animal species

New species of predatory bagworm from Panama's tropical forest

harminka — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:27:44 -0500

University of Panama and Smithsonian researchers report the discovery of a new Bagworm Moth species, in the Annals of the Entomology Society of America. Unlike nearly all other Bagworms, Perisceptis carnivora have predatory larvae.

Incentives for carbon sequestration may not protect species

harminka — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 08:03:03 -0500

Paying rural landowners in Oregon's Willamette Basin to protect at-risk animals won't necessarily mean that their newly conserved trees and plants will absorb more carbon from the atmosphere and vice versa, a new study has found.

New study reveals large scale conservation essential

harminka — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:20:40 -0500

Scientists were surprised with findings of a recent study that reveals many animal species believed to persist in small contained areas actually need broad, landscape level conservation to survive.

Can feces save species?

harminka — Mon, 12 May 2008 10:42:57 -0500

In the Cerrado region of Brazil, four dogs trained to detect animal feces by scent are helping researchers monitor rare and threatened wildlife such as jaguar, tapir, giant anteater and maned wolf in and around Emas National Park, a protected area with the largest concentration of threatened species in Brazil.

Evolution of new species slows down as number of competitors increases

harminka — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:59:20 -0500

The rate at which new species are formed in a group of closely related animals decreases as the total number of different species in that group goes up, according to new research published in PLoS Biology.

More evidence for new species hidden in plain sight

harminka — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 14:08:37 -0600

Two articles published in the online open access journals BMC Evolutionary Biology and BMC Biology provide further evidence that we have hugely underestimated the number of species with which we share our planet.

Mice teeth explain troubles with human wisdom teeth

harminka — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 12:16:11 -0500

During evolution, many of a species’ properties are shaped by ecological interactions. This is readily evident in mammalian teeth, whose many features closely reflect what each species eats.

Why are some groups of animals so diverse?

harminka — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 10:00:02 -0500

A new study of finger-sized Australian lizards sheds light on one of the most striking yet largely unexplained patterns in nature: why is it that some groups of animals have evolved into hundreds, even thousands of species, while other groups include only a few?

Species have viable offspring if they choose best mate

harminka — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 11:44:41 -0500

When it comes to picking a mate, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young had an answer: “If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with.” As it turns out, that may be a cardinal rule in the animal kingdom, too.

Researchers shed new light on hybrid animals

harminka — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 06:22:53 -0500

What began more than 50 years ago as a way to improve fishing bait in California has led a University of Tennessee researcher to a significant finding about how animal species interact and that raises important questions about conservation.

Giant panda can survive

harminka — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 02:50:33 -0500

The giant panda is not at an “evolutionary dead end” and could have a long term viable future, according to new research involving scientists from Cardiff University.

Emphasis on conifer forests places multiple species at risk

harminka — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 02:20:59 -0500

The traditional emphasis on dense, fast-growing, conifer-dominated forests in the Pacific Northwest raises questions about the health of dozens of animal species that depend on shrubs, herbs and broad-leaf trees, a new analysis by Oregon State University and the U.S. Geological Survey suggests.