Passenger pigeons, scientifically known as Ectopistes migratorius, were once the most abundant birds in North America, and possibly the world. Their name, derived from the French passager meaning “passenger”, reflects their migratory habits. These birds traveled in enormous flocks that, according to historical accounts, darkened the sky during their passage, and their wing beats produced […]
Animals
For 300,000 Years, Humans Dressed in Cave Bear Skins and Competed with Them for the Same Caves… Until there were None Left
Humans started using cave bear skins 320,000 years ago, and with the appearance of Homo sapiens in Europe 45,000 years ago, hunting pressure on the animal intensified until Ursus spelaeus became extinct 24,000 years ago. Standing 1.70 meters tall at the shoulder and up to 3.5 meters in length, the cave bear was much larger […]
Surprising Burial of 28 Horses that Died in a Battle of the Gallic Wars Forgotten by History is Found
The excavation of 1.3 hectares, located on the slope of a valley in Villedieu-sur-Indre in the center of France, has revealed a site dated to the late 5th and early 6th centuries. Numerous buildings, pits, ditches, and a high medieval road have been unearthed. In addition to the medieval occupation, nine pits containing horses have […]
The Largest Bat in Africa Looks Like a Monstrous Gargoyle from a Medieval Cathedral
Its scientific name, Hypsignathus monstrosus, describes a little animal as photogenic as the Hammer-headed fruit bat, a unique species in its genus that inhabits the sub-Saharan lands from Sierra Leone to Kenya, Angola, and Zambia. It is a megabat, the largest of all those living in Africa, with a wingspan of almost a meter, and […]
The Small North African Elephants, Now Extinct, with Which Hannibal Crossed the Alps
Animals have accompanied humans in warfare practically since the domestication of dogs, serving as combat vehicles of the era, alongside chariots, horses, camels, and elephants. The latter can be considered the tanks of bygone times and are often depicted in illustrations and films, though almost always inaccurately: illustrations typically show them as enormous, the typical […]
Researchers Discover Gestures and Sounds Elephants Use to Greet Each Other When Reuniting, With Traits Previously Believed Unique to Human Language
Elephants are extraordinary animals, known for their complex social interactions and sophisticated communication system. A recent study published in Nature Communications has revealed new and significant findings about how elephants use multimodal signals to communicate during greeting rituals between individuals reuniting. The study, led by researchers from the University of Vienna, focused on observing and […]
The Sea Mollusk That’s Half Animal, Half Plant, and Feeds on Sunlight
Elysia chlorotica, commonly known as the green leaf sea slug, is a sea mollusk with unique features that are part animal and part plant. It belongs to the phylum Mollusca (mollusks like clams, oysters, or octopuses) and the class Gastropoda (like snails and sea slugs), but it has the amazing ability to photosynthesize like plants. […]
Orangutan Observed Using Medicinal Plant to Treat Facial Wound, Never Before Seen in a Wild Animal
Researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Germany and Universitas Nasional in Indonesia have documented a rare case of self-medication in a wild Sumatran orangutan. The observation, which involves a male orangutan named Rakus treating his facial wound with a plant known for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, sheds new light on […]
Turtle Shells from 50,000 Years Ago Carried as “Living Provisions” by Early Humans or Neanderthals During the Last Ice Age, Found in Germany
Numerous gravel quarries in the middle Elbe valley near Magdeburg have already yielded many significant archaeological discoveries from the period between the Middle Pleistocene (Weichselian glaciation) and the modern era. At the Barleben-Adamsee gravel quarry, in addition to flint tools, five fragments of turtle shells between 42,000 and 50,000 years old have been found. These […]
Scientists Launch the New York Declaration Stating that Animals, Including Insects, can be “Sentient”
In the past decade, the field of animal cognition and behavior has seen remarkable progress, with a series of surprising discoveries that have challenged our understanding of the inner lives of other species. From crows that can report on their visual perceptions to octopuses demonstrating a preference for pain relief, these findings suggest that a […]