Animal science

Newts do it. Lizards do it. Even educated axolotls do it. Regenerating limbs isn’t something many animals can do, but now there’s a surprising new addition to the list – alligators. A study has shown that alligators can regrow part of a lost tail.

The tardigrade is one of nature’s toughest creatures. Now scientists have discovered a new species that adds to an already impressive array of survival tools by employing a type of fluorescent shield to protect itself against lethal UV radiation.

We're on the brink of a sixth major extinction event, largely thanks to human activity and climate change. The least we could do is try to prevent some of them, and now a study has quantified how many species we may have saved in the last few decades.

It can be hard to determine if an animal is extinct or just really good at hiding. A new study shows how environmental DNA can help the hunt, with several missing frog species rediscovered in Brazil, including one that hasn’t been seen in 50 years.

Back in 2015 scientists published a paper outlining what they perceived as a sixth mass extinction event. Researchers have now provided an update in the form of a new study that has found the rate of extinctions is increasing at an unprecedented rate.

Wild buffalo and cattle in Australia cause all sorts of damage to the environment by destroying vegetation, eroding soil and spreading weeds, but a major new wildlife tagging venture could greatly reduce their impact.

New research is shedding some light on the longstanding mystery of koala hydration. The study presents the first description of a previously unknown drinking behavior, showing the unique marsupials drinking by licking tree trunks during rain storms.

Scientists have unearthed an interesting example of animal behavior, catching wild grey seals clapping underwater for the first time ever, seemingly an attempt to catch the eye of potential suitors that happen to be in the area.

It takes something truly extraordinary to kill a tardigrade. Scientists have uncovered a neat trick they employ to endure inhospitable conditions.

Researchers have developed a transgenic mouse model with human brain immune cells. The breakthrough will let scientists observe how human brain cells respond to different Alzheimer’s-inducing toxic proteins, advancing our understanding into how neurodegenerative disease progresses.

Birds flying together in formation can save substantial amounts of energy. But what’s good for the goose isn’t necessarily good for the gander, with scientists finding that for pairs of homing pigeons this approach actually costs them energy instead.

If you want to study a mouse's behaviour, then perhaps it isn't best to grab it and put it in a setting where it has to perform a certain task. That's the thinking behind Autonomouse, a cage that's designed to make life easier for lab mice, and to produce better results in behavioural studies.