Echolocation allows bats to navigate in complete darkness. Yet, some bats also have keen eyesight. A new study shows that even in broad daylight, Egyptian fruit bats continue to use echolocation to aid obstacle avoidance while flying.

Read more about daytime echolocation at my Animal Minds blog: Bats in Broad Daylight Still Echolocate.

Around the world, there are once-discovered species that haven’t been seen for years in the wild. Although feared extinct, these “lost species” may still be out there, lurking in remote and unexplored corners of our planet.

For the April issue of Muse magazine, I wrote a story about the Search for Lost Species campaign, launched in 2017 by Global Wildlife Conservation and Re:wild. From a list of 2,100 species of animals and plants, Re:wild compiled a list of the “25 most wanted” lost species. In just four years, scientists working with local partners around the world have rediscovered eight species once missing to science.

Check out the whole article here: The Search for Lost Species.

Humans have more in common with dwarf mongooses than you might think. Both species are highly social, living in complex groups. Both species use a variety of vocalizations to communicate. Now, field experiments show that dwarf mongooses are also like us in not appreciating bullies.

According to a study, dwarf mongooses identify and remember which groupmates picked fights with others during the day and later give those individuals the “cold shoulder” by grooming them less before bedtime.

Read more at The Scientist: Dwarf Mongooses Shun Bullies to Manage Conflict: Study.

In a new study, researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital tested whether exposure to stress would lead to flares of intestinal inflammation in a mouse model of inflammatory bowel disease. They found stress did not exacerbate colitis in the mice, though it did increase anxiety-like behavior.

Read more about the study here: Stress Increases Systemic Inflammation and Anxiety in Mouse Model of IBD.

What’s the best way of getting into the mind of an animal that lacks limbs? Ironically, it could be by putting ourselves into their shoes. In a recent study with common garter snakes, researchers tried to do just that. They found that snakes could discriminate their own chemical signature from that of littermates fed the same diet. The researchers say it’s a demonstration of self-recognition — a snake version of recognizing your mirror reflection. But not all scientists agree on how to interpret chemical mirror tests like this one.

Read the story at National Geographic news: Can Snakes Recognize Themselves?