Vocal learning is extremely rare in animals, but gorillas appear to have cracked it. “Snough!” That's apparently gorilla slang meaning "I say, old buddy, toss us a couple grapes, would you?" What's most surprising about this unusual vocalization is that it appears to have been developed by caged gorillas specifically for the purpose of communicating with human zookeepers, … [Read more...] about Captive Gorillas Have Created A Special Call To Communicate With Human Zookeepers
have
Iguanas, Last Seen Thriving By Darwin, Have Returned and are Reproducing on a Galápagos Island.
Galápagos Land Iguanas on Santiago Island have not been seen in significant numbers since Darwin's visit in the 1830s. On Santiago Island in the Galápagos National Park, land iguanas have been returned to the wild and are actively breeding, 187 years after Charles Darwin last observed a healthy population there. On Santiago Island, one of the Galápagos Islands far off the … [Read more...] about Iguanas, Last Seen Thriving By Darwin, Have Returned and are Reproducing on a Galápagos Island.
Why Do Hammerhead Sharks Have Heads That Look Like Hammers?
The odd-looking sharks are hammerheads. The remainder of their bodies appear to be those of a typical shark, but their heads appear to have had their skulls seized by the eye sockets and stretched out sideways. What benefits would having a head fashioned like a hammer have? And how did hammerhead sharks become what they are today? I am a scientist who has spent over 30 … [Read more...] about Why Do Hammerhead Sharks Have Heads That Look Like Hammers?
Spiders Appear to Have REM-like Sleep and May Even Dream
Jumping spiders have REM-like twitches when they sleep, suggesting dreams may be much more widespread in the animal kingdom than previously realized. Daniela Rößler, a behavioral ecologist, collected local jumping spiders and housed them in clear plastic cages on her windowsill, intending to evaluate their reactions to 3-D-printed predatory spider models. When she returned … [Read more...] about Spiders Appear to Have REM-like Sleep and May Even Dream
Mysterious Red Clouds Over the Atlantic Ocean Have Completely Confounded the Internet
Moheimen Tanim, a Redditor, recently posted some intriguing photographs that have sparked quite a stir. The three photographs reveal a weird red glow in the clouds and were captured by a pilot flying over the Atlantic Ocean, according to Tanim. Other redditors quickly commented with a variety of beliefs, ranging from the end of the world to a comparison to this season's … [Read more...] about Mysterious Red Clouds Over the Atlantic Ocean Have Completely Confounded the Internet