The biological study of animals
3
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1answer
50 views
How does sex differentiation work in Paracerceis sculpta, the sexually tetramorphic isopod?
Paracerceis sculpta is a marine isopod species known for its unusual reproductive strategy:
female: medium-sized; lives in harems run by an α male
α male: large; keeps a harem of females
β male: ...
9
votes
1answer
610 views
Do fish break a water molecule to absorb oxygen?
How do fish separate oxygen from H20 & consume it? Do they break the water molecule and absorb the oxygen only?
6
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1answer
139 views
Is there any documented evidence for suicide among vertebrates other than humans?
Is there any documented evidence for suicide among vertebrates other than humans? Lemmings not accepted !
3
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2answers
139 views
Why is the frog genome so much larger than a fish's?
As we have heard in the summaries of the human ENCODE project, 80 per cent of junk DNA appears to have an essential function. Many fish have a genome with only one tenth the size of a usual vertebrate ...
7
votes
2answers
211 views
Why do stranded marine mammals die so quickly?
Mammals have lungs, so do marine mammals. Nevertheless some marine mammals seem to die rather quickly when they strand on a beach.
As they have lungs and can breath while on land, why do they die so ...
8
votes
1answer
80 views
Predators faking to be not hungry?
I believe that there are predator/prey combinations where the prey can easily spot that the predator is not hungry and will not try to flee from it. I’m thinking, for example, of gazelles who will ...
4
votes
3answers
79 views
Do dogs have something different about their physiology that allows them to pant without hyperventilating?
I was wondering this as I considered how effective panting would be for humans as a means of cooling.
4
votes
1answer
118 views
Is there a way for a 19th century scientist to prove that the octopus doesn't revive?
Say a sophiscated scientist in the 19th century noted that applying soy sauce on a dead octopus leads to movement of the legs, as a result of the voltage differences resulting from the salt in the soy ...
4
votes
3answers
749 views
Is the theory of evolution being disproved by bats?
For some species the Darwin's theory evolution makes perfect sense. I can easily imagine how, for example, the giraffe has evolved to its current appearance: the natural selection was favoring ...
8
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1answer
92 views
Why does the gender of the parent species determines the species of a hybrid offspring
I've read a little about hybrid animals, and have been amazed by the fact that the gender of the parent species determine the species of the offspring, in some hybrids.
A male horse and a female ...
7
votes
1answer
234 views
Do egg laying animals experience a pregnancy?
Does a female animal that lays eggs experience a pregnancy-like period of time, where she will feel and behave differently as if she were fertilized and her body is prepared to lay a fertile egg, not ...
3
votes
1answer
44 views
Is there such thing as “biological cycles” of activity/performance/etc in mammals?
I'm looking for some information about the cycles of increased/decreased activity, mental performance or endurance that are related to a mammal's age and the time of a season.
First of all, I'm not ...
0
votes
0answers
103 views
What makes a cockroach able to survive in a sewer when there is a big weakness point for them: their respiratory hole
What makes a cockroach able to survive in a sewer when there is a big weakness point for them: their respiratory hole?
I know that when i wipe soap water on their respiratory hole, later on, those ...
0
votes
1answer
256 views
Does cockroach lay eggs in human flesh when they “bite”?
Recently, i have "bite" by cockroach, not only the "bitten" area red and swallowing, and more specificly, it have a big hole in that area, when i clean it with hydrogen peroxide solution, something is ...
4
votes
1answer
122 views
Why would deers keep crossing a river full of crocodiles while some of them have been killed?
I recently watched a clip on Discovery Channel, where I saw deers crossing a river full of crocodiles, ignoring the fact that some of them would have been killed doing so.
What could be an ...
0
votes
2answers
149 views
Do cockroaches have less health issues than humans?
Cockroaches are known to live in very dirty places like sewers. Does this cause them to evolve to be stronger against parasites and bacteria? Recently I read online that cockroaches can sustain ...
9
votes
1answer
183 views
How does a jumping spider manage to “jump” on the ceiling?
I just witnessed a small jumping spider jump on some kind of louse or bed bug on the ceiling. How does it do that without falling? I have yet to find a high-speed-camera video of a jumping spider ...
17
votes
1answer
242 views
Why do ants live so long?
I was surprised to learn that worker ants in some species live many years. I would have expected a lifespan of a few weeks or months (which is apparently the case for many species).
What factors ...
5
votes
1answer
94 views
Is there any reason the common housefly continues to return to an area?
This might come off as a really silly question. But I'm wondering (especially in the case of food) if there is any reason a fly would continue to try and sit on top of a piece of food even after ...
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0answers
784 views
Which species of animals have females as dominant (alpha) [closed]
In hyena species females are dominant (alpha) over males, can you give me any examples of other species in which females are dominant.
7
votes
3answers
486 views
Why does the butterfly have a cocoon stage in its life cycle?
Why does the butterfly have a cocoon stage in its life cycle? It could have simply grown up within the egg/cocoon, and emerged as a butterfly. Instead it is first an egg, then a worm, then a ...
1
vote
2answers
100 views
Can the body of any organism on Earth live without impairment both in vacuum, and within Earth's atmosphere?
I know from reading that a human in vacuum needs a space-suit to survive.
Is the body of any organism on Earth capable of living equally in vacuum, and on/below Earth's surface within the ...
5
votes
1answer
84 views
Homologies to insect wings
All winged vertebrates have wings which are homologous to each other and to the forelimbs of the non-winged vertebrates. But what about insect wings? Are all insect wings homologous, and are there any ...
3
votes
1answer
1k views
Why are (some) cats attracted by bleach?
(Sorry if this question is only partly biological)
I have noticed that several cats (including the one that keeps sleeping in my house), are fond of the odor of bleach (eau de Javel) and chlorine.
...
2
votes
1answer
88 views
Color of the Fur coat of Polar bears
Recently I was playing a quiz and a question was asked about the color of the fur coat of a polar bear. To my surprise the answer was black. I thought it was yellowish white or creamy. Why so ?
4
votes
1answer
233 views
Is there a relationship between efficiency of cellular metabolism and warm-blooded-ness?
My BIO 101 book states that when human cells convert glucose to ATP, the process is only approx 35% efficient, and much of the potential energy is lost as heat. However, that heat is useful to us in ...
6
votes
1answer
96 views
Is there such thing as Animal non-verbal body language?
Have there been any studies done on the animal use of their bodies to signal, communicate or express their emotions, particularly to members of other species (ex: humans)?
I've been observing a very ...
4
votes
0answers
110 views
How do I save a coffee damaged wasp? [closed]
I found a wasp in one of my coffee cups about 1 hour ago. There was barely any coffee left but it had managed to get itself pretty much drenched in coffee. I took it out. Put it on a piece of paper ...
2
votes
1answer
137 views
Why apes started to contemplate and become altruistic? [closed]
I was asking this first on philosophy forums, but it is suggested, that answer could be found from evolutionary view of point, so here we go:
Again my question raised when thinking of myths, their ...
4
votes
2answers
130 views
Did dinosaurs have more than one brain? If so, why?
I once remember reading (15 years ago) that dinosaurs had two brains. One for their head and another one for their digestive functions. What is the current opinion on this theory? Has more evidence ...
6
votes
2answers
314 views
Why animals can move and plants cannot in general?
To clarify, I think the answer should be able to explain:
What are animals?
What are plants?
What's the difference between animals and plants (How do biologists differentiate them, if they ...
4
votes
1answer
92 views
intravenous (IV) in the tail vein of an anaesthetized mouse
I trained myself to do intravenous injection on live mice. However, on anaesthetized mice you don't see the flux of your product showing that your injection was successful. In the same way, on live ...
10
votes
1answer
653 views
Why do we grow so much hair on our heads compared to our bodies?
I've been wondering about head hair, facial hair in particular. Human males can grow very extensive beards should they choose to not shave - however you do not really see this in our chimpanzee ...
3
votes
1answer
95 views
List of species recently found of economic value
Is there a website or organization cataloging lists of biological species to have been recently found of great economic value? For example, a plant that wasn't of economic relevance a while ago but ...
9
votes
2answers
812 views
Did animals evolve from plants?
Did animals evolve from plants? Did the animals' ancentors have chloroplasts in their cells?
7
votes
2answers
122 views
Are there any structures in mammals that are used only by males?
There are examples of structures which only serve a purpose in females, but it seems like the opposite could also be true. Are there any structures which exist in both mammalian sexes and only serve a ...
20
votes
4answers
512 views
Why do men have nipples?
I'd be tempted to call nipples in men vestigial, but that suggests they have no modern function. They do have a function, of course, but only in women. So why do men (and all male mammals) have them?
...
8
votes
2answers
125 views
What are the frequency ranges of most marine mammal vocalizations?
I am trying to determine a list of frequency ranges into which marine mammal vocalizations fall.
Ideally, I would like a list showing where the most popular marine mammal vocalizations fall, followed ...
7
votes
1answer
322 views
Do any animals other than humans undergo menopause?
Do any animals other than humans undergo menopause?
Also, is there any difference between animals in captivity and animals in the wild as regards menopause? For example, even if menopause has been ...
1
vote
2answers
118 views
Can someone identify this bird?
We recently found a nest in the back garden and a little bird inside. Can you help us identify it? The nest is quite small like the bird so we are wondering whether this is the parent or a baby chick. ...
6
votes
2answers
263 views
What happens to snakes that swallow rodents as a whole?
As we all know, a few species of snakes swallow rodents as a whole. My question is what happens to the teeth and bones of these animals? Won't they cut into the flesh of the snake and hurt it? Are the ...
10
votes
3answers
98 views
How do baby animals that primarily subsist on cellulose get their initial gut flora?
In the case of mammals like giraffes and koalas, is that bacteria common on the plants they eat so when a baby starts to try to stick something besides its mother's milk in its mouth, it can't digest ...
9
votes
3answers
158 views
How do we know that dinosaurs were related to lizards and/or birds?
Do we clearly know what the living closest relative of the dinosaurs are? And connected to the first question, in scientific manner how do we know these relationship between extinct species and living ...
2
votes
1answer
846 views
Can all mammals swim?
When I checked it seemed trivial to answer: yes, all mammals can swim. But research on the internet provided different information. I found:
people and primates cannot swim, but can be taught how to ...
3
votes
3answers
697 views
Small worm living in some kind of cocoon, what are these animals?
I am curious what animal is this. It is/lives inside some kind of cocoon, about 1 cm in length. They are attached to walls and to the ceiling, but sometimes they fall off. Inside the structure there ...
9
votes
4answers
158 views
What was the reason for some plant and animals to become giant in course of evolution?
The dinosaurs, mammoths, giant plants etc are known to be bigger than modern animals. I wonder why they had been lived and why they are not living now? I really don't know much but is it something ...
16
votes
3answers
203 views
How is the blood volume of a living organism measured without killing it?
How is the blood-volume of an organism measured without killing it? NOTE: The blood-volume of an organism is defined as the total volume of blood present inside that organism.
5
votes
1answer
130 views
What evolutionary mechanism caused felines to develop purring?
And why can some felines roar while others meow?
10
votes
1answer
974 views
Fish “coming back to life” after being frozen
I've encountered a clip on Youtube showing a goldfish thrown in liquid nitrogen and immediately after to normal water and swimming normally. In the explanation to the clip it says:
For everyone ...
8
votes
1answer
457 views
Will the “frog in boiling water not jumping out” work on warm blooded animals
There is the famous saying about a frog that is put in water that are slowly boiling will not jump out until it's too late. I realize it happens because of the frog's cold blood that adjusts to the ...
