Animals, features and articles | Educational Science

Apr 30, 2021

Do animals hug each other?

COVID-19 interrupted one of life's most familiar acts: the warm, enveloping comfort of a hug. The pandemic taught us many things, some more important than others — but one of those is just how much many of us rely on these embraces for a sense of reassurance, consolation and calm....

Apr 30, 2021

What's the biggest freshwater fish in the world?

It took three biologists to haul a 240-pound (109 kilograms) fish out of the Detroit River in Michigan last month. The nearly 7-foot-long (2.1 meters) monster' sturgeon, caught and released by the Alpena Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office, could be more than 100 years old. It's a mightily impressive catch...

Apr 30, 2021

'Wandering meatloaf' creature has teeth of iron

A weird mollusk, affectionately known as the wandering meatloaf, has teeth made of a rare iron mineral, previously found only along rocky coastlines, a new study finds. Researchers detected the rare iron mineral — called santabarbaraite — in the teeth of the rock-grazing mollusk Cryptochiton stelleri, nicknamed the wandering meatloaf...

Mar 31, 2021

Arctic walrus that drifted to Ireland is now hitching rides on passing ships

A walrus who accidentally made his way from the Arctic Circle to an Irish beach last month, likely while napping on a drifting iceberg, has continued his antics by clambering onto passing ships and even falling asleep on a slipway intended for lifeboats. As the marine mammal, endearingly named Wally,...

Mar 31, 2021

Largest recorded smalltooth sawfish washes up dead in Florida

The largest sawfish ever measured by scientists was found dead in the Florida Keys last week. The 16-foot-long (4.9 meters) sharp-snouted fish was a mature female with eggs the size of softballs found in her reproductive tract. Scientists are now studying her carcass to determine her age and to learn...

Mar 31, 2021

Long-necked dinosaurs migrated hundreds of miles, 'stomach stones' reveal

During the Jurassic period, long-necked dinosaurs migrated hundreds of miles across what is now the American Midwest, a new study finds. How do researchers know that these giant beasts migrated? The dinosaurs gulped down pink stones in what is now Wisconsin, trekked westward more than 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) and...

Mar 31, 2021

World's largest rabbit missing, presumed stolen

If you should see someone walking around central England with a 4-foot-long (1.2 meters) rabbit in tow, call the authorities. That rabbit may be Darius — the current record holder for the world's largest rabbit — who went missing from his Worcestershire home last weekend. It is believed the Continental...

Mar 31, 2021

Never mind outrunning a T. rex — you could probably outwalk it

Could you run faster than a T. rex? According to new research, you might be able to outpace one by walking. In the movie Jurassic Park (Warner Bros, 1993), a carful of terrified people famously tries to escape a loping T. rex, but science quickly threw shade at the movie...

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...