Animal stories of the future: 11 bizarre, innovative, and cute ones
Whether it’s a big and fluffy social media sensation, or a deep-sea snail slithering around the Midnight Zone of the ocean, there are so many fascinating animals waiting to be seen. Here are 11 of the most interesting animal stories Popular Science has covered in the past year. First photo of a great white newborn shark
Wildlife film maker Carlos Gauna, and University of California Riverside biology student Phillip Sternes captured footage of the possible first great white newborn shark to be recorded. Carlos Gauna/The Malibu Artist.
A biology student and wildlife filmmaker took the first possible picture of a great white shark that is still a baby. The University of California Riverside biology student Phillip Sternes and filmmaker Carlos Gauna were searching for sharks in Santa Barbara, California’s central coastline. Gauana’s Drone camera captured a shark pup with more white than usual. Most great whites have a gray top and a white belly. They enlarged the pictures and saw that it appeared as if a layer white skin was shedding while swimming. The team believes they saw a newborn great-white shedding its egg sac.
The images and findings are described in a study published in the journal Environmental Biology of Fishes in January.
Tardigrades: Built darn tough
An enlarged image of a microscopic tardigrade. These invertebrates, which are close relatives to arthropods, are found in many habitats across the globe. Credit: Deposit Photos.
These tiny creatures, commonly called “water bears”, can survive in environments with extreme temperatures-without water or oxygen-and withstand radiation. The tiny creatures, commonly known as “water bears”, can survive extreme temperatures without oxygen or water and withstand radiation. The sensor tells the creatures when to dormant, and when they can resume normal activity. The journal PLOS ONE published these findings. Scientists discovered some new clues in April about their extreme resilience. Unexpectedly, a mechanism within the DNA works overtime to repair the DNA exposed to deadly radiation. These proteins then ramp up the level of DNA repair to levels that study co-author and biologist Courtney Clark-Hachtel called “ridiculous.” These proteins then ramp up the level of DNA repair to levels study co-author and biologist Courtney Clark-Hachtel called “ridiculous.”
The year of the cicada
Two broods of periodical cicadas are set to emerge from underground for the first time since 2007 and 2011. CREDIT: Deposit Photos
While 2024 technically was the Year of the Dragon according to the Chinese Zodiac, in certain parts of the United States it was the Year of the Cicada. A rare double emergence of periodical cicadas with chirpy eyes and chirpy chirps emerged from the ground. These specific types of cicadas crawl out from below the ground every 13 or 17 years and can make as much noise as a jet engine.
During the “Cicadapocalypse,” Brood XIII and Brood XIX cicadas emerged at the same time from roughly April to July. The Northern Illinois Brood, which is a 17-year group, covers parts of Indiana and Wisconsin as well as northern Illinois. The Great Southern Brood emerges every 13 years and is primarily located in Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Alabama, George, North Carolina, South Carolina, and importantly, southern Illinois.
Parts of Illinois turned out to be the center of the Cicadapocalypse, a four-year-old child finding a ‘one-in-a-million’ blue-eyed cicada.
“I would put the periodical cicadas as a natural phenomenon in the same category as April’s total solar eclipse,” Penn State University entomologist Michael Skvarla told Popular Science.
Mantis Shrimp Punches Caught on Camera
These fierce crabs use their tails to protect themselves from the explosive punches their rivals. CREDIT: Patrick Green.
These ocean oddities have impressive eyesight and strength comparable to a 22 caliber bullet. They also punch with the force equivalent of a bullet. Patrick Green, an ecologist at the University of California Santa Barbara, captured video of the fights using cameras 1,000 times faster than regular cameras. He discovered that the shields of mantis shrimp can absorb up to 20 percent more shock than a rival. The mantis shrimp appear to be able to dissipate a greater amount of energy by coiling their tail plates. Call me by your elephant’s name
Two young elephants greet one another in Buffalo Springs National Reserves, Kenya. CREDIT: George Wittemyer.
Elephants may use a variety of vocal cues to communicate meaning, and they could be using something similar to names. The journal Nature Ecology & Evolution published the findings in June. The findings were published in Nature Ecology & Evolution journal in June. The Cornell University behavioral ecologist Michael “Mickey” Pardo said to Popular Science that it was surprising that they were able get such clear results from the playback experiment. It was very difficult to obtain recordings for the experiment because we had to have clear recordings of rumbles in a context of long-distance call where we knew the caller and the receiver. Honestly, I was a little shocked that the results were statistically significant.”
A one in 100 million lobster
Colorful lobsters like this one found in New Hampshire are the result of naturally occurring genetic variations. Seacoast Science Centre.
[Related: Anglerfish are so much more than just their dangly bioluminescent lures.]
In the month of July, a lobsterman found a candy colored lobster while fishing off New Castle’s coast in New Hampshire. The lobster was donated to Odiorne Point State Park’s Seacoast Science Center. Its crazy color doesn’t mean it tastes like candy or sweet. Its hue is the result of a very rare genetic mutation.
“Lobsters commonly have multiple layers of a carotenoid pigment known as astaxanthin that show as layers of red, yellow, and blue,” Sam Rutka, an Aquarist II at Seacoast Science Center, told Popular Science. “When all these layers are stacked they give the lobster a mottled blotchy pattern of oranges, reds, blues, pinks, purples, yellows, and browns that form the lobster’s camouflage.”
Sometimes, these pigments are either not expressed or are overexpressed. They are brighter lobsters. They appear in shades of blue (about 1 in 2 million), red (1 in 10 million), split-colored (1 in 50 million), albino (1 in 100 million), and cotton candy (1 in 100 million).
Live long and prosper…with frogs
Boophis janewayae is named after Captain Kathryn Janeway from Star Trek: Voyager. The thai tree frogs are found in the forests of Madagascar. CREDIT: Mark D. Scherz
There are seven new tree frog species to add to your family tree. Scientists discovered these seven species deep in the rainforests of Madagascar. The strange high-pitched whistles that these creatures make are similar to those of the Star Trek sci-fi show. The newly discovered species is from the Boophis genus. The frogs communicate with each other by whistling. They can be found all over Madagascar. When the research team heard the calls, they immediately reminded them of the sound effects used across the various Star Trek series.
The names Boophis kirki, Boophis picardi, Boophis siskoi, Boophis janewayae, Boophis archeri, Boophis pikei, and Boophis burnhamae were also fitting due to the amount of trekking through the rainforest that the team needed to do in order to find the frogs.
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Pygmy hippos seize the spotlight
[Related: Great apes may have cognitive foundations for language.]
Haggis the pygmy hippo was born on Wednesday October 30 at the Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland. CREDIT: RZSS.
The bouncing baby girl was born on October 30 to Otto and Gloria. The baby was born to Otto & Gloria on 30 October. The average adult pygmy hippo weighs between 350 to 600 pounds. This is about the weight of a domestic pig. According to World Wildlife Fund, they are 10 times smaller than an average-sized hippo. These large mammals are surprisingly agile, despite their bulky size. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed Pygmy Hippos as endangered. There are only 2,500 estimated to be left in the wild, due to habitat destruction from logging, mindering and other human activities. A coral the size of a blue whale
A National Geographic Pristine Seas diver measures the largest coral colony on the Solomon Islands. CREDIT: Photograph by Manu San Felix, National Geographic Pristine Seas.
Scientists found the world’s largest known coral bobbing around in the southwest Pacific Ocean. It measures 111 feet in width, 104 feet in length, 18 feet tall, and 600 foot around. This coral polyp is made up of many individual creatures that have been growing for over 300 years. This coral is not a coral network like the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, which is a collection of colonies. It is an individual coral that has been growing for centuries. The mega coral is mainly brown with splashes in bright yellows, reds and blues. The ocean surface is reflected in the rippling of the waves. The Pavona Clavus provides shelter for crustaceans, fish and other sea creatures. It also allows them to breed and survive. It was discovered by accident. It was only after a closer inspection that the giant organism became apparent.
How squirrels can go for months without a drop to drink
Thirteen-lined ground squirrel. CREDIT: Courtesy the Gracheva laboratory.
As Americans gathered around Thanksgiving tables to enjoy a meal, Science published a study that explains how ground squirrels hibernating can survive for up to nine months with no water. The brain regions responsible for triggering thirst have been suppressed. Combined with previous findings, the new research lends clarity on an extreme mammalian strategy for staying underground for so long.
However, this physiological mechanism alone isn’t enough to fully explain the lack of thirst. The mammals are still receiving other signals, such as hormones that cause thirst due to kidney stress or low blood volume. These should be causing them to crave fluids. This new study shows that squirrels will avoid water even when they are active and given it. Orca whales attack some pretty big fish
Killer whales surface to breathe before taking a Whale Shark down and delivering a rapid, final blow.
Orcas are one of the world’s most feared predators. It’s not a secret that they’re incredible hunters. Scientists have discovered that orcas are very adept at hunting.
In South Africa a solitary Orca named Starboard was seen for the first-time eating a great White Shark. The predation was documented in a March study in the African Journal of Marine Science. Starboard, the orca, worked alone in order to “incapacite and consume” a juvenile white shark measuring eight feet long within two minutes. The orca was later seen with the liver of the shark in its mouth. This event challenges conventional beliefs about whales hunting cooperatively in the area. It is possible that they are hunting whale sharks. Whale sharks, which are almost 60 feet in length, can feed an orca whale that is hungry. Orcas seem to be aiming for the ventral side of whale sharks, which is near their belly. This area of the whale shark’s body is less protected and therefore more vulnerable. The ventral side of the orcas has less cartilage and muscle, which allows them to reach important blood vessels such as the aorta. A study published in Frontiers in Marine Science in November detailed the findings.
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