Wild Things: Life as We Know It
Bats’ barotrauma, fallow deer, Tahitian vanilla, lucky dinosaurs
![A fallow deer](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/1sLPOS7DHtmY_IjdYTzsa1_KW_s=/1000x750/filters:no_upscale()/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/wildthings_nov08_631.jpg)
Observed
![A fallow deer](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/hQfBOu0EqBWLIt9UvJvq2pLNpB4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/wildthings_nov08_520.jpg)
Bucks: Fight among themselves and issue repeated calls, known technically as groans, during the rut.
Does: Pick a mate by listening to the males' groans.
Scientists: Have determined what females listen for. Researchers at the University of Zurich found that the acoustical properties of a buck's groan are related less to his size than his social rank—and that does mate with a dominant buck more often. It's the first time auditory discernment of social dominance has been found in animals other than primates.
Mystery Deaths Solved
![bats](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/QVAzuN07kaPD2Il24gufBKmfr-o=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/wildthings_nov08_2.jpg)
Dinosaurs Lucked Out
![Effigia dinosaur](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/rCIOExJ6SvqA9xTWKKLH13CkgbM=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/wildthings_nov08_3.jpg)
Mayan Delicacy
![vanilla beans](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/LszddLUFM7GyZP7o7gbOdt4r0Dw=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/wildthings_nov08_4.jpg)
Not Such A Birdbrain After All
![Birds can recognize themselves in a mirror](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/hyYI0_Vbu7n2kKbgmJqRb0USdS4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/wildthings_nov08_5.jpg)