Naturally occurring "keystone" molecules that have powerful behavioral effects on diverse organisms often play large but unrecognized roles in structuring ecosystems, according to a theory proposed in the June issue of BioScience.

Biology - Ecology

May 16, 2013 5 / 5 (2) 0

Many terrestrial animals are frequently observed scavenging on other animals– whether it is a hyena stealing a lion kill in the Serengeti or a buzzard swooping down on a dead animal. However, documenting ...

Biology - Plants & Animals

Apr 10, 2013 4 / 5 (2) 0

(Phys.org) —A ground-breaking new study challenges popular assumptions about the feeding behaviour of the world's largest predatory fish, the white shark.

Biology - Plants & Animals

Mar 20, 2013 4.5 / 5 (2) 0

Marine biologists say they have proof that excessive trawling of small fish species leads to proliferation of jellyfish, a worsening phenomenon whose causes have been unclear.

Biology - Ecology

Mar 19, 2013 5 / 5 (5) 2

Indonesia has announced a new shark and manta ray sanctuary, the first to protect the species in the rich marine ecosystem of the Coral Triangle, known as the "Amazon of the ocean".

Biology - Ecology

Feb 20, 2013 4.7 / 5 (3) 0

(Phys.org)—Researchers examining a fossil specimen discovered in a museum storage bin have found it to be the remains of a super-predator that lived during the Jurassic Period, around 165 million years ...

Other Sciences - Archaeology & Fossils

Jan 29, 2013 5 / 5 (2) 0 |

(Phys.org)—Palaeontologists who examined a new fossil found in southern California have thrown doubt on earlier claims that a "killer walrus" once existed.

Other Sciences - Archaeology & Fossils

Jan 17, 2013 5 / 5 (3) 2 |

Breeding season is under way for the endangered tortoises of Ecuador's Galapagos Islands, whose mating and nesting habits are carefully watched by wildlife specialists hoping to save them from extinction.

Biology - Ecology

Jan 10, 2013 5 / 5 (1) 0

An international team of scientists has described a fossil marine predator measuring 8.6 meters in length (about 28 feet) recovered from the Nevada desert in 2010 as representing the first top predator in marine food chains ...

Other Sciences - Archaeology & Fossils

Jan 07, 2013 4.2 / 5 (5) 1 |

Marine resource managers often gauge the health of species based on overall biomass, but a new study of predator-prey relationships in the Bering Sea found that it isn't the total number of individuals that ...

Biology - Ecology

Jan 03, 2013 5 / 5 (1) 1 |

In the marine world, high-energy prey make for high-energy predators. And to survive, such marine predators need to sustain the right kind of high-energy diet. Not just any prey will do, suggests a new study by researchers ...

Biology - Plants & Animals

Nov 21, 2012 not rated yet 0

Biologists have shown how an advanced set of teeth give Antarctic leopard seals the biological tools to feast on prey of all sizes, from penguins to tiny krill.

Biology - Plants & Animals

Oct 30, 2012 not rated yet 0

University of Delaware researchers are using an underwater robot to find and follow sand tiger sharks that they previously tagged with transmitters. The innovative project is part of a multi-year partnership ...

Biology - Plants & Animals

Oct 17, 2012 5 / 5 (1) 1

White sharks, the largest predatory sharks in the ocean, are thought of as apex predators that feed primarily on seals and sea lions. But a new study by researchers at the University of California, Santa ...

Biology - Plants & Animals

Sep 28, 2012 4.7 / 5 (3) 0 |

(AP)—A new underwater explorer has hit the seas armed with cameras, strobes and sonar and charged with being a protector of sorts to the valuable Atlantic scallop catch.

Space & Earth - Earth Sciences

Sep 02, 2012 2 / 5 (3) 0