From superpowered bees to theatrical snakes, these reports from the animal kingdom drove us wild in 2024.
Mighty morphin’ beluga blobs
You can learn a lot about a beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) by watching its forehead. During social interactions, belugas in captivity mold their melons — fat deposits on the head used for echolocation — into five distinct shapes (SN: 6/1/24, p. 9). Scientists suspect that the squishy shapes are purposeful communications and hope to investigate whether wild belugas manipulate their melons too.
Feathered flourishes
Persian poems say that domestic parlor roller pigeons (Columba livia) do backflips on the ground because they’re happy — but the real reason comes down to their genes. A researcher has narrowed down the cause to 300 genes, with five confirmed to play a part in the bizarre behavior (SN: 4/20/24, p. 4). Meanwhile out in the wild, Japanese tits (Parus minor) flutter their wings to tell mates to enter the nest first, a type of gestural communication usually seen only in primates (SN: 4/20/24, p. 10).
Playful pets
Say the name of your dog’s favorite toy, and she might be disappointed if you produce a different plaything instead. When shown an unexpected toy, pet dogs’ brains generate a signal that in humans indicates surprise, suggesting pooches may form mental images of objects (SN: 4/20/24, p. 11). And dogs aren’t the only pets who love a good time; a survey of over 900 cat owners revealed that many felines play fetch — but only when they feel like it (SN: 2/10/24, p. 5).
Solving mammoth mysteries
The last woolly mammoths died out 4,000 years ago on Wrangel Island, off the coast of Siberia. A slow decline due to inbreeding has largely been blamed for their demise. But a new analysis of 21 mammoth genomes suggests the Wrangel population was surprisingly robust and likely died from a natural disaster instead (SN: 8/10/24, p. 9). Speaking of mammoth…
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