, a phenomenon called facultative parthenogenesis that has previously been found only in captive species.

Scientists say the findings could change our understanding of animal reproduction and vertebrate evolution.

BBC Nature - Virgin births discovered in wild snakes

[Robertvincent]

Toothless Rat from Sulawesi Stuns Biologists

A nearly toothless shrew rat has been discovered on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia by an international group of biologists led by Dr Jacob Esselstyn of McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada.

The rodent, called Paucidentomys vermidax, appears to eat soft, easy-to-chew earthworms. Because of its unique diet, the rat is lacking all of its molars, leaving it only with incisors. All of the planet’s other 2,200 known species of rat have most, if not all, of their teeth.

Toothless Rat from Sulawesi Stuns Biologists | Biology | Sci-News.com

[Robertvincent]

Hyenas are as bright as primates, research shows

They were depicted as slobbering, slow-witted beasts by Disney in the hit movie The Lion King, but hyenas are far more intelligent than they have been given credit for.

Wild spotted hyenas, when presented with a steel puzzle box that contained food, used trial and error to work out how to open the door.

New research has revealed the African carnivores are adept at solving problems and can even “count”. Scientists now believe the animals may have intelligence levels that match some primates.

The animals, which are highly social, have been found to assess the size of a competing pack which is invading their territory, by listening to their calls. They will only confront the intruders if the “count” shows they have a numerical advantage.

Hyenas are as bright as primates, research shows - Telegraph

[Robertvincent]

Lemon sharks 'learn' skills by watching each other



Lemon sharks have the ability to learn from each other's behaviour, scientists have found.

The team compared the performance of inexperienced juvenile sharks working with both trained and untrained partners.

The results showed that sharks working with trained partners could complete tasks more quickly and successfully.

The study is thought to be the first to demonstrate social learning in any cartilaginous fish.

BBC Nature - Lemon sharks 'learn' skills by watching each other

[Robertvincent]

New Snake from Panama Says ‘Nay’ to Overexploitation

Biologists from the Senckenberg Research Institute in Frankfurt, Germany, have discovered a new species of snail-eater in the highlands of western Panama.



Adult individual of Sibon noalamina

The new snake, called Sibon noalamina, is completely harmless for humans. The light and dark-ringed reptile at first sight resembles a well-known and widespread species of snail-eater. However, closer examination revealed the non-venomous snake to represent a hitherto unknown species.

New Snake from Panama Says

[Robertvincent]

How did tabby get its stripes? Same way cheetah got its spots

New study finds the same gene is responsible, and that mutations of it change patterns

From where does a tabby cat get its stripes? The same place cheetahs get their spots.

A new study finds the same gene that is responsible for the cheetah's color patterns causes a tabby's stripes. Mutations in this newly identified gene transform a tabby's typical striped pattern into a less familiar "blotched" look. In cheetahs, similar mutations smear spots into thick stripes.

Found: Gene that gave tabby its stripes - Technology & science - Science - LiveScience | NBC News

A tabby cat with a "blotched" color pattern, above, and a tabby with a typical mackerel striped pattern, below.

[Robertvincent]

Tiny seahorse spotted in underwater Google Street View

As Street View takes the plunge underwater, you will not see a man with a horse's head but you might be able to spot this tiny Denise's pygmy seahorse, Hippocampus denise. The species was confirmed in Australian waters for the first time during the underwater Catlin Seaview Survey, which is mapping the world's reefs to create a watery Google Street View.

The seahorse was found at the Great Barrier Reef, off Heron Island, at a depth of 92 metres.

Short Sharp Science: Tiny seahorse spotted in underwater Google Street View

[Robertvincent]

The 'vampire squid from hell' that refuses to kill: Scientists find bizarre animal feeds on the rotting remains of dead sea creatures

Despite being discovered over 100 years ago, the vampire squid has remained one of the ocean's most mysterious animals.

However, researchers have now made a shocking discovery - despite being named Vampyroteuthis infernalis, meaning 'vampire squid from hell', the bizarre animal actually doesn't kill prey.

Instead it uses two thread-like filaments to capture bits of organic debris that sink down from the ocean surface into the deep sea.

This underwater photo shows a vampire squid with a particle of marine detritus in its mouth. Researchers discovered that vampire squids do not eat live prey.

The 'vampire squid from hell' that refuses to kill: Scientists find bizarre animal feeds on plankton and the rotting remains of dead fish | Mail Online

[Robertvincent]

For elephants, deciding to leave watering hole demands conversation

In the wilds of Africa, when it’s time for a family of elephants gathered at a watering hole to leave, the matriarch of the group gives the “let’s-go rumble” — as it’s referred to in scientific literature — kicking off a coordinated and well-timed conversation, of sorts, between the leaders of the clan.

First, the head honcho moves away from the group, turns her back and gives a long, slightly modulated and — to human ears — soft rumble while steadily flapping her ears. This spurs a series of back and forth vocalizations, or rumbles, within the group before the entire family finally departs.

This curious behavior, measured and documented in a study published in the October issue of Bioacoustics, shows how this cognitively advanced species uses well-coordinated “conversations” to initiate cooperation within the group, said lead author Caitlin O’Connell-Rodwell, PhD, a field biologist and instructor in otolaryngology at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Read more at For elephants, deciding to leave watering hole demands conversation | ScienceBlog.com