Mountain gorilla population growth related to group density and female movements
New research from the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, just published in the journal Animal Conservation, analyses more than 50 years of demographic data to examine factors influencing variability in the growth rate of the mountain gorilla population and what this may mean for their future conservation.
Mountain lions are taking more risks
Los Angeles is known for its movie stars and beaches. It’s also known for being one of only two megacities in the world that supports a population of big cats. Despite being surrounded by a vast network of busy freeways and over ten million people, mountain lions have somehow managed to eke out a living in the wooded LA-area hills. Now, researchers reporting in Current Biology on October 20 have found that wildfires, and specifically the 2018 Woolsey fire, are putting the LA mountain lions’ future in more doubt.
Sickly shades of grey: Disease outbreaks influence the color of wolves across North America
New research from the University of Oxford, Yellowstone National Park, and Penn State, published today in the journal Science, may have finally solved why wolves change colour across the North American continent.
Why some use colors to impress and others to intimidate
High up in a tree sits a bright red vermilion flycatcher. The males of this songbird species use their red feathers to attract females. Meanwhile, an Arizona mountain kingsnake slithers among the rocks below. Its vivid red, yellow and black coloring mimics that of the venomous coral snake to keep predators away. But why did these two species evolve similar colors to send completely different messages?