animal behavior
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Why Frogs Love to Lay Their Eggs in Elephant Footprints
Frogs in Myanmar are surprisingly dependent upon elephants, or rather, the tracks they leave behind. Research shows that water-filled elephant footprints provide an under-appreciated sanctuary for frogs to lay their eggs.
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Octopuses Like to Punch Fish, New Research Suggests
Upsetting but strangely satisfying new research documents octopuses punching fish during collaborative feeding sessions. The octopuses primarily do it for practical reasons, but sometimes these underwater jabs seem to be purely spiteful.
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Scimitar-Toothed Cats Hunted Prey to Exhaustion, DNA Study Suggests
Scientists have mapped the entire nuclear genome of a saber-toothed cat species known as Homotherium latidens, also called the scimitar-toothed cat. The resulting DNA analysis suggests these Pleistocene predators were fearsome pack hunters capable of running for long distances as they chased their prey to exhaustion.
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Wounded Orcas Off Spanish Coast Could Be Attacking Boats in Retaliation
Scientists are struggling to explain why orcas swimming off the Iberian Peninsula have started to attack sailing vessels. New research suggests these animals were likely wounded during previous encounters with boats and may be acting vengefully.