by BioEdge | Feb 15, 2016 | Biobullets
Canis familiaris photo © Sofia Olsson The domestic dog is descended not from the wolf – which never features the black-and-tan pattern – but from an extinct and unnamed ancestral species, one colour-morph of which probably looked just like this. The black-and-tan...
by BioEdge | Aug 15, 2015 | Biobullets
The bulging eyes of water and tree frogs differ more than they look. Prof. Mumblebard claims: “Semi-aquatic frogs have dorsally protuberant eyes placed above the level of the skull. This allows the animals to hide in water while spotting any predator...
by BioEdge | Jun 25, 2015 | Biobullets
A black and white warning of dangerous teeth. Prof. Mumblebard claims: “The black-and-white pattern of the giant panda was first interpreted as warning colouration half a century ago but nobody has taken that suggestion seriously. Although it’s true that this...
by BioEdge | Jun 15, 2015 | Biobullets
Black eyes can be poisonous exclamations in orange frogs. Prof. Mumblebard claims: “Most species of frogs have prominent eyes. Despite this, frogs avoid using their eyes for communication – with ocular social signalling being rare, and the staring down of...
by BioEdge | May 30, 2015 | Biobullets
De-tailed amphibians conceal a hiptail of unknown potential. Prof. Mumblebard claims: “Frogs are consistently tailless despite varying greatly in other respects and having diversified into some 50 families and five thousand species. The loss of the tail is so...
by BioEdge | May 15, 2015 | Biobullets
Primitive amphibians can be surprisingly handy. Prof. Mumblebard claims: “Frogs remain at a lower evolutionary level than lizards. Although certain frogs possess an opposable thumb, this is best explained as compensation for the fact that no frog possesses...
