https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. An international team of paleontologists, geologists, geoscientists and Earth scientists has found evidence that a type of giant crocodile that lived millions of years ago in what is now North America is not closely related to modern alligators. In their study published in the journal Communications Biology, the group took a closer look at Deinosuchus fossils and those of other species to determine whether it was saltwater-tolerant. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-evidence-early-giant-crocodile-modern.html Evolution Thu, 24 Apr 2025 10:00:03 EDT news664707476 An international team of marine scientists has observed multiple instances of bottlenose dolphins attacking manatee calves over many years. In their paper published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE, the group describes the behavior they observed and suggest possible explanations for what they describe as antagonistic interactions between dolphins and young manatee. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-bottlenose-dolphins-manatee-calves.html Plants & Animals Tue, 23 Jan 2024 10:15:19 EST news625227317 A new species of ancient alligator from Thailand that is closely related to the Chinese alligator (Alligator sinensis) is described in a study published in Scientific Reports. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-ancient-asian-alligator-species.html Evolution Thu, 13 Jul 2023 13:03:03 EDT news608472181 Alligators radically change the ecosystem around them to make the best of seasonal changes in water levels—and that's a good thing for wetlands. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-alligators-wetlands.html Plants & Animals Wed, 31 May 2023 12:39:04 EDT news604755542 A team of aquaculture and aquatic scientists at Auburn University has found a way to reduce infection rates in catfish raised on fish farms by giving them an alligator gene. The group used the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system to add a special gene to the catfish genome that helps alligators ward off infections. They have presented their results in a paper uploaded to the bioRxiv preprint sever. https://phys.org/news/2023-02-adding-alligator-gene-infections-farmed.html Biotechnology Tue, 07 Feb 2023 12:40:02 EST news594995176 A team of researchers at the University of Nevada has taken a step toward understanding how it is some lizards are able to withstand a black widow spider bite with few to no ill effects. In their paper published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, the group describes how they injected several species of lizards with black widow venom and then took a close look to see how they responded. https://phys.org/news/2022-10-closer-lizards-immune-black-widow.html Evolution Mon, 24 Oct 2022 10:20:02 EDT news585825444 A team of researchers affiliated with multiple institutions in the U.S. has found that rising temperatures due to climate change could lead to changes in the gender ratios of the American alligator. In their paper published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the group describes measuring the temperature of alligator nests in different parts of the alligator's range. https://phys.org/news/2021-05-climate-gender-ratios-american-alligator.html Plants & Animals Wed, 19 May 2021 09:52:42 EDT news540636753 American alligators are about as close to dinosaurs as you can get in modern times, and can grow up to 14 feet in length. While much smaller reptiles such as lizards are able to regenerate their tails, the question of whether the much larger alligator is able to regrow their massive tails has not been well studied. A team of researchers from Arizona State University and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries have uncovered that young alligators have the ability to regrow their tails up to three-quarters of a foot, or 18% of their total body length. https://phys.org/news/2020-11-lizardsalligators-regrow-tails.html Plants & Animals Mon, 23 Nov 2020 13:09:58 EST news525359393 Tyrannosaurus rex, one of the largest meat-eating dinosaurs on the planet, had an air conditioner in its head, suggest scientists from the University of Missouri, Ohio University and University of Florida, while challenging over a century of previous beliefs. https://phys.org/news/2019-09-rex-air-conditioner.html Archaeology Wed, 04 Sep 2019 12:05:29 EDT news486817508 To determine where a sound is coming from, animal brains analyze the minute difference in time it takes a sound to reach each ear—a cue known as interaural time difference. What happens to the cue once the signals get to the brain depends on what kind of animal is doing the hearing. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-alligator-reveals-insight-dinosaur.html Plants & Animals Mon, 18 Mar 2019 13:00:03 EDT news472122979 A new study throws into question the notion that today's crocodiles and alligators have a simple evolutionary past. https://phys.org/news/2019-01-modern-day-crocodiles-alligators-variety.html Archaeology Thu, 24 Jan 2019 15:57:16 EST news467567825 Jaws, beware! Alligators may be coming for you, according to a Kansas State University researcher. https://phys.org/news/2017-10-alligators-sharks.html Ecology Mon, 16 Oct 2017 11:17:13 EDT news427371418 The skulls of alligators protect their brains, eyes and sense organs while producing some of the most powerful bite forces in the animal kingdom. The ability to bite hard is critical for crocodilians to eat their food such as turtles, wildebeest and other large prey; therefore, their anatomy is closely studied by veterinarians and paleontologists who are interested in animal movements and anatomy. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri and the University of Southern Indiana have developed three-dimensional models of the skull of the American alligator using cutting-edge imaging and computational tools. The researchers validated their simulations using previously reported bite-force data proving their accuracy. These models also can assist scientists in studying the origins and movements of extinct species and other animals. https://phys.org/news/2017-06-alligator-advanced-d.html Archaeology Fri, 16 Jun 2017 15:25:55 EDT news416845540 Research by wildlife biologists from Clemson University and the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center near Georgetown is shattering conventional scientific understanding about American alligator growth and reproduction. https://phys.org/news/2017-05-year-south-carolina-alligator-uncovers.html Ecology Wed, 03 May 2017 10:57:16 EDT news413027727 Paleontologists have long assumed that the shape of joints in the skulls of dinosaurs, and their closest modern relatives alligators and birds, reveals how much movement is allowed in their skulls. Researchers from the University of Missouri School Of Medicine recently discovered that although alligators, birds and dinosaurs have a similar skull-joint shape, it no longer can be assumed that this lone fact can determine movement. https://phys.org/news/2017-03-common-assumption-cranial-joints-alligators.html Evolution Tue, 28 Mar 2017 10:41:23 EDT news409916474 From climate to the peninsula's very shape, not much in Florida has stayed the same over the last 8 million years. https://phys.org/news/2016-09-reptilian-anachronism-american-alligator-older.html Archaeology Fri, 16 Sep 2016 20:15:42 EDT news393275726 Alligators can accurately pinpoint the source of sounds. But it wasn't clear exactly how they did it because they lack external auditory structures. A new study shows that the alligator's ear is strongly directional because of large, air-filled channels connecting the two middle ears. This configuration is similar in birds, which have an interaural canal that increases directionality. https://phys.org/news/2014-03-canal-ears-alligators.html Plants & Animals Wed, 26 Mar 2014 18:00:01 EDT news315072322 14 species of crocodile lived in South America around 5 million years ago, at least seven of which populated the coastal areas of the Urumaco River in Venezuela at the same time. Paleontologists from the University of Zurich have found evidence of an abundance of closely related crocodiles that remains unparalleled to this day. As they were highly specialized, the crocodiles occupied different eco-niches. When the watercourses changed due to the Andean uplift, however, all the crocodile species became extinct. https://phys.org/news/2013-05-crocodiles-million-years.html Archaeology Tue, 21 May 2013 11:29:26 EDT news288354556 (Phys.org) —A team of researchers from the U.S., Taiwan and China analyzing tooth regeneration in alligators reports that a similar process might possibly be instigated in humans through artificial means. In their paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team describes how they uncovered the tooth regeneration process in alligators and why it might apply to human dentistry. https://phys.org/news/2013-05-alligator-dental-regeneration-tooth-humans.html Biotechnology Tue, 14 May 2013 09:21:26 EDT news287742054 Crocodilians have nerves on their faces that are so sensitive, they can detect a change in a pond when a single drop hits the water surface several feet away. Alligators and crocodiles use these "invisible whiskers" to detect prey when hunting. Now, a new study from the University of Missouri has measured the nerves responsible for this function, which will help biologists understand how today's animals, as well as dinosaurs and crocodiles that lived millions of years ago, interact with the environment around them. https://phys.org/news/2013-04-crocodilian-nerves-scientists-ancient-animals.html Plants & Animals Thu, 04 Apr 2013 14:44:56 EDT news284305488 (Phys.org) —A pair of researchers from Germany's Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität have published a paper in the journal Biology Letters, suggesting that the mass extinction of pseudosuchians approximately 201 million years ago, helped dinosaurs thrive. Paleontologists Olja Toljagić and Richard Butler write that the one lone pseudosuchian line that survived the extinction event, likely also benefited by the demise of their cousins. https://phys.org/news/2013-03-extinction-pseudosuchians-dinosaurs-flourish.html Archaeology Thu, 28 Mar 2013 07:20:01 EDT news283672684 Crocodiles and alligators are notorious for their thick skin and well-armored bodies. So it comes as something of a surprise to learn that their sense of touch is one of the most acute in the animal kingdom. https://phys.org/news/2012-11-thick-skins-alligators-crocodiles-surprisingly.html Plants & Animals Thu, 08 Nov 2012 02:49:09 EST news271565216 Crocodiles can kill with the strongest bite force measured for any living animal, according to a report published Mar. 14 in the open access journal PLoS ONE. https://phys.org/news/2012-03-crocodilians.html Plants & Animals Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:00:02 EDT news250955979 Research at the University of Liverpool, using computer models to reconstruct the jaw muscle of Tyrannosaurus rex, has suggested that the dinosaur had the most powerful bite of any living or extinct terrestrial animal. https://phys.org/news/2012-02-rex-powerful-terrestrial-animal.html Archaeology Tue, 28 Feb 2012 19:00:01 EST news249670753 (PhysOrg.com) -- In addition to being a novelty food, alligators could also provide a feedstock for biodiesel. Every year, the alligator meat industry disposes of about 15 million pounds of alligator fat in landfills. Now scientists have found that oil can be extracted from the fat and used to make a high-quality biodiesel. https://phys.org/news/2011-08-gator-tank-alligator-fat-source.html Materials Science Thu, 18 Aug 2011 15:48:44 EDT news232901287 University of Utah scientists discovered that air flows in one direction as it loops through the lungs of alligators, just as it does in birds. The study suggests this breathing method may have helped the dinosaurs' ancestors dominate Earth after the planet's worst mass extinction 251 million years ago. https://phys.org/news/2010-01-gators-birds-dinosaurs-ancestors-inhale.html Archaeology Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:00:30 EST news182699478 Alligators display the same loyalty to their mating partners as birds reveals a study published today in Molecular Ecology. The ten-year-study by scientists from the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory reveals that up to 70% of females chose to remain with their partner, often for many years. https://phys.org/news/2009-10-loyal-alligators-habits-birds.html Ecology Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:14:08 EDT news174132816 (PhysOrg.com) -- Mammals and many species of birds and fish are among evolution's "winners," while crocodiles, alligators and a reptile cousin of snakes known as the tuatara are among the losers, according to new research by UCLA scientists and colleagues. https://phys.org/news/2009-07-evolution-winners-losers.html Evolution Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:12:14 EDT news168084703 During the last 540 million years, the earth's oxygen levels have fluctuated wildly. Knowing that the dinosaurs appeared around the time when oxygen levels were at their lowest at 12%, Tomasz Owerkowicz, Ruth Elsey and James Hicks wondered how these monsters coped at such low oxygen levels. But without a ready supply of dinosaurs to test their ideas on, Owerkowicz and Hicks turned to a modern relative: the alligator. https://phys.org/news/2009-04-alligators-hint-life-dinosaurs.html Plants & Animals Fri, 17 Apr 2009 06:40:33 EDT news159169181