Scientists have reported the first known case of a cow using a tool. Veronika, a pet cow in Austria, was studied as she used a broom to scratch different parts of her body. The study suggests that cows may be a lot smarter than many people believe.
Posts tagged as “animals”
Scientists have long known that some dogs can learn the names of lots of toys. Now, a recent study shows that these dogs can even learn the names of new toys just by listening in while people talk about the toys. This is a skill that young children have, but dogs usually don't.
Scientists have discovered that two different kinds of sea animals – orcas and dolphins – may be working together to hunt for salmon. Orcas and dolphins are both clever, but it's unusual for two different kinds of animals to cooperate in this way.
In 2021, the Heiltsuk Nation in Canada set traps to catch invasive European green crabs. The traps kept getting destroyed, and no one knew how. When scientists set up a camera to learn what was going on, they got a surprise: a clever wolf had used a series of complicated steps to get food from the trap.
By exploring deep under the Southern Ocean, researchers have discovered 30 unusual species that are new to science. The species include a sponge that eats animals, worms that eat bones, and several news sea stars and sea worms.
Human history is sometimes recorded in unexpected ways. Scientists studying the ancient nests of bearded vultures in Spain have found over 200 human-made items built into the nests. One surprising item was a complete sandal woven from grass and small sticks. The sandal turned out to be over 650 years old.
The Natural History Museum in London holds a yearly contest for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year. This year, the contest had a record 60,636 entries from around the world. Here are some of this year’s best pictures, and the stories behind them.
Since 2014, the Katmai National Park in Alaska has held "Fat Bear Week". It's a week-long online contest between selected bears in the park, with viewers voting over the internet for the bear which appears to have gained the most weight. This year, the winner was a massive bear called "Chunk".
Scientists have reported on an unusual "hybrid" bird spotted in Texas - a cross between a blue jay and a green jay. The discovery is surprising because the two species are quite different. Scientists think the hybrid could be a result of climate change.
Scientists from the University of Florida have recently reported on the world's largest nesting site for freshwater turtles. They counted about 41,000 Giant South American River turtles at the site. Just as importantly, they developed a more accurate method of counting the turtles.
Birds, Not Mosquitoes is a collection of different groups working to protect Hawaii's native birds. The biggest concerns for these birds is avian malaria, which is spread by mosquitoes. Now BNM has started using drones to drop containers of specially treated male mosquitoes, hoping to lower the numbers of mosquitoes threatening the birds.