Tag Archives: mammals
right whales are ship magnets
Right whales aren’t one of the better-known whales. They aren’t as charismatic as humpbacks or orcas, or as ginormous as blue whales. One story about where they got their name is that they were the “right whale” for whalers – … Continue reading
bats don’t like rain
I just came across something I totally forgot I’d written: why bats don’t like to fly in the rain. (It takes more energy to fly when their fur is wet.)
unlikely friendships
My former National Geographic colleague Jennifer Holland has a new book. It’s the #9 book on Amazon right now. The book, Unlikely Friendships: 47 Remarkable Stories from the Animal Kingdom, is about animals that are buddies. There’s a monkey that … Continue reading
female dogs see through your tricks
This week for ScienceNOW I wrote a story about a sex difference in how dogs think about physical objects. One of the sources I talked to called the results “odd” and I think you’ll agree. Nobody really has any idea … Continue reading
museum tourist: national museum, prague
Cases and cases of minerals. Stuffed animal skins. Grand staircases. This, my friends, is what a natural history museum should be. It’s on a hill at the end of Wenceslas Square in Prague, in the Czech Republic, and I was … Continue reading
crochetdermy
A friend pointed out this nifty link to me: an artist who makes life-sized crochet versions of animals. Crochet + taxidermy = crochetdermy. Clever, eh? The writer seems to think “knit” and “crochet” can be used interchangeably, but as far … Continue reading
rolling down to old maui
Here’s that sea chanty, “Rolling Down to Old Maui,” sung by the great Canadian folk singer Stan Rogers: “We’re homeward bound from the Arctic ground, rolling down to old Maui.” The sailors have been catching whales in the Arctic, which … Continue reading
museum tourist: old lahaina courthouse
I have a thing about whales. They’re so big, and interesting, and mysterious. For a long time, the only things we knew about them were what we could see them doing at the surface of their world. And they do … Continue reading
bilingual babies
This weekend the AAAS meeting is in town. Hordes of scientists and science writers have descended on D.C. for a weekend of general science. It’s good times – lots of interesting ideas flying around and tons of colleagues to hang … Continue reading
animal art
Today I happened to be talking to someone about bonobos and wondered later if I could see any at my local zoo. I can’t – the only great apes they have there are western lowland gorillas and orangutans. There aren’t … Continue reading