Austin S.
Author for A-Z Animals

A new study out of Colombia has announced the discovery of a new marine reptile.  The reptile is one of the last surviving ichthyosaurs.  Ichthyosaurs are a type of marine… Read More

By Austin S. 2 years ago

A tusk originally discovered in 2019 at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean has been identified as a mammoth tusk. This discovery has scientists baffled: how did it get there? … Read More

By Austin S. 2 years ago

The vaquita may be the world’s rarest -- and the world’s most endangered animal. The vaquita is a small porpoise that lives primarily in the Sea of Cortez in Mexico.… Read More

By Austin S. 2 years ago

Armadillos are headed north! Due to climate change and warming climates, the nine-banded armadillo is moving north.  The Weather Channel reported on November 22nd, 2021, that armadillos can now be… Read More

By Austin S. 2 years ago

On Thursday, November 18th, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources asked the public for help reporting monarch butterfly sightings in Southern states. From December 1st through March 1st, 2022, scientists… Read More

By Austin S. 2 years ago

A new study commissioned by the United Kingdom confirms what Switzerland scientists determined in 2018: lobsters, crabs, and octopuses are sentient creatures. This means that they can experience varying levels… Read More

By Austin S. 2 years ago

In a new study from The Royal Society, scientists have discovered many mammals use sounds that don’t match their body size. For example, dolphins’ vocal patterns sound much higher than… Read More

By Austin S. 2 years ago

“Dolphin Tale’s” leading lady has passed away. The Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida announced today that Winter, the dolphin, had died due to an illness on Thursday night. According to… Read More

By Austin S. 2 years ago

Bear 399 may be the world’s most beloved grizzly bear.  A native of Grand Teton National Park’s Pilgrim Creek, Bear 399 has wowed tourists for years as she raised her… Read More

By Austin S. 2 years ago

Joro spiders, a type of flying spider, have returned to north Georgia. The spiders, who are approximately three inches, have draped everything in their silk.  Known for spherical orb webs… Read More

By Austin S. 2 years ago

In a new study published in Nature, researchers have discovered that baleen whales actually consume almost three times as many krill as originally estimated. The study followed seven tagged baleen… Read More

By Austin S. 2 years ago

Have you ever noticed that only mammals have tusks? No bird, reptile, or amphibians have grown this distinct feature – rather the tusk is a solely mammalian characteristic. A new… Read More

By Austin S. 3 years ago

Poaching has long been a threat to the African elephant population. During the Mozambique Civil War – a twenty year period between the 1970s and 1990s – elephant populations dropped 90%… Read More

By Austin S. 3 years ago

The first domesticated horses have been a long-time mystery in the world of archeology and history. Horses are a fundamental part of history as their domestication revolutionized people’s mobility and… Read More

By Austin S. 3 years ago

After years of struggling to find an end to the chlamydia epidemic that has had sweeping negative effects on Australia’s koala populations, researchers think they have found a solution. The… Read More

By Austin S. 3 years ago

The British Antarctic Society and World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) are looking for “citizen scientists” to help look for walruses in their Walrus From Space project. Due to the increasing temperatures… Read More

By Austin S. 3 years ago

Despite only having two species of sloths living today, sloths were one of the most prolific animal species during the Ice Age. With the giant mylodon, who could grow up… Read More

By Austin S. 3 years ago

Color vision research originated in mice and the study of cones and light processing, however, new research using zebrafish has allowed researchers from the University of Tokyo to understand the… Read More

By Austin S. 3 years ago

Sloths have changed quite a bit in the last ten thousand years. The slow-moving, sleepy, leaf-eating creature we see hanging from tree branches today, is a far stretch from the… Read More

By Austin S. 3 years ago

In a new study from the National Academy of Science, researchers have found that humans may have been raising cassowaries since the Late Pleistocene epoch, thousands of years ago!  By… Read More

By Austin S. 3 years ago

For decades researchers have been studying orangutans’ language and linguistic patterns in order to seek answers for human speech development. Due to their complex sound arrangements and also the use… Read More

By Austin S. 3 years ago

In a study published on September 29th, researchers from the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom released the names of two new dinosaur species. Both large and predatory, these… Read More

By Austin S. 3 years ago

We all see our pups as “man’s best friend” and assume that because they get their daily walks, pets, and treats they are happy dogs. However, new research indicates that… Read More

By Austin S. 3 years ago

Researchers from Myanmar, Finland, and the United Kingdom have recently discovered that having older sisters has a significant positive impact on elephant calves. In this study, researchers looked at the… Read More

By Austin S. 3 years ago

Keas are a type of parrot unique to New Zealand. They are one of few alpine parrot species and are also said to be one of the smartest birds on… Read More

By Austin S. 3 years ago

A new study out of Germany highlights cows’ cognitive abilities by training them to use bathroom stalls. The study explains the possible impact potty-trained cows could have on emission rates,… Read More

By Austin S. 3 years ago