A Year of Wild Things — Orcas, Alligators, Caterpillars, Lizards, and More!

The Wild Things column in the magazine is, by far, the most fun part to work on

20110520104022wildthings_aug08_2.jpg
Feedloader (Clickability)

The Wild Things column in the magazine is, by far, the most fun part to work on. The meetings in which we review potential papers and discuss what would make a good mix for the page often turns into half a dozen adults drowning in giggles. Read on and you'll see what kept us laughing throughout the year.

January: Orcas working together to create waves that wash their prey--seals and penguins--off of ice floes

February: The Lily White flower has a set of roots just for digging

March: Hubble Space Telescope software adapted to identify whale sharks

April: A parasite makes the abdomen of its ant host look like a berry

May: The American alligator adjusts its lungs to maneuver

June: Whiskered auklets use feathers for feelers

July: Juvenile locusts have some cannibalistic tendencies

August: Zombie caterpillars

September: Lizards popping wheelies

October: Pen-tailed tree shrews drink alcohol but don't appear to get drunk

November: Female fallow deer judge mates by their groans

December: Self-sacrificing ants

Get the latest Science stories in your inbox.