Related topics: fish · birds · insects · predators

The limits of ocean heavyweights: Prey curb whales' gigantic size

At 100 feet long and weighing more than 100 tons, blue whales are the largest creatures to have evolved on the planet. Other whales, like killer whales, are larger than most terrestrial animals but pale in comparison to the ...

Bats use leaves as mirrors to find prey in the dark

On moonless nights in a tropical forest, bats slice through the inky darkness, snatching up insects resting silently on leaves—a seemingly impossible feat. New experiments at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute ...

Triplefin fish found to have controlled iris radiance

A team of researchers with the University of Tübingen in Germany has found an example of a fish that is able to control light reflected from organs next to its pupils—a form of photolocation. In their paper published in ...

Vipers found to not have the fastest strike after all

(Phys.org)—A trio of researchers with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette has found that contrary to folklore, vipers are not the clear champions when it comes to how fast they can strike. In their paper published ...

Dragonflies on the hunt display complex choreography

The dragonfly is a swift and efficient hunter. Once it spots its prey, it takes about half a second to swoop beneath an unsuspecting insect and snatch it from the air. Scientists at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Janelia ...

Electric eels deliver Taser-like shocks

The electric eel - the scaleless Amazonian fish that can deliver an electrical jolt strong enough to knock down a full-grown horse - possesses an electroshock system uncannily similar to a Taser.

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