As urban areas encroach more and more into formerly natural spaces, some wild animals are making a go of it in human cities. Even relatively large carnivores, such as coyotes, have become common in many metropolitan areas. City living can offer access to resources like food and shelter, but it comes with its own unique challenges—enough to elevate stress levels among urban coyotes, according to a new study.

Read more at my Animal Minds blog: City Life Adds to the Stresses of Urban Coyotes.

My latest kids' book for the educational market! It's for grades 3-5 and it examines the typical climate of Hawaii and US Island Territories, how climate change is affecting it, and ways the region can fight against and adapt to the climate emergency.

https://www.focusreaders.com/the-climate-crisis-in-america/the-climate-crisis-in-hawaii-and-us-island-territories/

Female orcas may live up to 90 years in the wild, 22 of those years after ceasing reproduction. Previous studies show that adult offspring, especially males, benefit from having a post-menopause mom around. Older orca mothers act as repositories of ecological knowledge, such as when and where to find food, and directly share more than half the fish they catch with their adult kids.

A new study reveals an additional pathway by which menopause is adaptive in orcas: Researchers found that post-menopause mothers also provide social support to their sons by protecting them from being injured by other orcas.

Read more at my Animal Minds blog: Post-Menopause Orca Moms Protect Their Sons.

In my latest article for the Science Journal for Kids, I look at how installing an offshore mussel farm impacted the undersea habitat.

Read the article here: How can offshore mussel farms help to repair the ocean?

Across human cultures, people modify their speech when interacting with children, typically using higher pitches and a wider range of pitches. It’s sometimes referred to as “motherese” or “baby talk,” though it is used by caregivers of both sexes and directed towards children as well as infants. A more inclusive term is child-directed communication, but even that may not be broad enough: new research suggests that bottlenose dolphins similarly change their communication signals in the presence of their calves.

Read more at my Animal Minds blog: Dolphins Talk in “Motherese” To Their Calves.