Polar bears have become the furry face of the climate crisis, with experts suggesting the animals could be all but extinct in a matter of decades as the Arctic sea ice they hunt from melts away. But now researchers say they have found a group of them in south-east Greenland who are surviving despite a … Read more
A California family spent the winter dismissing odd noises that sounded a little like snoring, only to discover that five bears had spent the cold season hibernating under their house. The Bear League group, which works to preserve bear habitat and help bears in distress largely around the Lake Tahoe basin region in the state, … Read more
How do you describe a dark-edged bee-fly (Bombylius major)? I asked a colleague whether I could get away with “flying mole”. She suggested “flying teddy bear” instead. And then there is the unmistakable similarity to a hummingbird. Go into a garden, or anywhere flowery, during a sunny interlude, and you can decide for yourself. Here … Read more
To administer this Covid test, Todd Kautz had to lie on his belly in the snow and worm his upper body into the narrow den of a hibernating black bear. Training a light on the bear’s snout, Kautz carefully slipped a long cotton swab into his nostrils. For postdoctoral researcher Kautz and a team of … Read more