Tag

Foraging

All articles tagged with #foraging

science13 days ago•6 min saved

Queensland Dolphins Demonstrate Shell-Foraging, Possibly Teaching Calves

Dolphins off the coast of Queensland, Australia, have been filmed using empty seashells to stun and extract fish—a rare foraging method called shelling. New 2025 footage, along with a Marine Mammal Science study, shows an adult female and her calf shelling together, hinting that mothers may teach this technique to offspring and that the behavior could spread within populations. Previously, shelling was only documented in Shark Bay, Western Australia; researchers plan further study to understand learning pathways across popuations.

via ScienceAlert|

#dolphins #foraging #learning

science18 days ago•6 min saved

Underwater Heart Flex: How Blue Whales Lunge for Prey

Five blue whales and four humpbacks were tagged to measure heart rates during lunge-feeding; results show heart rates rise to about 21.9 bpm (blue whales) and 28.2 bpm (humpbacks) during lunges and then slowly fall between lunges, indicating a mix of anaerobic energy and rapid recovery that enables feeding while conserving oxygen. Resting rates were as low as 18.5 bpm, highlighting a shared metabolic pattern and potential health indicators for whales amid changing prey and noise pollution.

via ScienceAlert|

#blue-whales #foraging #heart-rate

science23 days ago•4 min saved

Whale Sharks Reveal Hidden Foraging Tricks With On-Body Cameras

Researchers from Murdoch University fitted whale sharks with small on-body cameras to document their underwater foraging, uncovering six frequent low-effort feeding tactics and a broader range of strategies than other large filter feeders, including active feeding when krill patches appear, offering new insights into how these endangered giants eat and survive in tropical waters.

via PetaPixel|

#cameras #feeding-behavior #foraging

science1 month ago•10 min saved

Honey's Hidden Labor: Two Million Flowers and a World of Travel for a Pound

Producing a pound of honey is a massive cooperative feat: roughly two million flower visits by a colony, involving tens of thousands of foraging trips and a combined flight distance that researchers estimate between about 55,000 and 90,000 miles, far surpassing what any single bee does in a lifetime. The workers live only about 6–8 weeks, and the waggle dance helps them coordinate locations and distances to the best flowers, turning a jar into a record of collective labor rather than the work of one bee.

via Space Daily|

#bees #foraging #honey

animals1 month ago•27 min saved

Ravens Map Kill Hotspots Across Yellowstone, Not Just Follow Wolves

Two-and-a-half years of GPS tracking across Yellowstone show ravens rarely follow wolves long distances; instead, they use a strong memory to repeatedly visit areas where wolf kills are likely, effectively building a mental map that guides scavenging across the landscape.

via ZME Science|

#animals #foraging #memory

science3 months ago•5 min saved

Ravens Navigate to Wolf Kills Using Memory, Not Following Wolves

Researchers tracked 69 ravens and 20 wolves in Yellowstone for over 2.5 years and found that ravens rarely shadow wolves; instead they rely on long-term memory of areas where wolf kills are common, sometimes flying up to 155 km to likely carcass sites, indicating sophisticated spatial memory and flexible foraging rather than simple pursuit.

via SciTechDaily|

#foraging #memory #ravens

science3 months ago•3 min saved

Early Homo Meat-Eating Was a Mixed Strategy, New Fossil Evidence Shows

A 1.6-million-year-old fossil assemblage from Koobi Fora, Kenya shows early Homo used a mixed strategy to access meat—both scavenging and hunting—transporting the meatiest parts for processing and later breaking bones for marrow, suggesting meat consumption evolved gradually in response to ecological conditions.

via Gizmodo|

#anthropology #archaeology #early-humans

health-and-safety8 months ago•5 min saved

Warning: Deadly Wild Mushrooms Pose Serious Health Risks

Foraging for wild food, especially mushrooms, can be rewarding but risky due to the potential for confusing edible and toxic varieties. Experts emphasize the importance of proper identification, knowledge, and legal considerations to avoid health hazards and environmental impact. Beginners are advised to start with simple, easily recognizable plants and seek guidance from experienced foragers to safely enjoy the benefits of wild foods.

via CNN|

#food-safety #foraging #health-and-safety

science10 months ago•4 min saved

Scavenging and Human Evolution: The Role of Carrion in Our Development

A recent study suggests that scavenging, particularly consuming carrion, played a crucial role in human evolution by providing a reliable and energy-efficient food source, challenging traditional views that emphasized hunting as the primary means of obtaining meat.

via Phys.org|

#carrion #foraging #hominins

health1 year ago•2 min saved

Mushroom Linked to Lou Gehrig’s Disease: What You Need to Know

A French village's ALS cases linked to consumption of false morel mushrooms containing neurotoxins, highlighting the dangers of wild mushroom foraging and potential environmental contributors to neurodegenerative diseases.

via The Chicago Audible|

#false-morel #foraging #health

pets1 year ago•2 min saved

Golden Retriever's Diet Shifts After Vegan Visitor

A Golden Retriever named Huxley dramatically changed his eating habits after his vegan uncle visited, developing a new habit of foraging for fruits and berries from the garden, which surprised and amused his owner and netizens alike.

via Yahoo Home|

#diet-change #dog-behavior #foraging

science2 years ago•4 min saved

Big Brains in Primates: Not the Key to Superior Foraging

A new study challenges the fruit-diet hypothesis for brain evolution in primates, finding that larger-brained primates like spider monkeys and capuchins do not have more efficient foraging routes compared to smaller-brained animals. This suggests that factors other than foraging efficiency, such as memory, tool use, or social complexity, may have driven the evolution of large brains in some species.

via ScienceAlert|

#brain-evolution #foraging #intelligence

science2 years ago•4 min saved

"Primates' Big Brains Evolved for More Than Just Foraging, Study Finds"

A new study challenges the leading hypothesis that primates evolved large brains to find food more efficiently. By tracking the foraging routes of large-brained primates and smaller-brained non-primates in Panama, researchers found no significant difference in foraging efficiency, suggesting that other factors like memory, tool use, or social complexities may have driven brain size evolution.

via The Conversation Indonesia|

#brain-evolution #foraging #intelligence

science2 years ago•3 min saved

"ADHD Individuals Show Superior Foraging Skills, Suggesting Adaptive Advantage"

New research suggests that individuals with more pronounced symptoms of ADHD tend to achieve higher reward rates in an online foraging task, spending less time at a single location and more frequently switching to other locations. The study indicates that ADHD symptoms may encourage a propensity to leave current resource areas in search of new ones, leading to a greater preference for exploring new areas. This behavior aligns more closely with the predictions of optimal foraging theory, suggesting that the prevalence and persistence of ADHD in human populations may serve an adaptive function in some environments.

via PsyPost|

#adhd #cognitive-skills #foraging

health2 years ago•5 min saved

"CDC Warns of Deadly Outbreak Linked to Morel Mushroom Consumption"

The CDC has issued a warning after morel mushrooms were linked to at least two deaths and dozens of sicknesses, cautioning foragers to eat them safely. The mushrooms were connected to a deadly outbreak in Montana last year, with at least 51 people falling ill after consuming them. Experts emphasize the importance of fully cooking morel mushrooms, as eating them raw can lead to sickness. Foragers are advised to take precautions and cook the mushrooms thoroughly to safely enjoy the hunting season, which is currently underway.

via KOCO Oklahoma City|

#cdc #food-safety #foraging