Land Mammals, features and articles | Educational Science

Nov 30, 2006

How a Zebrafish Regrows a Fin

If a zebrafish loses a chunk of its tail fin, not to worry, it'll grow the fin back within a week. How this fish along with other cold-blooded animals, such as lizards, newts and frogs, can replace complex body parts with the ease of magicians has eluded scientists. Now a...

Oct 31, 2006

'Missing Link' of Elephant Family Unearthed

A 27-million-year-old fossil could be the “missing link” between modern elephants and their ancestors, scientists have concluded. Researchers led by Jeheskel Shoshani of the University of Amara in Eritrea recently discovered the lower part of a mandible in the northeast African country of Eritrea. The unearthed tooth had a structure...

Oct 31, 2006

Female Chimps Fight Back

Female chimpanzees in the wild form coalitions to retaliate against aggressive males, a new study reveals. Nicholas Newton-Fisher of the University of Kent studied a community of eight adult male and 21 adult female East African chimpanzees in the Budongo Forest, Uganda. The females were subject to frequent aggression by...

Sep 30, 2006

Mammal Extinction Blamed on Earth's Wobble

The emergence and disappearance of species of mammals could be due to wobbles in the Earth's orbit, suggests a new study. Surveying 22 million years of rodent fossil records, researchers found that peak species turnover corresponded to variations in the shape of the planet's orbit around the Sun, which oscillates...

Sep 30, 2006

Ancient Miniature Buffalo Discovered

The bones of an extinct dwarf species of buffalo were recently unearthed on the Philippine island of Cebu. Dubbed Bubalus cebuensis (BOO-buh-luhs seh-boo-EN-sis), the miniature buffalo [image] stood at just more than two feet, three times smaller than today's domestic buffalo, and weighed a mere 350 pounds. It probably lived...

Sep 30, 2006

Sucking Up: Why Monkeys Groom the Boss

Sucking up to win the support of the boss dates back to our furry ancestors. The motivation, for monkeys, is life and death. Rather than grabbing coffee for the CEO, monkeys have for eons picked dead skin and bugs from the fur of higher-ranking monkeys. They do it in exchange...

Sep 30, 2006

Diet Linked to Brain Size in Primates

Brain tissue is expensive for a body to produce, so when times are tough, some primates go with a smaller noodle, a new study suggests. Scientists compared orangutans living on the Indonesian islands of Borneo and Sumatra. The subspecies Pongo pygmaeus morio, living in northeastern part of Borneo where food...

Aug 31, 2006

Mother Deer Can't Recognize Fawn's Cry

Fawns are keenly tuned to their mothers' voices, but female fallow deer can't recognize their own offspring based on sound alone, a new study finds. The imbalance is an example of how the type of environment a species lives in affects how parents and offspring communicate, the researchers say. Using...

Aug 31, 2006

Wild Chimps Use Crossing Guards

Elementary school children aren't the only ones who need crossing guards. Scientists report that wild chimpanzees safely cross roads with the aid of adult males that serve as traffic patrollers. Dominant male chimpanzees walk ahead of their groups and evaluate risks of crossing a road before signaling the rest of...

Jun 30, 2006

Hunting 101: Meerkats Teach Scorpion Dismemberment

Attention all meerkat pups: Scorpion hunting 101 is now in session. Instead of letting their young figure out how to hunt dangerous scorpions on their own, older meerkats collect and disable the prey so the youth can learn how to deal with the feisty food. The discovery, detailed in the...

Jun 30, 2006

Constant Barking Drives Dogs Nuts, Too

Continuous snarling of multiple dogs in an animal shelter can create a disastrous symphonic recipe for the health of the animals, reports a new study. In many animal shelters, dogs are often placed in gated kennels along the perimeter of a large room. When they see the other animals, they...

May 31, 2006

Bizarre Survival Tactic: Gazelles Shrink Heart to Beat Heat

In an extreme way to beat the heat, a sand gazelle shrinks its liver and heart to cope with long periods of drought, a new study reveals. The deserts of the Arabian Peninsula rank among the most severe environments in the world. It's extremely hot and unpredictable rains do little...

May 31, 2006

Darwin's Reputed Tortoise Dies At 176

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- A 176-year-old tortoise believed to be one of the world's oldest living creatures has died in an Australian zoo. The giant tortoise, known as Harriet, died at the Queensland-based Australia Zoo owned by Crocodile Hunter'' Steve Irwin and his wife Terri. Irwin said he considered Harriet...

Apr 30, 2006

Humans Might Have Wiped Out Wild Horses

Already charged with eradicating mammoths, the first North Americans might also have wiped out wild horses in Alaska, a new study suggests. The end of the Pleistocene era, around 12,000 years ago, was coupled with a global cooling event and the extinction of many large mammals, particularly in North America....

Dec 31, 2005

Dog Deaths Surpass 100 Despite Toxic Pet Food Recall

At least 100 dogs in the United States have been killed in recent weeks by toxic pet food despite a recall of the products, scientists said today. Some 19 brands of Diamond, Country Value and Professional dog foods have been recalled. But many pet owners are not aware of the...