Animals

Biologists normally look for the hellbender slamander, which is known by the nickname "snot otter," under rocks in streams. But now there's a gentler way: They can take water samples and look for traces of the animals' DNA.

What's Swimming In The River? Just Look For DNA

7:34pm July 24, 2013

by Richard Harris

Biologists have discovered they can track hard-to-see species in streams, ponds and even the ocean by sampling the water for DNA. Scientists say the technique is an important conservation tool: So far, it's been used to track declining giant salamanders and even locate a rare whale.

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The Mount Charleston blue butterfly is a rare species found only in a few small areas high up in Nevada's Spring Mountains.

Nevada Wildfire Could Snuff Out A Rare Butterfly

7:10pm July 23, 2013

by Elizabeth Shogren

The Mount Charleston blue butterfly is found only in a couple of small patches high in Nevada's Spring Mountains. But the Carpenter 1 fire, which has been raging through the area since July 1, is threatening the land and scientists fear the fire could push the butterflies into extinction.

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Bottle-nosed dolphins leap out of the water near Dana Point, Calif.

Science

We Call Him Flipper. But What Do The Dolphins Call Him?

9:02pm July 22, 2013

by Rhitu Chatterjee

Dolphins, like humans, are part of complex social networks. And research now indicates that they use their unique whistle sounds to identify and communicate with each other. "Every time a dolphin heard its signature whistle, it called back, sometimes multiple times," one researcher says.

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Tourists At Kruger National Park Witness High-Speed Chase

11:16pm July 18, 2013

In the South African park, two cheetahs were chasing a herd of impala. Seconds from becoming dinner, one of the impala decided to make a tourist's SUV its get-away car. The animal jumped into an open window of the vehicle, which stopped the cheetahs in their tracks.

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Antelopes stand at alert at the presence of a human visitor in the sparsely populated Centennial Valley of Montana.

Saving One Species At The Expense Of Another

4:52pm July 18, 2013

by Christopher Joyce

In Montana's Centennial Valley, conservationists made a grievous mistake while trying to save the trumpeter swan — they nearly wiped out Arctic grayling. Now they're looking for ways to make sure both species get a place on the ark.

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Giant Python Snakes His Way Into Thrift Shop

4:52pm July 18, 2013

A break-in at the store had Australian police stumped. There was a hole in the ceiling and smashed merchandise but nothing was missing. The next day the intruder was found still inside the store. The python was 19 feet long and weighed 37 pounds.

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An artist's image of Nasutoceratops titusi.

Science

Newly Discovered Dinosaur Sure Had One 'Supersize Schnoz'

7:11pm July 17, 2013

by Mark Memmott

"Nasutoceratops translates as 'big-nose horned face." Scientists don't know why this Triceratops relative had such a large nose. Take a gander at what they think it looked like.

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Mind The Teeth: Fossils indicate that Tyrannosaurus rex was an active hunter, in addition to being a scavenger. And in Jurassic Park, it also had a sweet tooth for lawyers.

Science

Om Nom Nom: T. Rex Was, Indeed, A Voracious Hunter

10:44am July 16, 2013

A fossilized tyrannosaur tooth found lodged between bones in a hadrosaur's tail is giving paleobiologists pretty firm clues about the tyrant king's meal plan. And Hollywood may have been right all along — T. Rex definitely knew how to kill.

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Modern Chihuahuas trace their genetic roots in America to back before the arrival of Europeans, a new study suggests.

Science

Barking Up The Family Tree: American Dogs Have Surprising Genetic Roots

8:58pm July 10, 2013

by Rhitu Chatterjee

A few dog breeds indigenous to North America have genetic roots on the continent that stretch back 1,000 years or more. A study finds that their genetic lineages haven't changed much, despite an influx of European pooches.

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Bryan Ulring (left), ranch hand Graham Fulton (right) and Nature Conservancy ecologist Nathan Korb (center) install a pipe on a new well dug for the cattle Ulring manages for J Bar L Ranch. The ranch is working with The Nature Conservancy to try to preser

In Montana Wilds, An Unlikely Alliance To Save The Sage Grouse

1:46pm July 10, 2013

by Christopher Joyce

The chicken-size sage grouse is as much a part of America's Western range as antelopes and cowboys. The birds nest beneath sagebrush, and as it disappears, so do the grouse. Biologists hope to protect the bird without starting a 21st century range war.

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