Bats: What sounds good doesn't always taste good

Bats use a combination of cues in their hunting sequence - capture, handling and consumption - to decide which prey to attack, catch and consume and which ones they are better off leaving alone or dropping mid-way through ...

Protecting native birds by manipulating rats' sense of smell

(Phys.org)—Rats' keen sense of smell can be exploited to dramatically reduce their attacks on native birds, researchers from the University of Sydney have shown. The technique could be adapted to protect vulnerable species ...

Captured in silken netting and sticky hairs

The great ecological success of spiders is often substantiated by the evolution of silk and webs. Biologists of the Kiel University and the University of Bern now found an alternative adaptation to hunting prey: hairy adhesive ...

Robotic food helps scientists understand predators

Dr Christos Ioannou at the University of Bristol has been awarded a five year research fellowship by NERC for the study of predator-prey relationships, using robotic prey to lure predatory fish.

Food forensics: DNA links habitat quality to bat diet

All night long, bats swoop over our landscape consuming insects, but they do this in secret, hidden from our view. Until recently, scientists have been unable to bring their ecosystem out of the dark but thanks to new genetic ...

A new approach to judging the impact of invasive species

(Phys.org) —The impact an introduced species can have on Australian native animals should take into account possible long-term stress not just numbers of outright deaths, University of Sydney research has shown.

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