The California condor is a beautiful large bird that is very important to the Yurok Tribe of Northern California. The California condor features prominently in Yurok stories, ceremonies, and traditions. In the Yurok language, the condor is known as prey-gon-eesh. A released California condor with…
Michael Parsons studies rats in cities. Most people find rats yucky, so why would anyone want to study them? Lab logo. Image courtesy of Michael Parsons. One reason is that rats cause billions of dollars a year in damage through loss of food, starting fires…
An eastern barred bandicoot in Australia. Image: Zoos Victoria It’s an exciting day for the eastern barred bandicoot! After a more than 30-year effort by a dedicated team of people (with some help from a few dogs), this adorable Australian animal has an opportunity to…
Jaws is a famous movie about sharks, and it has been scaring some people for almost 50 years since it came out in 1975. A new study by shark researchers analyzed 109 shark movies and showed that all but one of them, Finding Dory, showed…
What’s the story? Humans create vaccines to help defend ourselves against diseases like rabies, influenza, and coronavirus. We also use vaccines to help protect our pets and livestock – cows, sheep, goats – from disease. Could we use vaccines to help endangered wildlife, too? Scientists…
Mice, rats, hedgehogs, solenodons, moles, muskrats … gross and frightening, cute and cuddly, or just plain cool?! Today, we want to talk about the little mammals. The ones that most people don’t know much about. Let’s change that. Let’s all get excited about small mammals!…
This is Tammy, a green turtle who visits the waters around Sri Lanka: Tammy, a female green turtle, was the first turtle to be identified under the program. Image courtesy of Krysztof Bargiel. The Sri Lankan public is being asked to help build a database…
Scientists have found that dugongs and green sea turtles help plants called seagrasses grow in the Great Barrier reef. Why is this important? Keep reading to learn more. This is the world-famous Great Barrier Reef: The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system…
What is the forest canopy? The canopy is the ceiling of the forest, created by the inter-tangled branches and leaves of trees. Around the world, tropical forest canopies are largely unexplored because they are mostly inaccessible to scientists, being high in the trees where it…
This is Buru Island, a small island in Indonesia: The island of Buru in Indonesia. Image by Urmas/Wikimedia Commons. Buru Island is home to many types of animals. One of these, the hairy babirusa, is known to locals, who sometimes spot it in the forest.…
How can you help fish and give old buses a new life at the same time? In Sri Lanka, an island country in the Indian Ocean, government agencies have a plan to do just that. The Sri Lankan Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and…
Bee news update! In India, a type of bee belonging to a group called Lisotrigona has been observed feeding on something that might seem a little unusual: the sweat and tears of humans. This feeding behavior has a special name: Feeding on sweat is called…