dr. dolittle
Posts by this author
January 27, 2012
I really love fishing! I can't think of a more relaxing time than sitting by the lake, or a more exciting time than going deep sea fishing. Therefore, I find animals that have come up with unique ways of catching fish pretty interesting. Take for example the humpback whales that we talked about in…
January 25, 2012
Researchers have discovered that dolphins might be able to learn a new language! Four captive bottlenose dolphins in Port-Saint-Pere, France have repeatedly heard recorded whale sounds during their various performances at the aquatic park. When researchers recorded the dolphins talking in their…
January 20, 2012
A reader asked if there was an herb equivalent to catnip for dogs. In my search for the answer to that question, I came across many articles claiming that although some dogs will actually respond to catnip, aniseed is to dogs what catnip is to cats. Foxhounds will reportedly follow the scent of…
January 17, 2012
Just in case you have not yet had a chance to see this video of a murmuration (a flock of starlings) showing thousands of the birds and their impressive ability to coordinate flight, here it is. I can see why it went viral, it really is a must-see:
Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.
January 12, 2012
If you are a blue-footed booby, the answer is yes. Female blue-footed boobies find males with bright-blue feet pretty sexy. The problem is repeated mating comes with diminished foot color and attractiveness as the males get older. What is a male with dull feet to do? Apparently the solution is easy…
January 11, 2012
I just finished reading an interesting article from The Scientist on what makes catnip so addicting to our feline friends. In our house, we refer to it as "kitty pot" because our cat just can't seem to get enough of the stuff. One sniff and he is rubbing all over the plant and then does a few laps…
January 6, 2012
Scientists exploring newly discovered deep-sea vents in the Antarctic have also discovered new species of hairy-chested yeti crabs (the "hair" being from bacteria), anemones, and predatory seven-armed sea stars. Many of these animals have never been seen before at hydrothermal vents explored in…
January 4, 2012
There is a new suspect thought to contribute to the demise of honeybee (Apis mellifera) colonies worldwide, termed colony collapse disorder (CCD).
Until now, scientists have identified a host of potential culprits including pesticides that might weaken their immune systems, pathogens, parasites,…
December 28, 2011
Dr. Nicholas Grahame and colleagues at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis have selectively bred mice that prefer drinking alcohol and apparently binge drink. Until now, other mice would choose water over alcohol. These inebriated mice are the first model of severe human…
December 23, 2011
This is an exciting day for a comparative physiologist! I just received word from a reader that the top 10 newly discovered species of 2011 have been chosen. This is an annual "contest" put on by the International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University along with an…
December 21, 2011
See the amazing symbiotic relationship that has evolved between jellyfish and algae. This relationship began 12,000 years ago when ocean levels were higher as a result of melting glaciers. With the higher ocean levels, creatures like the golden jellyfish trickled into an island lake. As the ocean…
December 15, 2011
In the search for energy efficient animals, I came across this neat little bug, the Oriental hornet (Vespa orientalis) that can apparently derive energy from the sun. These bugs will actually work their hardest when the sun is at its peak, which is in contrast to similar species that work hardest…
December 13, 2011
More than 200 new species have been discovered since last year in Greater Mekong region. My new favorite is the snub-nosed monkey that looks like Elvis.
December 9, 2011
A researcher studying the evolution of laughter has observed that things that make us laugh, like tickling our feet, also make our ape relatives giggle like children:
To hear the gorilla better, watch this more recent video:
Here is a YouTube video of a chimpanzee at the Chimfunshi Wildlife…
December 8, 2011
Image Credit: Animal Planet
Researchers have discovered that the reason chimpanzees eat certain foods may have nothing to do with having a sophisticated palate, but rather, the animals appear to be self-medicating. I suppose if you were a chimpanzee it would be difficult to find a doctor to treat…
December 6, 2011
The Smithsonian National Zoo needs your help naming this young giant Pacific octopus:
Image Credit: Tamie DeWitt, Smithsonian's National Zoo
The deadline for submitting entries is December 12th at 5pm. The caveat: to suggest a name, you must be a child between the ages of 5 and 15 years. If you (…
December 1, 2011
Was anyone able to see the special on Nova "The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies" that aired yesterday? Talk about long-distance migration! Every year, over 100 million newly hatched monarch butterflies travel from southern Canada and the northeastern United States ~2000 miles on a 2 month…
November 30, 2011
In a global effort to understand whale communication, researchers have created a website asking people from around the world to match songs recorded from pilot and killer whales. The songs were recorded using suction-cup sensors that not only record the tagged animal's songs, but also those of…
November 29, 2011
Good news for those interested in discovering new species. Researchers have used taxonomic data to estimate the total number of species in a taxonomic group. Using this information, they have determined that there are approximately 8.7 million species of eukaryotes around the world. Of those, about…
November 23, 2011
In our continuing coverage of just how neat these animals are, check out this video showing an octopus taking a stroll on the beach at the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Moss Beach, California.
Video: Octopus Walks on Land
Here is another video of the super stealthy mimic octopus:
Video: Super…
November 23, 2011
For those unable to view the previous video explaining the evolution of turkeys from dinosaurs, or would rather see a synopsis, here is a short YouTube clip:
Happy Thanksgiving!
November 22, 2011
Here is a neat special from National Geographic showing the evolution of turkeys from dinosaurs:
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
-Dr. Dolittle
November 19, 2011
A new species of walking epaulette sharks (Hemiscyillum freycineti) has been discovered off the coast of Indonesia. These sharks actually walk using their pectoral fins. Take time out for a dive alongside this shark and see some other amazing ocean wildlife in this diver's video:
Video Source:…
November 16, 2011
Photo Credit: H. Jusseit
Hans Jusseit, a tuna fisherman, has designed a shield to protect the bait on fish hooks (image above). These are not just any fish hooks. These hooks are for catching large fish, like tuna, using longlines like the one shown in the picture below.Image: OPRT-Organization for…
November 14, 2011
Photo: An adult tammar wallaby. (Andrew Pask/UConn Photo)
The tammar wallaby is the first Australian marsupial to have its genome sequenced. Researchers were surprised to find out that many of the wallaby genes are similar to those found in humans. Because baby wallabies (aka: joey) develop in a…
November 14, 2011
The last stop on our trail of physiology this Fall is Arizona. The Arizona Physiological Society held their annual meeting on the Medical Campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson on November 11-12.
The meeting opened with a special session for future (and current) physiologists interested…
November 9, 2011
These are just a few of my favorite recent discoveries.
A new species of "albino" trapdoor spiders has been discovered in Australia. The aptly named spiders build trapdoors hinged with silk leading into their burrows. When prey walk by, the spiders sense the vibrations and spring out for the…
November 9, 2011
Image:Canadian Museum of Nature
Well, the paternity tests are in and the results are not looking very good. It turns out that arctic foxes are not monogamous after all. When resources are abundant, populations of breeding pairs expand and the female arctic foxes mate with other males, cheating on…
November 8, 2011
Image Credit: Science Magazine; The Bridgeman Art Library/Getty Images; Thomas Hackmann (insert). 25,000 year old cave paintings in Spain.
Until now, scientists thought that the spotted horses depicted in ancient cave paintings, like the image above, were works of imagination and that this leopard…
November 7, 2011
Dr. Jon Costanzo, Senior Research Scholar and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Zoology at Miami University in Oxford, OH was invited to tell us about his amazing research on wood frogs; animals that can actually survive freezing! Here is his post:
In a recent post, Dr. Dolittle commented on…