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Why do dogs tilt their heads? A new study of “gifted word learner” dogs—those capable of quickly memorizing multiple toy names— suggests the behavior might be a sign of concentration and recall in our canine pals, Science reports.
Hungry, hungry whales: How much krill and zooplankton do you think a blue whale gobbles up in a day? Scientists used to ballpark the daily feed, which generally takes place hundreds of feet below the surface, at around five million tons. A new study of baleen whale appetites puts the daily average at 16 million tons. That finding underscores the huge impact even one whale has on the ocean’s ecosystem, marine scientist Sian Henley tells Nat Geo.
“CSI: The Beach”: Researchers have long studied the organs and body parts of whales to figure out why thousands of them beach. The answers remain a mystery. Not for lack of trying. Now, a trove of full, beautifully preserved carcasses found in northern Chile’s Atacama Desert might hold clues about the plight of modern whales, Vox explains.
Deer and COVID: A number of white-tailed deer in Iowa are carrying the coronavirus, and more than likely, they caught it from humans. There is no evidence the animals can pass it back, but scientists worry the wild animals could be a reservoir for the virus, Insider reports.
Holy award, Batman! That’s right, New Zealand must have gotten the bat signal I sent in last weekend’s newsletter, a valentine to the winged wonders. The Pacific nation has named a bat the bird of the year, the Guardian reports. More specifically it’s the thumb-size pekapeka-tou-roa, or long-tailed bat, one of the rarest mammals in the world.
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