11 weird, groundbreaking, and cute animal stories from 2024

Using cameras that are approximately 1,000 times faster than standard cameras, ecologist Patrick Green from the University of California, Santa Barbara, captured footage of their battles. He discovered that their shields can absorb an additional 20% of the impact from a rival mantis shrimp. The mantis shrimp’s use of their tough tail plates in a coiled manner seems to help them dissipate more energy than their armor can absorb alone. These findings were outlined in a study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology in May.

Call me by your elephant name

Elephants use a variety of vocal cues to convey meaning and may also use something similar to individual names. Wild African savannah elephants (Loxodonta africana) seem to address each other with name-like calls, a rare ability among non-human animals. These findings were reported in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution in June.

In a study, a team utilized machine-learning methods to analyze recordings of 469 calls or ‘rumbles’ made by wild African elephant female-offspring groups in the Amboseli National Park and Samburu and Buffalo Springs National Reserves in Kenya.

“The fact that we were able to achieve such clear results with the playback experiment was quite surprising,” said behavioral ecologist Michael “Mickey” Pardo from Cornell University to Popular Science. “It was extremely challenging to obtain the recordings for the playback experiment, as we needed very clear recordings of rumbles made in a long-distance contact calling context where we knew the caller and receiver. Honestly, I was a bit shocked that the results were statistically significant.”

[Related: Great apes may have cognitive foundations for language.]

A one in 100 million lobster

In July, a lobsterman fishing off the coast of New Castle, New Hampshire discovered a lobster with a candy-colored appearance. The crustacean was donated to the Seacoast Science Center, a marine science education organization in Odiorne Point State Park. Despite its vibrant color, this lobster does not actually taste sweet like candy. Its unique hue is the result of an extremely rare genetic mutation.

“Lobsters typically have multiple layers of a carotenoid pigment called astaxanthin, which appear as layers of red, yellow, and blue,” explained Aquarist II Sam Rutka from the Seacoast Science Center to Popular Science. “When all these layers are stacked, they give the lobster a mottled blotchy pattern of oranges, reds, blues, pinks, purples, yellows, and browns that form the lobster’s camouflage.”

Occasionally, these pigments are either not expressed or are overexpressed, resulting in more colorful lobsters. These variations can include shades of blue (about 1 in 2 million), red (1 in 10 million), split-colored (1 in 50 million), albino (1 in 100 million), and cotton candy (1 in 100 million).

Live long and prosper…with frogs

Seven new species of tree frogs have been discovered in the lush rainforests of Madagascar. These species were named after captains from the sci-fi series Star Trek due to the strange, high-pitched whistling sounds they produce. The new species were documented in a study published in October in the journal Vertebrate Zoology.

The newly found species belong to the genus Boophis and are distributed across the island of Madagascar, communicating with other frogs through their distinctive whistling sounds. Upon hearing the calls, the research team was immediately reminded of the sound effects utilized throughout the various Star Trek series.

The names Boophis kirki, Boophis picardi, Boophis siskoi, Boophis janewayae, Boophis archeri, Boophis pikei, and Boophis burnhamae seemed fitting due to the extensive trekking through the rainforest required by the team to locate the frogs.

This year, scientists have made two new discoveries that showcase their exceptional hunting abilities.

In South Africa, a lone orca known as Starboard was seen devouring a great white shark for the first time. The incident was documented in a study published in March in the African Journal of Marine Science. Starboard, the orca, efficiently incapacitated and consumed an eight-foot juvenile white shark in just two minutes. It was later observed carrying the shark’s liver in its mouth, challenging conventional beliefs about the whales’ hunting behaviors in the region.

Additionally, a unique pod of orcas off the coast of Mexico has been targeting whale sharks, the largest fish on the planet at almost 60 feet long. The orcas seem to be focusing on the whale sharks’ vulnerable ventral side, near their bellies, where there is less muscle and cartilage. This allows the orcas easier access to crucial blood vessels like the aorta. The findings were detailed in a study published in November in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science. Please rewrite this sentence. Please rewrite this sentence. Please rephrase this sentence.