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Ecology

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There's More to That

Birds, Bats and Bugs: The Teeming World Above Our Heads

Researchers are finally able to catch a glimpse of the life filling the skies, and they want to protect it

Cameras captured nematodes attaching themselves to electrically charged fruit flies. 

These Parasitic Worms Use Static Electricity to Hitch a Ride on Flies

The tiny experiment yielded big results, showing how nematodes hop onto fruit fly hosts

Researchers collected images of lizards with missing limbs from experts around the world. Pictured here: an American green anole.

These ‘Pirate Lizards’ Thrive With Three Legs

A new study finds that many lizards with missing limbs fare surprisingly well despite their impairment

Green sea turtles are rebounding, thanks to global conservation efforts.

After Decades of Decline, Some Good News Is Here for Green Sea Turtles

The International Union for Conservation of Nature no longer considers the marine creatures endangered and has instead reclassified them as a species of least concern

A dusky shark swims in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Hadera, Israel, where dusky sharks and sandbar sharks tend to gather.

Why Do Sharks Go Into Feeding Frenzies? A Case Study of a Recent, Unusual Attack on a Human Looks for Answers

After multiple dusky sharks killed a swimmer off Israel’s coast this year, scientists investigated what might have triggered the attack in hopes of preventing similar incidents

Ecological scent detection dog Circe searches for Canelo Hills ladies’ tresses in the tall vegetation

This Rare, Endangered Orchid Only Exists in Two Locations. Can Dogs, Cows and Fungi Help It Thrive?

A Smithsonian ecologist is trying to restore the plant, Spiranthes delitescens, which grows on Arizona’s sky islands

Bison graze near the north entrance of Yellowstone National Park in Gardiner, Montana.

Restoring Bison to Yellowstone Has ‘Reawakened’ the Ecosystem as the Large Animals Migrate, Study Suggests

An analysis of plant diversity and soil health across the bison migration corridor suggests free-roaming bison lead to more nutrient-rich plants

The sailback houndshark was first described as a new genus and species in 1973.

Elusive Sailback Houndshark Rediscovered in Papua New Guinea After 50 Years

The creatures are occasionally caught by local fishermen but hadn’t been scientifically recorded since the 1970s

Aside from his bright blue shell, Neptune is an otherwise normal lobster.

See the Rare ‘Electric Blue’ Lobster Found Off the Coast of Massachusetts

Meet Neptune, an American lobster with a vibrantly colored shell that results from a genetic mutation affecting pigmentation

The American robin was among the birds most affected by light pollution.

Light Pollution Is Making Days Longer for Birds, Extending the Hours When They’ll Sing

A new study looked at millions of recordings of birdsong and found that some species in areas with more light pollution are active for almost an hour longer than average

Researchers often observed a family of bats roosting together in tight "cuddle balls."

These Big, Meat-Eating Bats Also Have a Cuddly Side. Rare Videos Reveal ‘Hugging,’ Playing and Sharing Food

Scientists observed a family of four spectral bats in their roost in a tree in Costa Rica, capturing an inside look at their social behavior

Scientists find that streaked shearwaters poop every four to ten minutes in flight—a strict schedule that doesn't apply when they're sitting on the water's surface.

Video Footage Accidentally Reveals the Strange Pooping Behavior of These Large Seabirds

Researchers set out to investigate how streaked shearwaters take off and instead were surprised to discover that the birds poop very frequently and regularly, which could play a role in marine ecology

Scientists found evidence of "inbreeding depression" among eastern massasauga rattlesnakes in Michigan.

Habitat Loss Is Leading to Inbreeding Among Michigan’s Only Species of Venomous Snake

Roads, buildings and other manmade barriers are preventing the small pit vipers from slithering around to find mates from other populations

A bottlenose dolphin is seen "bow riding," or swimming just in front of a humpback whale, potentially getting a boost from the wave created by the larger mammal.

Whales and Dolphins Interact More Often Than Scientists Thought, Engaging in Mutual Play, Study Suggests

Researchers analyzed nearly 200 videos and photographs documenting interactions between the various kinds of cetaceans

Weaver ants link their bodies together to form chains while bending leaves to create their elaborate dwellings.

Weaver Ants Use Teamwork to Become ‘Superefficient,’ Building Complex Nests From Leaves With Extra Pulling Power

When humans work in large teams, they become less individually effective. But each ant grows more efficient when collaborating—a discovery that could help engineers build better robots

Only a small fraction of the world’s fisheries—roughly 2 percent—are currently monitored by observers, meaning the vast majority of fishing activity, including the bycatch of protected species, happens without oversight.

Could Artificial Intelligence Make It Easier and Safer to Monitor Fisheries?

New A.I. analysis systems aim to count fish and identify species, streamlining the time-intensive process of recording commercial fishing activity

Sea star wasting disease, seen here, makes starfish melt into goo or sludge.

Researchers Discover the Culprit Behind a Gruesome Disease That Makes Sea Stars Lose Their Limbs and Melt

A new study points a finger at a strain of the bacterium Vibrio pectenicida, which belongs to the same genus as Vibrio cholerae, known for causing cholera in humans

Scientists filmed the way killer whales hunt together. These images show one of the animals turning toward the other after a tail slap delivers a shock to herring.

Killer Whales Hunt Fish in Highly Coordinated Pairs and Perfect Their Movements With Practice, Drone Videos Reveal

Footage taken off the coast of Norway reveals that orcas team up to maximize their prey, according to a new study

Due to conservation efforts, more than 240 kākāpō live on sanctuary islands, but the species remains critically endangered.

New Zealand’s Massive Green Parrots Have Narrowly Avoided Extinction. But Many of Their Parasites Did Not Survive

A study examining fossilized droppings reveals the kākāpō has faced a decline in the diversity of its parasites—and that might not be a good thing

Aspen trees are making a comeback at Yellowstone National Park.

Reintroduced Wolves Are Helping Baby Aspen Trees Flourish in Northern Yellowstone for the First Time in 80 Years, Study Suggests

The apex predators, restored to the park in 1995, appear to be keeping the local population of plant-eating elk in check, which allows aspen saplings to grow tall and healthy

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