Animals, features and articles | Educational Science

Mar 31, 2021

Woman swallows fish bone, it migrates into her neck

When a woman in Malaysia accidentally swallowed a fish bone, it soon became a pain in the neck — the bone poked through her throat and became embedded in her neck muscles, according to a new report of the case. The 54-year-old woman was eating a meal of grilled wolf...

Feb 28, 2021

Which animal has the largest ears?

Which animal has the largest ears? You might think it's the elephant, and you'd be right — sort of. As the largest living land animal, the African elephant does have the biggest ears of any living animal, according to Mary Ellen Holden, a zoologist and mammalogist at the American Museum...

Feb 28, 2021

Amazon 'river monster' turns up dead in Florida

The rotting body of a dead Amazon river monster recently washed ashore in Florida, raising concerns about whether this gigantic predatory fish has joined the Sunshine State's ever-growing list of invasive species, according to news sources. But although it might thrive in Florida's warm waters, this fish, known as the...

Dec 31, 2020

Mystery of massive, train-stopping millipede swarms solved

For over a century, thousands of poisonous millipedes have swarmed train tracks in the thick, forested mountains of Japan, forcing trains to grind to a halt. These train millipedes, so-called for their famous obstructions, would appear every so often — and then disappear again for years at a time. Now,...

Nov 30, 2022

10 bizarre creatures that washed ashore in 2022

Every year the remains of bizarre ocean creatures wash ashore on beaches across the globe, revealing clues about the lives of some of the most elusive and mysterious creatures on Earth. And 2022 was no different. From white whales and giant squids to tiny penguins and swarms of jellyfish, here...

Aug 31, 2022

Ancient 'dragons' were Earth’s first gliding reptiles

While most ancient reptiles crawled, scuttled and hopped through their prehistoric habitats, one stealthy creature opted for an airborne technique: gliding. Tiny, dragonlike Coelurosauravus elivensis (see-luh-roh-SAW'-rah-vus eh-lih-VEN'-sis) used a pair of patagials — thin membranes that extended from its torso to its front limbs, forming a winglike structure to travel...

Jul 31, 2022

Beneath Greenland iceberg, scientists find a glowing snailfish with antifreeze coursing through its veins

Scientists drilling deep into an iceberg off Greenland have discovered a fish with glowing green antifreeze coursing through its veins. The juvenile variegated snailfish (Liparis gibbus) contained the highest expression levels of antifreeze proteins ever reported, a new study found. Similar to how antifreeze helps to regulate the temperature of...

Jul 31, 2022

'Merciless' sea monster with broken teeth prowled the seas 66 million years ago

A giant mosasaur with teeth like a killer whale ruled the oceans around Morocco towards the end of the Cretaceous period, a new study finds. The extinct predator, named Thalassotitan atrox, grew to about 30 to 33 feet (9 to 10 meters) long and likely fed on any other marine...

Jun 30, 2022

It's raining anchovies in San Francisco

It's raining fish in San Francisco, and locals are finding anchovies in unlikely places around the Bay Area, including sidewalks, driveways, rooftops and bus stops. Experts believe the fishy precipitation is the result of a surge in coastal anchovy populations, SF Gate reported. Earlier this month, the Otolith Geochemistry and...

Jun 30, 2022

Three people gored by bison in a month at Yellowstone National Park. Why do these attacks happen?

Three people have been gored by bison in a single month at Yellowstone National Park, with the two most recent attacks coming just two days apart. Park officials warned visitors to be respectful of the enormous beasts' personal space, as approaching too close can provoke bison to charge. The most...

Jun 30, 2022

Scientists dismiss Coyote Peterson's 'large primate skull' discovery as fake

A large primate skull was allegedly found in British Columbia by American YouTuber Coyote Peterson, according to social media posts he shared on Thursday (July 7). In those posts, Peterson wrote that he had hid the discovery for several weeks from government officials and any others who might try to...

Apr 30, 2022

Nuzzling T. rexes and grappling sauropods: Dinosaurs on 'Prehistoric Planet' will astonish you

What would happen if you put Sir David Attenborough and a specialist team of wildlife filmmakers in a time machine and set the dial to 66 million years ago — to the end of the Cretaceous period and the final days of the dinosaurs? An upcoming documentary series aims to...

Mar 31, 2022

Dingoes are part domestic dog, part wolf (sort of)

Dingoes are Australia's largest land predator, but their evolutionary history has been shrouded in mystery and debated for decades. Now, a new study finds that they are genetically somewhere between a wolf and a modern domestic dog. Researchers sequenced the genome of a pure dingo puppy that was discovered alive...

Jan 31, 2022

Facts about donkeys

Donkeys, also called burros and asses, are found throughout the world. They are members of the Equidae family, which also includes horses and zebras. They look a lot like their equine cousins, but have long, floppy ears and tend to be stockier than horses or zebras. How big are donkeys?There...

Jan 31, 2022

Facts about hippos

Hippopotamuses (Hippopotamus amphibius) are large, round, water-loving animals that are native to Africa. The word hippopotamus comes from the Greek word for water horse or river horse, although hippos and horses aren't closely related. The closest living relatives to hippos are pigs, whales and dolphins, according to the San Diego...