An elegant new study has correlated the generation of sound patterns in the red-bellied piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri) with three distinct behaviours.

The Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) has experienced strong population declines during the past 3 decades. Using North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) and Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) data, we investigated 4 hypotheses that may explain this decline, including: (1) interspecific competition with native Red-bellied Woodpeckers (Melanerpes carolinus) and nonnative Europ...

Yellow-bellied weasel (Mustela kathiah) is one of the least known small carnivores Nepal. Although it assumed to distribute within mid-hills region, its sightings are very few in We updated distribution from Kathmandu Valley based on literature review and opportunistic sightings. Now, yellow-bellied three locations (Phulchowki, Budhanilkantha, Dallu-Pharping) between 1300 2710 meters above sea ...

Experiments with a strain of black-and-tan mice obtained from an English fancier* 'have shown that these mice contain a hi-therto undescribed gene which is allelomorphic to yellow, agouti, and non-agouti (black}, and: consequently forms a fifth member of this series of multiple allelomorphs. The black-and-tans used are jet black dorsally with a bright yellow belly and retain this coloration thr...

Information about the presence and population status of pangolins, threats they face, remains limited in many parts Cameroon, a country that is home to three species pangolin considered be global hub trafficking. Local communities living rural areas can provide valuable information on presence, local uses wildlife, possible threats, useful for prioritising conservation actions. Using interview ...

While novel picornaviruses are being discovered in rodents, their host range and pathogenicity are largely unknown. We identified two novel picornaviruses, rosavirus B from the street rat, Norway rat, and rosavirus C from five different wild rat species (chestnut spiny rat, greater bandicoot rat, Indochinese forest rat, roof rat and Coxing's white-bellied rat) in China. Analysis of 13 complete ...

In many duet-singing songbirds, paired birds combine their song types nonrandomly to form duet songs. Several different behavioral mechanisms could generate nonrandom song type associations in duets. I tested female Black-bellied Wrens (Thryothorus fasciatoventris) for one such mechanism: adherence to a set of rules linking female response songs to male stimulus songs. I call this set of rules ...

BACKGROUND Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the most significant threat to global public health and ascertaining the role wild birds play in the epidemiology of resistance is critically important. This study investigated the prevalence of AMR Gram-negative bacteria among long-distance migratory East Canadian High Arctic (ECHA) light-bellied Brent geese found wintering on the east coast of Irel...

The Chinese fire-bellied newt, Cynops orientalis, belonging to Amphibia, Caudata, Salamandridae is a species endemic to China. The liver, which is an important digestive gland and the largest amphibian organ, has various functions, including detoxification, glycogen storage, protein synthesis, and hormone production. However, the newt liver has rarely been studied at the molecular level. We per...

Amicable social interactions can enhance fitness in many species, have negligible consequences for some, and reduce fitness in others. For yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris), a facultatively social rodent species with demonstrable costs of social relationships during the active season, the effects of sociality on overwinter survival have yet to be fully investigated. Here, we explore...