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Ants are the dominant waste managers of tropical rainforests, new research shows. In a large-scale study in the Malaysian rainforest, ants were responsible for moving more than half of food resources from the forest floor — playing a significant role in keeping the ecosystem. . . Read More

North American walnut sphinx moth caterpillars look like easy meals for birds, but they have a trick up their sleeves—they produce whistles that sound like bird alarm calls, scaring potential predators away. At first, scientists suspected birds were simply startled by the loud. . . Read More

Jet ants mark their trails with hindgut secretions that contain a special blend of pheromones. Large numbers of foraging ants commute on these trails, transporting honeydew collected from aphids and other insects in their social stomachs, or crops. One particular species of sap. . . Read More

The deep sea covers around 65% of the planet’s surface, making it the largest habitat on Earth. Yet, this vast area remains largely unknown. The remoteness of the deep sea, which lies below 200 m, makes traditional ecological data collection methods extremely difficult. As a. . . Read More

Male cuttlefish compete over females with a dazzling color change show. Scientists have tested and characterized the mating behavior of the common European cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis, in the lab, but no one had seen these behaviors in the wild before. That is, until a team of. . . Read More