Fish
How Four-Eyed Fish See Air and Water
See how four-eyed fish divide two eyes between air and water, with specialized corneas, retinal regions and light-sensitive proteins.
The Complete Field Guide
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Explore every strange creature, bizarre behavior and unbelievable survival story, starting with the newest discoveries.
288 published articles
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Plants
How Small Animals Pollinate Seagrass Flowers
Discover how tiny marine animals transfer turtle grass pollen and how experiments demonstrated animal-assisted pollination underwater.
Fungi
Bird’s-Nest Fungi Launch Spores With Rain
Bird’s-nest fungi use raindrops to launch egg-like spore packets from tiny cups. Discover the splash mechanism and their sticky…
Plants
Why Rainbow Eucalyptus Bark Changes Color
Rainbow eucalyptus reveals green bark as old layers peel away. Learn why patches of different ages create its naturally…
Plants
How Lithops Use Windows in Their Leaves
Lithops look like pebbles, but their leaf tops admit light into buried tissue. Explore their windows and the trade-off…
Plants
Welwitschia Grows Just Two Leaves for Life
Welwitschia keeps two true leaves growing from their bases for centuries. Learn why its tangled desert foliage is more…
Animals
How Rattlesnakes Make Their Rattle Sound Closer
Rattlesnakes can abruptly speed up their rattles, making human listeners judge them as closer. Explore the experiment behind the…
Animals
Giant Larvaceans Build Disposable Mucus Houses
Giant larvaceans filter food through elaborate mucus houses. Learn how they build, abandon, and send these structures into the…
Animals
How Glass Sponges Build Silica Skeletons
Glass sponges build intricate skeletons from silica. Discover their spicules, lattice structure, and the limits of the fiber-optic comparison.
Animals
Why Female Blanket Octopuses Dwarf Males
Female blanket octopuses can reach roughly two meters while males stay tiny. Explore the size difference and their unusual…
Animals
How Hoatzins Ferment Leaves Before Digestion
Meet the hoatzin, a leaf-eating bird whose enlarged crop houses microbes that ferment plant material before it reaches the…
Animals
How Dung Beetles Navigate by the Milky Way
Discover how nocturnal dung beetles use the Milky Way to roll straight, how scientists tested it, and why artificial…