Wild Things: Spider Monkeys, Fire Ants, Hagfish and More…
Dinosaur “thunder thighs” and fast-flying moths
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Monkey See, Do
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Learn more about spider monkeys at the Encyclopedia of Life.
Beyond The Tortoise and The Hare
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Learn more about the silver Y moth at the Encyclopedia of Life.
Yes, They Call It "Thunder Thighs"
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A U.S. Export That Stings
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Learn more about fire ants at the Encyclopedia of Life.
Observed
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Inside Out: Hagfish, which evolved hundreds of millions of years ago, are known for burrowing into the bodies of dead or dying fish and eating their way out.
Outside In: Hagfish also absorb nutrients through their skin and gills as they wallow. These "novel nutrient acquisition pathways," report Chris Glover of New Zealand's University of Canterbury and co- authors, hadn't been seen in a vertebrate.
Midstream: The authors call the dual-ingestion method a "transitory state" between aquatic invertebrates (many of which absorb food) and vertebrates (which eat it).
Learn more about the Pacific hagfish at the Encyclopedia of Life.