Animals

A river’s “gut” revived, snake-saving social media, an intragalactic donut, and more success stories of the year

A way to map the ancestry of dog breeds reveals the genetic basis of stereotypical dog behaviors

This python’s jaw has a stretchy secret to gape impressively wide

Octopus outbursts, spiders evading sexual cannibalism and a human-cockatoo arms race—here are strange animal behaviors we learned about in 2022

Recordings of more than 50 species of turtles and other animals help scientists reassess the origins of acoustic communication in vertebrates.

A nutritious fluid secreted by pupating ants helps to feed the rest of the colony and could play a part in the evolution of social structures

Weirdly efficient neurons power birds’ dense brains

Researchers put this ancient critter through a subzero gauntlet to learn more about what happens to their internal clock while surviving the extreme.

The parasite Toxoplasma gondii can change the behavior of infected wolves in ways that make them more likely to be pack leaders

New research shows that bees “buzz” in more than the way you might think.

New Zealand’s erect-crested penguin lays two eggs but rejects the first one—the opposite of how most birds prioritize their offspring.

Cephalopods living unusually close together have been filmed throwing shells, algae and silt—sometimes at another octopus