{"id":399860,"date":"2025-11-23T20:44:18","date_gmt":"2025-11-23T20:44:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/399860\/"},"modified":"2025-11-23T20:44:18","modified_gmt":"2025-11-23T20:44:18","slug":"tool-using-wolf-radio-tagged-monarchs-and-other-science-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/399860\/","title":{"rendered":"Tool-using wolf, radio-tagged monarchs, and other science news"},"content":{"rendered":"

Animals\u2019 intelligence continue to surprise humans, whether the realization arises\u00a0due to focused study or observational evidence. As the NY Times writes<\/a>, \u201cevidence of tool use by octopuses, crows, fish, elephants, crocodiles and insects has dislodged our arrogance that tool use is uniquely human.\u201d (The NYT forgot parrots<\/a>.) This week\u2019s evidence comes from trail cam\u00a0documentation of a sea wolf\u00a0in British Columbia.<\/p>\n

In 2021, the\u00a0Heiltsuk, a Canadian\u00a0First Nation, began setting crab pots in\u00a0their traditional waters. to remove invasive European green crabs. The traps were \u201csimple circular, netted frames baited with plastic cups of herring or chopped sea lion\u201d tied to buoys and dropped into deep\u00a0water away from shore. Often, the traps\u00a0were found torn apart, still in some water (i.e., not exposed at low tide).\u00a0Finally,\u00a0in 2024, a wildlife biologist and a\u00a0Heiltsuk Guardian set up a trail cam to document what was happening to the traps, expecting to see otters, seals, or mink.<\/p>\n

Instead, they saw a wolf who swam out to the buoy and dragged\u00a0it back towards the shore, exposing the rope that the wolf then grabs section by section until the trap\u00a0can be torn open by the wolf\u2019s jaws.\u00a0 Finally at\u00a0her\u00a0objective\u2014the cup of bait meat\u2014she removed it from the trap, and\u00a0carried\u00a0it upright to the shore, set the cup\u00a0on the pebbles, licked out the seal lion meat, and wandered off.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe researchers describe the brief footage, featured in\u00a0a paper published Monday<\/a>\u00a0in the journal Ecology and Evolution, as the first documented instance of a wolf using a tool.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Video Reveals How Far Wolves Will Go to Steal a Meal<\/a>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0ny times (gift article)<\/p>\n

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Whether this wolf is a solitary innovator or represents a broader cultural pattern remains a mystery. But William Housty, director of the Heiltsuk integrated resource management department, suspects multiple wolves are involved. \u201cYou talk to our crew daily, and every day they\u2019re coming in with bait boxes busted open,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

A descendant of the nation\u2019s wolf clan, Mr. Housty has great respect for the species and is unsurprised by the wolves\u2019 cleverness.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes we forget that the species that exist with us, around us, are just as intelligent as we are,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

overnight news digest publishes daily around 9 pm pacific time.\u00a0saturday is science news!\u00a0 we invite you to share your stories in the comments. <\/p>\n

Gelada baboons fake fertility to protect their young from infanticide when new males take over<\/a>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0phys.org<\/p>\n

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In nature, it is not usual for animals to be deceptive, as evolution has typically favored communication that benefits both the sender and receiver by conveying reliable information. But, there are exceptions, particularly when the “lie” leads to beneficial mating or survival. For example, female poison frogs are known to prolong courtship to keep their mate around longer to care for young\u2014increasing the survival of the young.<\/p>\n

Gelada baboons from Ethiopia live in packs with a single male and up to 12 females, all of which mate with the male. Occasionally, new males come along and take over the group. The female gelada has been observed to display signals of fertility at times when new male geladas take over, even when they are still lactating from a recent birth\u2014something that typically does not occur in the absence of a takeover.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, new male geladas have been observed to kill infants fathered by their predecessors. This had researchers wondering if the two behaviors were connected and whether deception was involved.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Large herbivores are linked to higher herbaceous plant diversity and functional redundancy across spatial scales<\/a>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0journal of animal ecology<\/p>\n

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\ud83d\udc18 New research – Large herbivores are linked to higher herbaceous plant diversity and functional redundancy across spatial scales<\/p>\n

\u27a1\ufe0f buff.ly\/zqRgqqo <\/p>\n

@jonastrepel.bsky.social @joe-atkinson.bsky.social @andrewabraham.bsky.social @jessekalwij.bsky.social @jcsvenning.bsky.social @econovoau.bsky.social<\/p>\n

[image or embed]<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Journal of Animal Ecology (@animalecology.bsky.social<\/a>) November 17, 2025 at 5:02 AM<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Higher herbivory intensity in South African savannas increases herbaceous plant richness and functional redundancy. Results highlight large herbivores\u2019 role in promoting diversity and ecosystem resilience.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

These rare whales had never been seen alive. Then a team in Mexico sighted two<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 the guardian<\/p>\n

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It was an early morning in June 2024 and along the coast of Baja California in\u00a0Mexico<\/a>, scientists on the Pacific Storm research vessel were finishing their coffee and preparing for a long day searching for some of the most elusive creatures on the planet. Suddenly a call came from the bridge: \u201cWhales! Starboard side\u201d \u2026 finally Robert Pitman, a now-retired researcher at Oregon State University, fired a small arrow from a modified crossbow at the back of one of them.<\/p>\n

The tip carved out a small chunk of skin the size of a pencil eraser. It was this that would later prove to the scientists onboard that they were seeing a species that had never before been seen in the wild: a ginkgo-toothed beaked whale.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t even describe the feeling because it was something that we had worked towards for so long,\u201d says Elizabeth Henderson, a researcher at the US military\u2019s Naval Information Warfare Center and lead author of the resulting paper\u00a0published in<\/a>\u00a0<\/a>Marine Mammal Science<\/a>,\u00a0who was also there that day. \u201cEverybody on the boat was cheering because we had it, we finally had it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

France\u2019s birds start to show signs of recovery after bee-harming pesticide ban<\/a>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0the guardian<\/p>\n

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Insect-eating bird populations in France appear to be making a tentative recovery after a ban on bee-harming pesticides, according to the first study to examine how wildlife is returning in\u00a0Europe<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Neonicotinoids are the world\u2019s most common class of insecticides, widely used in agriculture and for flea control in pets. By 2022, four years after the European Union\u00a0banned neonicotinoid use in fields<\/a>, researchers observed that France\u2019s population of insect-eating birds had increased by 2%-3%. These included blackbirds, blackcaps and chaffinches, which feed on insects as adults and as chicks.<\/p>\n

The results could be mirrored across the EU, where the neonicotinoid ban came into effect in late 2018, but research has not yet been done elsewhere. The lead researcher, Thomas Perrot from the Fondation pour la recherche sur la biodiversit\u00e9 in Paris, said: \u201cEven a few percentage [points\u2019] increase is meaningful \u2013 it shows the ban made a difference. Our results clearly point to neonicotinoid bans as an effective conservation measure for insectivorous birds.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Has birds\u2019 mysterious \u2018compass\u2019 organ been found at last?<\/a>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0nature<\/p>\n

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Pigeons (Columba livia) seem to be able to sense magnetic fields by detecting tiny electrical currents in their inner ears. Researchers performed advanced brain mapping as well single-cell RNA sequencing of pigeon inner-ear cells. Both lines of evidence point to the inner ear as the birds\u2019 \u2018magnetoreception\u2019 organ. Such an organ gives the birds an \u2018inner compass\u2019 that could help to explain their navigational nous<\/a> over long distances. \u201cThis is probably the clearest demonstration of the neural pathways responsible for magnetic processing in any animal,\u201d says sensory biology researcher Eric Warrant.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

TikTok Is Obsessed With Talking Parrots. It\u2019s Fueling a Global Black Market<\/a>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0rolling stone<\/p>\n

Excellent longform story not easily previewed \u2014\u00a0go take a look!<\/p>\n

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Parrot reels might seem benign, says Rowan Martin, director of the nonprofit World Parrot Trust\u2019s Africa conservation program, but the posts are \u201cplaying a central role in opening up vast new markets for exotic wildlife.\u201d Openings that traders like Fourie are ready to seize upon. […]<\/p>\n

At $440 a bird, Fourie\u2019s African greys sell faster than Taylor Swift tickets \u2014 he can\u2019t fill all his current orders. \u201cIf I can get 2,000 African grey babies, I can send it [sic] out tomorrow.\u201d Transporting greys is more challenging than exporting other commodities, he says. \u201cLive animals are a very risky business \u2014 it\u2019s not like selling shoes. Your shoe cannot die.\u201d Nonetheless, Fourie says, grinning, it\u2019s \u201ca good business.\u201d<\/p>\n

Especially good until nearly a decade ago, when it was legal for breeders in South Africa, which has no wild African greys, and elsewhere to buy them from traders in countries such as Cameroon and the DRC. Wild birds are cheaper and easier to breed \u2014 captives take at least four years to become sexually mature, requiring expensive veterinary care, food, and shelter.<\/p>\n

Fourie scoffs at the concern about African greys disappearing in the wild. \u201cThey will never finish the greys in the Congo,\u201d he says, because the country is so big. \u201cThere are some areas a human being has never been \u2014 that\u2019s how big it is.\u201d And those jungles are full of \u201cthousands, and thousands, and thousands, and thousands of African greys.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

We Can Now Track Individual Monarch Butterflies. It\u2019s a Revelation.<\/a>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0nytimes (gift article)<\/p>\n

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For the first time, scientists are tracking the migration of monarch butterflies across much of North America, actively monitoring individual insects on journeys from as far away as Ontario all the way to their overwintering colonies in central Mexico.<\/p>\n

This long-sought achievement could provide crucial insights into the poorly understood life cycles of hundreds of species of butterflies, bees and other flying insects at a time when\u00a0many are in steep decline<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The breakthrough is the result of a tiny solar-powered radio tag that weighs just 60 milligrams and sells for $200. Researchers have tagged more than 400 monarchs this year and are now following their journeys on a cellphone app ,,,\u00a0Most monarchs weigh 500 to 600 milligrams, so each tag-bearing migrator making the transcontinental journey is, by weight, equivalent to a half-raisin carrying three uncooked grains of rice. […]<\/p>\n

Tracking the world\u2019s most famous insect migration may also have a big social impact, with monarch lovers able to follow the progress of individual butterflies on the free app, called\u00a0Project Monarch Science<\/a>. Many of the butterflies are flying over cities and suburbs where pollinator gardens are increasingly popular. Some tracks could even lead to the discovery of new winter hideaways.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u00a0Exploring the concept of bacterial memory<\/a>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0nature<\/p>\n

The response of bacteria to environmental stimuli can be influenced by their past experiences, which suggests they have a form of memory, say four microbiome researchers. These memories can arise in individual cells in the form of mutations or epigenetic changes, or at a population level as colonies respond to selective pressures such as antibiotics. In theory, researchers could\u00a0use such memory to condition therapeutically or industrially important strains to cope with certain stressors<\/a>, the group writes. Studying this behaviour could also yield insight into the origin of memory in multicellular organisms.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Microplastics hit male arteries hard<\/a> \u2014 uc riverside news<\/p>\n

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The researchers found microplastics dramatically worsened atherosclerosis, but only in males. In male mice, microplastic exposure increased plaque buildup by 63% in the aortic root, the first section of the aorta that attaches to the heart; and 624% in the brachiocephalic artery, a blood vessel that branches off the aorta in the upper chest. In female mice, the same exposure did not significantly worsen plaque formation.<\/p>\n

The study found microplastics did not make the mice obese or raise their cholesterol. The mice remained lean, and their blood lipid levels did not change, meaning the increased artery damage was not due to traditional risk factors like weight gain or high cholesterol.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

What the U.S. Government Is Dismissing That Could Seed a Bird Flu Pandemic<\/a>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0propublica<\/p>\n

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After a bird flu outbreak tore through Midwestern barns, killing millions of chickens and spiking egg prices, the federal government didn\u2019t investigate if the virus was airborne.<\/p>\n

So ProPublica did.<\/p>\n

Absolutely terrifying reporting from @natlash.bsky.social: <\/p>\n

www.propublica.org\/article\/bird…<\/p>\n

[image or embed]<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Annie Waldman (@anniewaldman.bsky.social<\/a>) November 18, 2025 at 10:53 AM<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture urged farmers to follow a longstanding playbook that assumes that bird flu is spread by wild birds and tracked into barns with lax safety practices. The agency blamed the outbreak on \u201cshared people and equipment.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Three years into a brutal wave of the virus, industry leaders raised evidence that bird flu was entering barns differently and evading even the strictest protocols. They suspected it could be airborne\u00a0<\/strong>and begged officials to deploy a proven weapon against the disease: a vaccine for poultry.<\/p>\n

The USDA didn\u2019t do that or explore their theory, and its playbook failed: In just three months, the virus that erupted in a single Ohio farm spread to flocks with over 18 million hens \u2014 5% of America\u2019s egg layers. All were killed to try to stop the contagion, and egg prices hit historic highs, surpassing the previous fall\u2019s spike, which Donald Trump had cited as a massive failure of economic leadership in his successful campaign for the presidency.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

First, the frogs died. Then people got sick.<\/a> \u2014\u00a0wapo (gift article)<\/p>\n

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An emerging area of research is uncovering surprising links between nature and human health.<\/p>\n

Gratwicke is a conservation biologist who leads amphibian work at the Smithsonian\u2019s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. He had flown to Panama, in the middle of rainy season, to help resurrect frog species that had vanished from the cloud forest decades ago.<\/p>\n

Whether these amphibians can strike out on their own and thrive here again is uncertain.<\/p>\n

What is becoming increasingly clear is that without them, humans are in trouble. It turns out that frogs \u2014 in biblical times regarded as a plague \u2014 are actually\u00a0<\/strong>guardians against disease.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Rocks on Faults Can Heal Following Seismic Movement<\/a>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0uc davis<\/p>\n

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Earthquake faults deep in the Earth can glue themselves back together following a seismic event, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Davis. The work, published Nov. 19 in\u00a0Science Advances<\/a>\u00a0and supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, adds a new factor to our understanding of the behavior of faults that can give rise to major earthquakes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe discovered that deep faults can heal themselves within hours,\u201d said\u00a0Amanda Thomas<\/a>, professor of earth and planetary sciences at UC Davis and corresponding author on the paper. \u201cThis prompts us to reevaluate fault rheological behavior, and if we have been neglecting something very important.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

When trade routes shift, so do clouds: Researchers uncover ripple effects of new global shipping regulations<\/a>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0phys.org<\/p>\n

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When militia attacks disrupted shipping lanes in the Red Sea, few imagined the ripple effects would reach the clouds over the South Atlantic. But for Florida State University atmospheric scientist Michael Diamond, the rerouting of cargo ships offered a rare opportunity to clarify a pressing climate question\u2014How much do cleaner fuels change how clouds form?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

First Descent: Kayaking the Klamath River after the largest dam removal in U.S. history<\/p>\n

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A group of young Indigenous kayakers set out to become the first to paddle the entire Klamath River, from source to sea, after the biggest dam removal project in history. Ranging in age from 13-20 and from tribes across the Northwest, the youth dedicated years to training for the 300-mile, month-long journey. <\/p>\n

But for many, it was a journey generations in the making, as their relatives and communities had been fighting to remove the Klamath dams since the first one went up in 1908. Along the way, this next generation of river stewards connected with Indigenous people from around the globe to celebrate the healing of their river and to call for dam removals worldwide.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Animals\u2019 intelligence continue to surprise humans, whether the realization arises\u00a0due to focused study or observational evidence. As the…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":399861,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[159,67,132,68,837],"class_list":{"0":"post-399860","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-science","9":"tag-united-states","10":"tag-unitedstates","11":"tag-us","12":"tag-wildlife"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115600966512263497","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399860","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=399860"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399860\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/399861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=399860"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=399860"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=399860"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}