Why Katydids Have Ears on Their Front Legs
If you looked for a katydid’s ears, its head would be the obvious place to start. You would also be looking in the wrong place. The remarkable katydid ears on …
Wildlife
How Pistol Shrimp Produce One of the Loudest Sounds in the Ocean
A pistol shrimp is only a few centimeters long, yet it can produce an underwater sound powerful enough to compete with some of the loudest biological noises in the sea. …
How Bee-Eaters Catch and Eat Bees Without Ever Getting Stung
Catching a bee in midair is impressive. Swallowing one without being stung requires another level of specialization. The famous bee-eater sting removal behavior solves that problem through a carefully coordinated …
Planarian Flatworms: The Animal You Can Cut Into Pieces and Multiply
Cut many animals in half and the result is catastrophic injury. Cut certain planarian flatworms into appropriately sized fragments, however, and something extraordinary can happen: separate pieces can rebuild the …
Why Blue-Footed Boobies Choose Mates Based on Foot Color
Few courtship displays are as instantly recognizable as a blue-footed booby lifting one brilliant turquoise foot after another in an exaggerated high-stepping dance. The performance looks comical to human observers, …
How Giant River Otters Hunt and Defend Territory as a Family Pack
A group of giant river otters moving through an Amazonian river can look less like a collection of independent animals and more like a coordinated team. Adults hunt, patrol territorial …
Why Tarsiers Rotate Their Heads Instead of Moving Their Eyes
A tarsier staring through a dark Southeast Asian forest looks almost unreal. Its enormous eyes dominate its tiny face, giving the impression that it can see everything around it. Yet …
How Archerfish Use Physics to Shoot Insects Out of the Air
A small insect rests on a branch above a tropical stream. Below it, an archerfish approaches the surface, aims upward, and fires a concentrated jet of water from its mouth. …
Why the Horned Lizard Shoots Blood From Its Own Eyes to Survive
A predator corners a small horned lizard in the desert. Running may not work, and its spines have failed to discourage the attack. Then the lizard deploys one of the …
The Killdeer’s Fake Broken-Wing Display: A Bird’s Predator Decoy Trick
A killdeer suddenly appears in front of you, dragging one wing across the ground as though it has suffered a serious injury. It stumbles forward, gives distressed calls, and seems …