Close to thirty African penguins have died due to avian flu since mid-August at Boulders beach near Cape Town, a crucial breeding site in South Africa.

A new study, led by British Antarctic Survey and the University of Bristol, provides the first evidence that a controversial evolutionary process may be responsible for lanternfishes becoming one of the most diverse families of fish in the deep sea.

Monogamy is widespread among birds and it is well known that many seabird species mate for life. Famous examples include charismatic penguins and albatrosses which are often portrayed in the media as the perfect couples. But this romantic trope doesn't tell the whole story.

Researchers led by Matthew Fuxjager at Brown University, U.S. and Eric Schuppe at Wake Forest University, U.S. have found regions in the woodpecker forebrain that show characteristics that until now have only been associated with vocal learning in animals and language in humans. Publishing in the open access journal PLOS Biology on September 20, the study shows that instead of being related to vocalization, activity in these brain regions is related to the characteristic tree drumming that […]

The koala was clinging to an old tree stag while stranded in the Murray River, on the border between New South Wales and Victoria. A team of students from La Trobe University noticed its predicament as they were paddling by in canoes.