zooillogix
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The Japanese public watched in fascination last month as the first manta ray birth in captivity was broadcast nationwide from the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium. Adult manta rays are large with ,Aeuwingspans,Aeu up to 25,Aeo across. However, baby manta rays are hardly guppies, emerging from their mother…
Turns out that honey bees might not have the ideal socialist society after all. Researchers at Otago University in New Zealand have discovered that worker bees behave like drones because of a powerful, brainwashing pheromone released by the queen. The queen bee prevents aggressive behavior in the…
Scientists at Holar University College and the University of Iceland have identified two species of amphipods which have likely survived since well before the last ice age. Quoted in an article in Nature-Science, Bjarni K. Kristjansson, the scientist who made the discovery, says, "These finding can…
In a story that needs no embellishment, the Iranian state news agency, IRNA, is reporting that fourteen "spy squirrels" were captured infiltrating Iran. According to IRNA: "In recent weeks, intelligence operatives have arrested 14 squirrels within Iran's borders. The squirrels were carrying spy…
Elephants migrating into Angola seem to have learned how to avoid land mines, according to an article in National Geographic. During Angola's long and gruesome civil war, thousands of elephants were slaughtered. Since peace has returned, so have the pachyderms.
Specifically, the elephants are…
Locals deep in the forests of the Congo have told stories of massive, lion-eating chimps for more than 200 years. Called bili apes or Bondo mystery apes, these creatures had previously been considered as scientifically important as the Loch Ness monster, Bigfoot and the theory of intelligent design…
Late last month the Genesis II Pathfinder spacecraft was delivered into orbit and along with it went a bold group of unwitting arthropods. Bigelow Aerospace was founded in 1999 with the vision of creating orbital hotels for "space tourists." In an equally lucrative move, this Space Camp for bugs…
The BBC is reporting that the British military is being blamed for a plague of ferocious badgers in and around the city of Basra. Apparently word has spread quickly among local residents that "man-eating, bear-like beasts" were released in order to sow panic.
A vicious honey badger hungry for…
And yet more troubling bird imagery from the same friends who brought us Deviled Ostrich Egg and Baby Cockatiel:
Bentley's Bio courtesy of friend Pat Deering from New Mexico
Bentley is a deformed duckling. His neck is bent down and around to his left side. If he is ,Aeufacing,Aeu forward, his head…
The great majority of cabbage aphids are peace-loving.
To aphids, ladybugs are infidels. And what's the greatest way to stop an infidel? A suicide bomb of course! In order to stave off their ladybug enemies, cabbage aphids strike back with internally produced, mustard oil bombs. The mustard oil--…
In the frigid waters off the coast of Norway lives a massive coral reef. With a footprint of over 40 kilometers across, the Rost Reef was discovered by echo sound equipment in 2002. Though the water at the bottom is only 2 degrees Centigrade above freezing, the reef is host to abundant life from…
Scientists have long known that birds develop local dialects, but they didn't know that birds' languages can go out of style with the times. According to an article in England's Daily Mail, behavioral ecologist Elizabeth Derryberry tested songs of male whitecrowned sparrows from the 1970's against…
Buddenbrockia plumatellae
Discovered in 1851, the Buddenbrockia worm has long confounded scientists--it seems like a worm, but has some very unworm-like characteristics. Unlike similar looking creatures, such as nematodes, the Buddenbrockia's body does not have separate organs. Its insides are…
So maybe it doesn't "terrorize" so much as it "fascinates" nerds like us, but nevertheless, a truly bizarre critter has emerged from the depths of the Pacific. Researchers at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii used a 3,000 foot hose to suck the hapless cephalopod up from the black depths off…
The accidental product of a study abroad program in Italy, Eclyse is a visually fascinating example of mixed genetic material. Eclyse's mother was a zebra living at a German safari park. When she was sent on loan to Italy, she was allowed to roam free in an enclosure with both horses and zebras.…
Japanese fisherman and power plants have been under siege over the last year by giant jellyfish. While the cause of the swarming is unknown, the nuisance is severe. Growing to almost 500lbs, Nemopelima nomurai destroys fishing nets and poisons fish when trapped in nets. Their smaller brethren, the…
Scientists interested in treating infertility in humans are turning to an unlikely source for inspiration: naked mole-rats. The rats--actually more closely related to porcupines and chinchillas than moles or rats--live in large colonies much like ants. In these colonies, one dominant female called…
Mandarin Goby, Synchiropus splendidus
Researchers from James Cook University in North Queensland, Australia have made a startling discovery: gobies intentionally deprive themselves of food to avoid conflict with their rulers. Goby society is lorded over by the largest males and females and these…
But I just want to cuddle! Bathynomus giganteus
In what might be described as the world's most destructive termite problem, Hotboro Island is actually being eaten away by isopods only about an inch long. Isopods are not in fact insects, but primitive crustaceans ranging in size from the size of a…
A Maclaud's horseshoe bat (being held in a glove) poses for the ladies...
For the first time, scientists photographed a Maclaud's horseshoe bat in the forests of Guinea in West Africa. These bats had not been seen in the wild in over 40 years. The featured photo was snapped by German biologist…
Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Barbara-Anne......
According to a new study from Cornell University, African electric fish engage in a dueling performance of electric pulses when in courtship. Scientists had known that the fish emitted electric signals to explore their surroundings and communicate sex and social…
Firefighters in Pocatello, Idaho, pulled the lifeless bodies of four cats and an albino rat from a blaze and then managed to bring them back back to life through artificial resuscitation. The fire department had purchased tiny oxygen masks for use on small animals two years ago.
Do cats hear "wha-…
Triops australiensisWhere the hell were these things when I was a kid? Triops are small crustaceans in the class branchiopoda, that grow quickly and massively, reaching three inches or longer at full size. Their external appearance has apparently not changed since the appearance of Triops…
Tougher than steel and Kevlar, the silk of the black widow spider has long been coveted by manufacturing companies, defense contractors and comic-book reading nerds as a possible material of the future.
Scientists have spent years decoding pieces of the spiders' silk making genes, but now Nadia…
Don't look at me, I'm hideously bloated!
Researchers at Ben-Gurion University in Negev, Israel, have identified whiteleg shrimp as the only known species where the male has a reproductive cycle or "period." The male whitelegs--actually a type of prawn--generate two sperm packets per month which…
Ever wonder where sea creatures have been or where they're headed? Thanks to marvelous modern technology and an ambitious team of prestigious scientific organizations, now you can watch in almost real-time! Since 2002, Tagging of Pacific Pelagic (TOPPS) research project has tagged over 2,000…
Next up Giraffe Dog, Zebra Dog, and Genera Hypercolor Dog!
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