Some of the causes being explored by the scientists are the shape of the coastal topography that traps them and the tight social relationships with others in the pod that may predispose them to strand.

Janaki Lenin v. Romulus Whitaker

A new study suggests that if people chase and shout at an elephant all its life, without hurting it, it becomes used to it and doesn't get agitated.

The verdict on Koko's ability to communicate is not unequivocal. Even as the media went gaga over her ability to sign responses, many primatologists were far less ecstatic.

Animals have adventures but they can't even brag about what they saw and did. Now, scientists have stepped in to tell those stories.

Unlike our frivolous emoticon (:-P), sticking one's tongue out is serious business in blue-tongued skink lexicon.

Of the approximately 3,400 species of snakes, not even 3% show some form of maternal care. The southern African pythons are an exception with a vengeance.

More than an icon for a species or subspecies driven to extinction, Sudan has come to symbolise contested territory in the conservation of African wildlife.

According to a new study, the 'Abominable Snowman' is a brown bear. According to an older hypothesis, the creature is a polar bear. Yet another says it could be a human species thought extinct. Which one is it?

The oldest insect fossil is a wingless creature ~385 million years old. After that brief appearance, they vanish for 60 million years, a period called the Hexapod Gap. Then something happened to encourage insects to multiply.

Humans might not be the only species on the planet manipulating fires to get what they want.

In a coordinated attack, yellow-throated martens can bring down rhesus macaques, mouse deer, musk deer, barking deer, langurs, even Himalayan tahr. Whence their gumption?

A quick review of interesting research on living things from the last month.

Of the 14 humpback whales to sport transmitters, she is the sole female, and she alone has made the more-than 1,500-kilometre journey across the bay.

To get a better understanding of the white-spotted bush frogs' unique breeding behaviour, Seshadri K.S. had to see what was going on inside hollow bamboo stems without disturbing them.

This is the first study to show various shell shapes need different energy levels for tortoises that have flipped over to self-right.

Bearded dragons that had been incubated at a colder temperature were able to learn a trick faster and more often than those incubated in warmer climes.

A quick review of interesting research on living things from the last month.

Some wild chimpanzees wipe off their penes after sex. One dung-beetle species avoids carnivore caca. Some animals use vomit, faeces or gas as defensive strategies against predators and rivals.