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In Australia, people tend to think carnivores lead the clean-up crew after an animal dies. But brushtail possums – thought to be plant-eaters – also eat carcasses.
Karen Willshaw/iNaturalist
Scientists thought fish might simply be freeloading off the hard work of a hunting octopus. Now, it looks like it’s a true team effort.
Australia’s iconic red kangaroos are also awe-inspiring athletes.
Angus Emmott
Have you ever paused to think about the athletic abilities of Australian wildlife? Let’s look at some of our best competitors and how might they fare in a contest against humans and overseas entrants.
Banksy mural of a gull in Lowestoft.
Neeltje Boogert
Seagulls have an innate preference for fish and mussels rather than your chips, research shows.
Transport and Main Roads Queensland
Springtime in Australia and New Zealand means one thing: it’s swooping season.
Bush Karoo rat (Otomys unisulcatus ).
EcoPrint/Shutterstock
Many of the endangered mammal species are solitary. Understanding this way of life may help to protect them.
You can turn your nose up at the dung beetle’s lifestyle but at least males pull their weight when it comes to parenting.
Henk Bogaard/Shutterstock
Some of the most caring animal fathers are insects.
Africa Studio/Shutterstock
The evolutionary reason it’s so difficult to ignore a cat pleading for food.
Shark Bay Dolphin Research
For dolphins, childish play may be useful practice for adult life.
Are we underestimating pigeons?
Mabeline72/Shutterstock
A scientist who wanted to show pigeons don’t need intellect to navigate was surprised by nuances in his own study findings.
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For most people, there’s a strong ‘awe’ factor when witnessing inter-species bonding. What is it about our own psychology that prompts this?
The European pied flycatcher may have a genetic predisposition to learn certain songs.
Anton MirMar/Shutterstock
It may not be obvious to the human ear but birds of the same species sing in different dialects.
alexei_tm/Shutterstock
Pets’ bad behaviour can place owners under a lot of strain, research shows.
A humpback whale surfaces for a chat.
Jay Ondreicka/Shutterstock
It’s certainly an exciting time to study communication in whales and dolphins.
Witaya Proadtayakogool/Shutterstock
And why earthworms are careful to select a mate of the same size as themselves.
alexei_tm/Shutterstock
People often think about how it’s good for children to have a pet dog around. But what about the dog?
Scientists have found that hermit crabs are increasingly using plastic and other litter as makeshift shell homes.
metamorworks/Shutterstock
Hermit crabs have been using plastic waste such as bottle tops as homes instead of empty snail shells.
Witsawat.S/Shutterstock
Tourists can do a number of things to avoid dangerous encounters with monkeys.
Chickens are vibrant communicators.
(Shutterstock)
Artificial intelligence can process large amounts of chicken vocalizations, identifying patterns in the birds’ communications.
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Surveys on cat personality are filled out by people. As such, results are affected by human perspectives, projections and biases.