Posts Tagged ‘prey’
Aging leeches catch prey with ‘wave sense’
CALTECH (US) — Leeches have two distinct ways to sense prey, however, their preferred detection method changes as they age, a new study shows. Continue…
Thursday, November 3, 2011 11:13 - 2 Comments
Science & Technology - Sep 28, 2011 15:00 - 0 Comments
Binge-eating fish with 3x the guts
U. WASHINGTON-SEATTLE (US) — Salmon and other fish predators take the adage “no guts, no glory” literally, by having up to three times the “gut” capacity they need on a daily basis just so they can “glory” when prey is abundant. (more…)
Science & Technology - May 2, 2011 16:39 - 3 Comments
Biodiversity born of mass extinction
U. CHICAGO (US) — Fossils from more than 300 million years ago show that what was bad for fish was good for the fish’s food. (more…)
Science & Technology - Mar 29, 2011 16:20 - 0 Comments
Sex signals help spiders snare prey
CARDIFF U. (UK) — Insects using vibration to attract a mate might get more than they bargained for: killer spiders are able to intercept the signals to zero in on their prey. (more…)
Science & Technology - Jun 17, 2010 9:15 - 3 Comments
Caterpillars use fake eyes to stare down birds
U. PENN (US)—Why do hundreds of species of tropical caterpillars display a fascinating variety of eye-like and face-like color patterns—the kinds of designs that scare off insect-eating birds and make a harmless and vulnerable caterpillar look like a poisonous snake? (more…)
Earth & Environment - May 11, 2010 16:41 - 1 Comment
Shape of lake bottoms can spur epidemics
INDIANA U. (US)—In an effort to learn more about the ecology of disease, researchers studying lakes in Michigan have discovered that the shape of lake bottoms may control the onset of epidemics. (more…)
Earth & Environment - May 7, 2010 16:11 - 0 Comments
Fragmented forests make birds sitting ducks
U. ILLINOIS (US)—When forests are fragmented, snakes win and birds lose, new research shows. (more…)
Science & Technology - Mar 3, 2010 11:53 - 0 Comments
‘Killer’ algae’s dark side
U. MINNESOTA (US)—A toxic alga, once thought to be a helpless, sun-loving microbe, is really a vicious, venom-producing predator responsible for massive fish kills in the Chesapeake Bay and other waterways. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Feb 5, 2010 12:10 - 0 Comments
Sizable snail threatens endangered bird
U. FLORIDA (US)—A huge South American snail is wreaking havoc on its predator, the snail kite, an endangered Everglades bird of prey. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Jul 24, 2009 12:17 - 1 Comment
Predator and prey direct nature’s synchronicity
“Predators fundamentally change the way that their prey vary through time, creating a cyclic pattern that is quickly synchronized across many locations with only small amounts of dispersal,” says Yale’s David Vasseur.
Science & Technology - Jun 23, 2009 9:25 - 0 Comments
Sneaky snake fakes out fish prey
VANDERBILT (US)—The tentacled water snake from southeast Asia has found a way to startle its prey so that the fish turn toward the snake’s head to flee instead of turning away. The fish’s reaction is so predictable that the snake aims its strike at the position where the fish’s head will be instead of tracking its actual movement. (more…)
Science & Technology - Mar 24, 2009 16:11 - 0 Comments
Dogs are efficient, but stealthy cats get prey
DUKE (US)—Evolution can behave as differently as cats and dogs. While dogs depend on an energy-efficient style of four-footed running over long distances to catch their prey, cats seem to have evolved a profoundly inefficient gait, tailor-made to creep up in slow motion on a mouse or bird. (more…)
