vertebrates

Smaller than a pea, flea toads are so teensy they approach the limits of how small a backboned animal can be.Only entering scientific literature in 2011, initial descriptions of Brachycephalus pulex in Brazil's Serra Bonita mountain range led to them being referred to as toads. And curiously tiny ones at that.Researchers have now measured enough of these miniscule leaf-litter-patterned amphibians – which are indeed frogs – to confirm the ridiculously small sizes of the initial specimens were not just a fluke."Our data…

Not far from the bank of Wapiti River, just 11 kilometres from Grande Prairie, there's a paleontological goldmine: an ancient riverbed that contains fragments of skeletons of hundreds, possibly thousands, of animals from the late Cretaceous period, some 70 million years ago. Discovered in 2014,  the bonebed is known as a DC site, or, more formally, Wapiti Unit 3.It yields a wide range of fossils and teeth from many species of prehistoric vertebrates, said Corwin Sullivan, a University of Alberta paleontologist who does…

The harbor porpoise pits model. We suggest the following model for the formation of the pits and pit-scours. Phase 1: Harbor porpoise acoustically search for buried fish (sand eel) using their sonar on a flat seafloor. Phase 2: Bottom grubbing similar to the one observed for dolphins and gray whales, resulting in decimeter to meter large pits with a distinct morphology. Phase 3: The pits act as nucleation points for bottom currents to initiate scouring…

Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide are killed annually by malaria and other diseases spread through the bite of mosquitoes, insects that date back to the age of dinosaurs. All of these bites are inflicted by females, which possess specialized mouth anatomy that their male counterparts lack.But it hasn't always been that way.Researchers said they have discovered the oldest-known fossils of mosquitoes — two males entombed in pieces of amber dating to 130 million years ago, during the Cretaceous Period, and found near…

Difference between Invertebrates and Vertebrates: Invertebrates and Vertebrates are two major groups of animal kingdoms based on the presence or absence of a backbone or vertebral column. Invertebrates make up about 97% of all animal species, lack a backbone and include diverse creatures such as insects, spiders, worms, molluscs, and crustaceans. On the other hand, vertebrates account for around 3% of the animal kingdom and possess a backbone made of bone or cartilage. This group comprises fish, amphibians, reptiles,…

A beluga whale first spotted off the coast of Norway in 2019 and believed to be used for Russian surveillance, confused scientists when it resurfaced in Sweden this week. Marine biologists say the whale traveled to the area much faster as it continued to distance itself from the species’ typical living area.Rare Polar Bear Attack in Canada | Extreme EarthThe scientists are baffled why the beluga whale journeyed to Sweden, saying the closest beluga population is located in Svalbard archipelago, a spot halfway between…

Photo: Hal Beral / VWPics (AP)This bird’s name is matched only by its nickname: this species is sometimes called the “Kickboxer,” thanks to its habit of lying on its back and attacking other birds with its legs. The Hawaiian coot, or ‘alae ke‘oke‘o, is the only species of coot living on the Hawaiian islands; these striking water birds have been put at risk thanks to a series of factors, including invasive plant species, oil spills, and non-native predators like dogs. The birds’ population has risen from just a handful of…

When hammerhead sharks begin some of their deepest dives, they do the piscine equivalent of what a human would do: they hold their breath.Rare Polar Bear Attack in Canada | Extreme EarthSharks don’t breathe air, of course, but they can close their mouths and gill slits on deep dives to maintain their internal temperatures as the warmer water near the surface gives way to the colder recesses of the ocean. New research describing this behavior is published today in Science.“Although it is obvious that air-breathing marine…

Multiple conservation groups joined forces and announced their intent to sue a federal agency over what they say is a failure to protect West Indian manatees, large marine mammals that live near Florida and across the Caribbean. The manatees’ population has declined in recent years as they run out of food and lose habitat.Rare Polar Bear Attack in Canada | Extreme EarthThe Harvard Animal Law & Policy Clinic, Center for Biological Diversity, Miami Waterkeeper, and engineer Frank S. González García filed a notice…

Climate change is coming for sea turtles and their critical breeding grounds throughout the Americas and Australia. In a new study in Scientific Reports, researchers report that rapid sea level rising is likely to swallow up beaches where sea turtles lay their eggs. If An AI Reworks Copyrighted Images, Is It Art? | Future TechThe study looked at leatherback, loggerhead, hawksbill, olive ridley, and green sea turtles, all of which are protected under the Endangered Species Act.Researchers looked at different greenhouse…