Animal News: Page 28

Selfish Herd Theory: Sheep in Herds Really Are Selfish Say Scientists (July 24, 2012): Animals spend time together in large groups not because they enjoy each other's company, but because it lowers their own chances of being eaten by a predator.

More Dairy Farmers Are Buying Waterbeds for Cows (July 20, 2012): More dairy farmers are tying out the growing dairy farming trend of giving cows waterbeds.

Gopher Makes Home Under Rocket Launch Pad at Russian Space Facility in Kazakhstan (July 19, 2012): The Atlantic reports that a curious little gopher has made its home under the rocket launch pad at Baikonur, a Russian space facility in Kazakhstan.

Scientists Observe Impact of Rain on the Hovering Performance of Hummingbirds (July 18, 2012): Scientists have observed the impact of light to heavy rain on hummingbirds.

Southern Dumpling Squid Exhaust Themselves With 3 Hour Mating Sessions (July 18, 2012): Researchers from the University of Melbourne have discovered that southern dumpling squid exhaust themselves with their three hour mating sessions.

First Videos of Snow Leopard Mother and Cubs in Dens Recorded in Mongolia (July 15, 2012): The den sites of two female snow leopards and their cubs have been located in Mongolia's Tost Mountains for the first time.

Fossil of Turtle With Extremely Circular Tire Sized Shell Discovered (July 11, 2012): Paleontologist Carlos Jaramillo's group at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama and colleagues at North Carolina State University and the Florida Museum of Natural History have discovered the fossil of a previously unknown turtle species in northwestern South America.

Newly Discovered Caribbean Parasitic Crustacean Blood Feeder Named After Bob Marley (July 11, 2012): A newly discovered small parasitic crustacean blood feeder in the Caribbean has been named after late reggae singer Bob Marley.

Over 20,000 Leatherback Turtle Eggs Crushed by Bulldozers in Trinidad (July 10, 2012): Thousands of leatherback sea turtle eggs were crushed by bulldozers in Trinidad.

Researchers Say Spaceflight May Help Microscopic Worm Live Longer (July 8, 2012): New research has shown that spaceflight may extend the lifespan of a microscopic worm, Caenorhabditis elegans (C.

Stranded Beluga Whale Calf Rescued by Alaska SeaLife Center (July 7, 2012): A stranded beluga whale calf was rescued from Bristol Bay on Monday, June 18.

Darwin's Frog Spits Out Its Young (July 5, 2012): The Darwin's frog (Rhinoderma darwinii) was discovered by Charles Darwin in forests in South America.

Scientists Say Emperor Penguins Threatened by Antarctic Sea Ice Loss (June 26, 2012): Scientists are projecting a major decline in emperor penguins by the end of this century as climate change reduces the extent of Antarctic sea ice.

Club-Winged Manakin Rubs Wings Together to Produce High Humming Sound (June 25, 2012): Cornell researchers first reported in 2005 on the ability of the male club-winged manakin to rub its wing feathers together to produce a high hum.

Plant's Mustard Oil Bomb Makes Mouse Spit Out Seeds (June 20, 2012): A plant called sweet mignonette or taily weed (Ochradenus baccatus), found in Israel's Negev Desert, has a unique method for spreading its seeds.

Video: Pufferfish Inflates to Escape Otter (June 8, 2012): An otter captures a pufferfish in this National Geographic video.

Tiny Mantis Shrimp Pounds Enemies, Prey With Fist-Like Club (June 7, 2012): Researchers at the University of California, Riverside's Bourns College of Engineering have been studying the bright orange fist-like club of the peacock mantis shrimp, or stomatopod, a 4-inch long crustacean found in tropical waters.

Camera Traps Capture Wild Jaguars in Oil Palm Plantation in Colombia (June 6, 2012): Panthera's camera traps have produced the first photographic evidence of wild jaguars with cubs in an oil palm plantation in Colombia.

Video: Shark Feeds on Giant Squid Off Coast of Australia (June 6, 2012): This video shows a shark feeding on a large 15-foot long giant squid off the coast of southeastern Australia.

Scientists Say Monkey Lip Smacks Provide Insight Into Evolution of Human Speech (June 2, 2012): Scientists say monkey lip smacks could provide valuable insight into the evolution of human speech.

Scientists Discover Previously Unknown Ammonite (June 1, 2012): Researchers at the Natural History Museum in Vienna discovered a previously unknown ammonite.

Tuatara Reptile Can Slice Food Like a Steak Knife Say Researchers (May 30, 2012): Researchers from University College London (UCL) have found that the tuatara, a reptile found in New Zealand, chews its food in a way unlike any other animal on the planet.

Razor Clam's Rapid Burrowing Technique Involves Turning Soil Into Quicksand (May 27, 2012): Amos Winter from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has been studying the Atlantic Razor clam to develop ideas for building self-burying robots.

Scientists Discover New Grapefruit Sized Sensory Organ in Chin of Rorqual Whales (May 27, 2012): Scientists from the Smithsonian Institution and University of British Columbia have solve the mystery of how lunge feeding works through the discovery of a grapefruit sized sensory organ in the chin of rorqual whales that communicates to the brain.

Sneezing Monkey Makes List of Top 10 New Species for 2012 (May 26, 2012): A snub-nosed monkey from Myanmar (Burma) that sneezes when it rains made ASU's list of the Top 10 New Species for 2012.