Animals doing stuff

Our favorite headline so far today: "Orcas may be able to make and use tools, with a little kelp from their friends.'''

From NBC News: "Researchers using a new drone say they have observed killer whales finding and modifying stalks of kelp to preen each other."

https://flip.it/N59ZRs

#Orca #Whales #Ocean #Science #MarineBiology #Animals

Humans aren't the only species using tools — or DIY beauty products, for that matter. @ScienceAlert shares this story about orcas fashioning pieces of kelp so that they can groom each other as they swim.

https://flip.it/2aeve6

#Science #Nature #Whales #Animals #Orcas

Why do birds sing at dawn? A new study knocks down a popular hypothesis.

From @npr: https://flip.it/BqrJ2t

#Birds #Birding #Science #Animals #Nature #Wildlife

Millions of birds fly thousands of miles every year to reach their seasonal destinations. How do they know where they’re going? Some of the answers are still beyond human comprehension. @LiveScience explains:

https://flip.it/8Oc-50

#Science #Animals #Birds

An invisible line separating Asia and Africa has set up a boundary that most wildlife never cross, not even birds. It’s been this way for tens of millions of years. @ScienceAlert explains:

https://flip.it/7TsqK5

#Science #Animals #Nature #Africa #Asia

Messy friendship. #grickledoodle #horror #movies #animals #cartoon #art #drawing #funny

Elusive woolly rat photographed for the first time.

From @[email protected]: "The 4.4 lbs rodent is native to Papua New Guinea's mountain rainforests."

https://flip.it/lwR0BM

#Animals #Rat #PapuaNewGuinea #Environment #Wildlife

Our favorite headline so far today: "I bought a robot cat for my rabbit — and fell Into the weird world of animal-robot research."

From the MIT Press Reader: https://flip.it/ZID.C_

#Animals #Robots #Science #Computing #Ethics

Clownfish shrink their bodies to survive ocean heat waves.

@AssociatedPress reports: "Fish that slimmed were more likely to survive."

https://flip.it/MFU.lG

#Fish #Animals #Science #ClimateChange

Windows are the No. 1 human threat to birds. An ecologist shares some simple steps to reduce collisions for @[email protected].

"Two recent scientific studies estimate that more than 1 billion birds ... die from collisions with sheet glass each year in the U.S. alone."

https://flip.it/bnRINJ

#Birds #Animals #Environment #Ecology #Science

What to do if you find a baby bird out of its nest.

From @[email protected]: "Your first aim upon finding a chick out of its nest is to work out whether it has accidentally fallen or is simply taking its first steps out of the nest."

https://flip.it/M1tqle

#Birds #Spring #Animals #Wildlife #Science

In a baffling case, capuchin monkeys are caught on camera kidnapping howler monkey babies.

@AssociatedPress reports: https://flip.it/-UXoiX

#Animals #Monkey #Science #Primatology #Panama

Chimps' rhythmic drumming and complex calls hint at origins of human language.

@npr reports on two new studies: https://flip.it/4Xy7D7

#Animals #Language #Science #Evolution #Anthropology

Can you guess the most dangerous animal at Yosemite National Park in the U.S.? Hint: It isn't snakes or humans.

From @[email protected]: https://flip.it/ldNbmo

#Animals #Wildlife #NationalPark #Yosemite #Deer

Dogania subplana (Malayan softshell turtle) in Deer Cave, Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia.
The turtle is in shallow water, the bottom of which has a layer of guano from the bats that inhabit the cave.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/255586236
#animals #batguano #borneo #deercave #doganiasubplana #guano #guarusa #gunungmulunationalpark #labilabi #malayansoftshellturtle #malaysia #mulu #nature #reptiles #sarawak #trionychidae #turtle #wildlife

Many forest reserves in southern Cameroon, despite being highly degraded and fragmented, harbor significant biodiversity.

A recent study using camera traps in two such forest reserves captured the first evidence of great apes — a gorilla and several chimpanzees — foraging in and navigating the mosaic of fragmented landscapes.

By Spoorthy Raman
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/in-cameroons-forgotten-forests-gorillas-and-chimps-hang-on/

#News #Conservation #Environment #Wildlife #Apes #Animals #Cameroon

Established in 1928, one of the world’s most prolific research stations is located in the Colorado mountains.

@[email protected] visits the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, where at least 200 researchers work each summer.

https://flip.it/eEFr_N

#Research #Biology #Animals #Colorado #Science

A rare New Zealand snail is filmed for the first time laying an egg from its neck.

From @AssociatedPress: "What looks like a tiny hen’s egg is seen emerging from an opening below the head of the Powelliphanta augusta snail, a threatened species."

https://flip.it/rOB_A0

#Snail #Animals #Endangered #Science #NewZealand

Bird flu is continuing to spread in animals across the U.S.

@abc reports: "So far, 70 human cases have been confirmed, according to the CDC."

https://flip.it/HgGeuP

#BirdFlu #Animals #Disease #Science #Agriculture

U.S. senators press Trump administration on how it will protect endangered species.

From @AssociatedPress: "At issue is a long-standing definition of “harm” in the Endangered Species Act, which has included altering or destroying the places those species live — the No. 1 cause of extinction."

https://flip.it/geUcSU

#Animals #EndangeredSpecies #Environment #Trump #USPolitics

Scientists once thought only humans could bob to music. Ronan the sea lion helped prove them wrong.

From @AssociatedPress: "The 15-year-old California sea lion’s talent shines most in bobbing to disco hits like 'Boogie Wonderland.'"

https://flip.it/lRQmU7

#Animals #Music #Science #SeaLion #Neuroscience

Keep this in mind before the next wedding reception you attend: If a sea lion can improve its sense of rhythm, maybe you can, too. A sea lion named Ronan first made headlines years ago by nodding her head in time with music — a skill thought to be unique to humans. Now, she’s even better at it. @sciencefocus has more:

https://flip.it/Ymdj9r

#Science #Animals #Music #Neuroscience

Snakes have bitten this man hundreds of times. His blood could help make a better treatment. 🐍

From @AssociatedPress: "Hoping to protect himself from snake bites ... he began injecting himself with small doses of snake venom and then slowly increased the amount to try to build up tolerance. He would then let snakes bite him."

https://flip.it/3NGZLx

#Snake #Animals #Medicine #Science #Venom

"The story of two of the strangest animals on the planet just got a little stranger, thanks to clues revealed by a lone fossil specimen that scientists now say represents a long-extinct ancestor."

@CNN reports on new research about the platypus and echidna: https://flip.it/oVv82B

#Animals #Evolution #Science #Biology

Young bats learn to be discriminating when listening for their next meal.

From @ConversationUS: "Over the years, our research team has learned a great deal from frog-eating bats about how sound and echolocation are used to find prey, as well as the role of learning and memory in foraging success."

https://flip.it/623ccr

#Animals #Bats #Biology #Science