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Science

The year's most incredible animal stories

By New Atlas
December 30, 2021
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"Chinese whispers" (Raccoons, Kassel, Germany)
© Jan Piecha / Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2021
A new species of millipede, Eumillipes persephone, which has up to 1,306 legs – the most of any animal ever known
The first true millipede—1,306 legs long, Paul E. Marek, Bruno A. Buzatto, William A. Shear, Jackson C. Means, Dennis G. Black, Mark S. Harvey, Juanita Rodriguez, Scientific Reports
Microscope close-ups of (left) the head of a Eumillipes persephone, and (right) a section of legs
The first true millipede—1,306 legs long, Paul E. Marek, Bruno A. Buzatto, William A. Shear, Jackson C. Means, Dennis G. Black, Mark S. Harvey, Juanita Rodriguez, Scientific Reports
The newly discovered Nano-Chameleon (Brookesia nana) is the smallest known reptile in the world
Frank Glaw (SNSB/ZSM)
A Goffin's cockatoo crafting one of three tools to help it crack into fruit
O'Hara et al. /CC BY 4.0
"Ninja Prairie Dog!" (Bald eagle, Hygiene, CO)
© Arthur Trevino / Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2021
"We're Too Sexy For This Beach" (Gentoo Penguins, East Falkland, Falkland Islands)
© Joshua Galicki / Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2021
"Chinese whispers" (Raccoons, Kassel, Germany)
© Jan Piecha / Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2021
"I guess summer's over" (Pigeon, Oban Argyll, Scotland)
© John Speirs / Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2021
"Welcome to Nature!" (Red Damselfly/pyrrhosomanymphula, Gothenburg, Sweden)
© Mattias Hammar / Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2021
Scientists have managed to track the movements of an individual mammoth over his lifetime
Noskaphoto/Depositphotos
Bdelloid rotifers can survive being frozen for long periods by entering a state called cryptobiosis
Michael Plewka
Scientists have tested the survivability of tardigrades in high impacts
rukanoga/Depositphotos
The head and body of a sacoglossan sea slug, one day after they separated. We hear it was an amicable split
Sayaka Mitoh
The review of more than 300 scientific studies concluded several types of invertebrates should be classified as sentient animals
thomaseder/Depositphotos
View gallery - 14 images

It's been a good 3.5 billion years or so since life kicked off on this planet, but each lap of the Sun still brings fresh wonders from the animal kingdom to light. This year we've been treated to tool-making cockatoos, self-decapitating sea slugs and a record-breaking chameleon not much bigger than a fingernail. Here's ten of our favorite animal-related science stories from 2021.

View gallery - 14 images

Tags

ScienceAnimalsAnimal science
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New Atlas
New Atlas has been celebrating innovation and human endeavor since our first website launched on March 1, 2002. Since then we’ve produced more than 50,000 articles covering advances in technology, science, transportation, architecture, design, and many other disciplines.
1 comment
ljaques
I can just hear Persephone complaining how much =energy= it takes just to walk down to breakfast, or lunch, or dinner. Great photos. Kudos to all.
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