New species of giant salamander is world's biggest amphibian

Using DNA from museum specimens collected in the early 20th century, researchers from ZSL (Zoological Society of London) and London's Natural History Museum identified two new species of giant salamander—one of which they ...

'Live fast, die young' lifestyle reflected in birds' feathers

Animals' lives tend to follow a quicker tempo as they get farther from the equator—birds at more northern latitudes mature faster, start reproducing younger, and live shorter lives, probably as a way of dealing with seasonal ...

Exploring Galapagos snakes on volcanoes

Finding snakes in the Galapagos islands is a gargantuan undertaking, one that has lead Massey University's Dr. Luis Ortiz-Catedral to the summit of an active volcano.

How coyotes conquered the continent

Coyotes now live across North America, from Alaska to Panama, California to Maine. But where they came from, and when, has been debated for decades. Using museum specimens and fossil records, researchers from the North Carolina ...

A bird's blind spot plays an important role in its vision

The width of a bird's visual binocular field is partially determined by the size of the blind area in front of its head, according to a study published March 29, 2017 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Luke Tyrrell and ...

Deer evolution: Ancient DNA reveals novel relationships

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich researchers have sequenced mitochondrial DNA from museum specimens of rare species of deer. Analysis of partial nucleotide sequences has enabled the team to refine our picture ...

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