Animals Animals

Animals

A post-reproductive toothed whale mother and her son. David Ellifrit/Center for Whale Research hide caption

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David Ellifrit/Center for Whale Research

Most animals don't go through menopause. So why do these whales?

Across the animal kingdom, menopause is something of an evolutionary blip. We humans are one of the few animals to experience it. But Sam Ellis, a researcher in animal behavior, argues that this isn't so surprising. "The best way to propagate your genes is to get as many offspring as possible into the next generation," says Ellis. "The best way to do that is almost always to reproduce your whole life."

Most animals don't go through menopause. So why do these whales?

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The French bulldog is America's most popular breed, according to the American Kennel Club. This one, Manny The Frenchie, attended Time Inc.'s 2017 PetHero Pet Party to benefit animals impacted by hurricanes. Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for PetHero hide caption

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Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for PetHero

This photo provided by Tony Cavallaro shows his alligator, Albert, inside the custom enclosure he built for the reptile in his house in Hamburg, N.Y. The alligator was seized by the Department of Environmental Conservation in mid-March. Tony Cavallaro via AP hide caption

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Tony Cavallaro via AP

A cicada perches on a picnic table in front of Nolde Mansion in Cumru Township, PA in May 2021. New research shows that these insects urinate in a surprising way. Ben Hasty / MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images hide caption

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Ben Hasty / MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images

Scientists studied how cicadas pee. Their insights could shed light on fluid dynamics

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Charlotte the stingray became a social media star when she got pregnant without a mate. Lydia Wilson hide caption

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Lydia Wilson

Pregnant stingray Charlotte brings in traffic, business to North Carolina town

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Scott Simon has a new, foster cat in addition to a dog and hamster. Scott Simon hide caption

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Scott Simon

Opinion: Animals have overtaken our lives, and we're having a wonderful time

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This type of staghorn coral (Acropora pulchra) appeared to benefit from the presence of sea cucumbers (Holothuria atra), a new study finds. Terry Moore/Stocktrek Images / Science Source hide caption

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Terry Moore/Stocktrek Images / Science Source

This often-overlooked sea creature may be quietly protecting the planet's coral reefs

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Elephantnose Fish, Gnathonemus petersii, Congo ullstein bild hide caption

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ullstein bild

The "shocking" tactic electric fish use to collectively sense the world

Neuroscientist Nathan Sawtell has spent a lot of time studying the electric elephantnose fish. These fish send and decipher weak electric signals, which Sawtell hopes will eventually help neuroscientists better understand how the brain filters sensory information about the outside world. As Sawtell has studied these electric critters, he's had a lingering question: why do they always seem to organize themselves in a particular orientation. At first, he couldn't figure out why, but a new study released this week in Nature may have an answer: the fish are creating an electrical network larger than any field a single fish can muster alone, and providing collective knowledge about potential dangers in the surrounding water.

The "shocking" tactic electric fish use to collectively sense the world

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Charlotte the pregnant stingray swims in her aquarium in Hendersonville, N.C. Lydia Wilson hide caption

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Lydia Wilson

A stingray named Charlotte got pregnant — exactly how remains a mystery

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Caecilians are amphibians that look superficially like very large earthworms. New research suggests that at least one species of caecilian also produces "milk" for its hatchlings. Photo by Carlos Jared hide caption

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Photo by Carlos Jared

Researchers have found an amphibian that makes milk for its babies

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Humpback whales that spend their winters in Hawaii, like this mother and calf, have declined over the last decade. Martin van Aswegen /Marine Mammal Research Program, University of Hawaii at Manoa, NMFS Permit No: 21476/21321 hide caption

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Martin van Aswegen /Marine Mammal Research Program, University of Hawaii at Manoa, NMFS Permit No: 21476/21321

A skywalker gibbon is seen at the Gaoligong Mountain in China. The skywalker gibbon, a typical arboreal animal, is one of the national key protected wild animals, mainly found in Gaoligong Mountain. Xinhua News Agency/Xinhua News Agency via Getty Ima hide caption

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Xinhua News Agency/Xinhua News Agency via Getty Ima

Didn't get a Valentine's love song? These skywalker gibbons sing love duets

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Bobi, a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo Portuguese dog, poses for a photo with his Guinness World Records certificates for the oldest dog ever, at his home in Conqueiros, central Portugal, on May 20, 2023. Jorge Jeronimo/AP hide caption

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Jorge Jeronimo/AP

Bai Yun, the mother of newly named panda cub, Mei Sheng, gets a mouthful of bamboo during the cub's first day on display at the San Diego Zoo on Dec. 17, 2003. China is working on sending a new pair of giant pandas to the San Diego Zoo. Lenny Ignelzi/AP hide caption

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Lenny Ignelzi/AP

A Gila monster is displayed at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Dec. 14, 2018. Gila monster bites are often painful to humans, but normally aren't deadly, experts say. Ted S. Warren/AP hide caption

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Ted S. Warren/AP

This 2019 photo provided by the National Park Service, shows a mountain lion known as P-47 in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area west of Los Angeles. A cougar attacked five cyclists in Washington state over the weekend. AP hide caption

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AP
Julius Csotonyi

One woolly mammoth's journey at the end of the Ice Age

Lately, paleoecologist Audrey Rowe has been a bit preoccupied with a girl named Elma. That's because Elma is ... a woolly mammoth. And 14,000 years ago, when Elma was alive, her habitat in interior Alaska was rapidly changing. The Ice Age was coming to a close and human hunters were starting early settlements. Which leads to an intriguing question: Who, or what, killed her? In the search for answers, Audrey traces Elma's life and journey through — get this — a single tusk. Today, she shares her insights on what the mammoth extinction from thousands of years ago can teach us about megafauna extinctions today with guest host Nate Rott.

One woolly mammoth's journey at the end of the Ice Age

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Jason Edwards/Getty Images

Chris Dollar steers his boat on the Ware River in Gloucester, Virginia in September. A charter fishing captain and conservation advocate, Dollar said he sees fewer fish in the bay and its tributaries than he used to. Schools of menhaden that used to be "the size of a football field" have shrunk to "maybe a tennis court," he said. Katherine Hafner/WHRO News hide caption

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Katherine Hafner/WHRO News

A small fish is at the center of a big fight in the Chesapeake Bay

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