Animal behavior – Page 2

A sketch of a bird with a question mark above it's beak.

Many vertebrates in the animal kingdom have a highly-developed sense of smell, but what about birds? This article highlights what we know about how birds use olfaction to traverse their daily lives, and outlines what is still unknown.

October 3, 2025 Cassie Welander

Climate change confuses moths when egg-laying

Climate change, specifically rising levels of carbon dioxide, can have different ecological impacts. A new study shows how elevated levels of carbon dioxide can confuse some moths when they look for sites to lay eggs.

A close-up of a bumblebee sitting on a flower

Animal behavior Environmental Science Sustainabililty

September 18, 2025 Julianna Colafranceschi

Plight of the Bumblebees: How Traffic Noise Disrupts Bumblebee-Mediated Tomato Pollination

An ever-expanding human population means more roads, more cars, and more traffic noise. But how does all this racket affect the animals living alongside us, like bees? A recent study examines whether increasing noise pollution affects the pollination behavior of bumblebees, and outline implications for the future of urban agriculture.

Animal behavior Environmental Science

September 13, 2025 Meghan Maciejewski

Having Friends Makes Crows More Resilient to Light Pollution

Light pollution can negatively affect animals’ sleep, behavior, and physiology. A recent study in crows suggests that social interactions can reduce the adverse effects of light pollution.

Animal behavior Ecosystems

June 18, 2025 Julia Bebout

Arthropod Allies in the Atacama Desert: How One Parasitic Plant Promotes its Own Success

Parasitic plants are a bit like vampires; they suck the sap out of other plants. Because of their unusual lifestyle, these plants’ impacts on their community of neighboring plants and animals can be complicated and surprising. A team of researchers in Chile asked an interesting question: Do parasitic plants benefit from the cascading effects they have on their communities of neighboring plants and animals?

Animal behavior Ecosystems

June 16, 2025 Kevin Neumann

Infecting robot locusts with pathogens to study social immunity

Researchers observed the responses by live locusts to robot locusts infected with a fungal pathogen

A green iguana resting on a log with green leaves in the background

Animal behavior Case Studies Remote Environments

April 6, 2025 Lauren Glevanik

Island-dwelling Iguanas First Arrived in Fiji by Rafting Across 5000 Miles of Open Ocean

Genetic analyses suggest that a population of island-dwelling iguanas in Fiji first arrived by rafting across 5000 miles of open ocean. Traveling from the homeland of their closest relatives in western North America, this journey breaks records for the longest known overwater dispersal of any land animal.

Animal behavior Ecosystems Environmental Science Science through time Sustainabililty

March 25, 2025 Christina Andrea Alvear

Discovery of a Shortfin Mako Nursery

Featured Image Caption: Two shortfin mako sharks (Isurus oxyrinchus) by MarkConlin, public domain from U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration