Zoology

Ants

• Ant Colonies Retain Memories That Outlast the Lifespans of Individuals (opens new window)
• An ant colony has memories its individual members don’t have (opens new window)

Apes

• Great apes appear to have “theory of mind” (opens new window)
• Chimpanzees Spontaneously Dance to Music (opens new window)

Bees

Usually (but not always) when you see multiple swarm clusters like that, a hive has sent out more than one swarm, each with it's own queen. The primary, largest swarm will contain the original hive queen while the others will contain virgin queens. If they happen to combine into one cluster, the queens will likely fight and only one will survive to lead the swarm.

The queen never leaves the swarm cluster, and has no bearing on the decision of hive location. The swarm sends out scout workers who inspect locations for suitability and report back to the cluster. Through a voting process, the workers decide and move as one to the permanent home.

If you're interested in this topic (which is fascinating), there is a great book on it called 'Honeybee Democracy' by the bee researcher Thomas Seeley.

HN (opens new window)

• How Bees Argue (opens new window)
• Honeybee brains seem to use alpha waves similarly to primate brains (opens new window)
• [Bees Can Sense the Electric Fields of Flowers (2013)] https://hn.premii.com/#/article/23565141

Birds

• Parasitic Cuckoo Birds and Their Host Parents (opens new window)
• The engineering of birds’ nests (opens new window)

Hummingbirds vs Sunbirds

I saw a bird in Singapore which I mistook for a Hummingbird. It flies almost identically - hovering in one place, flapping furiously. After a quick search, I found it was a Crimson Sunbird.

Crimson sunbirds and other sunbirds are often mistaken for hummingbirds due to their similar appearance in terms of size and colouring. However, this is actually a result of convergent evolution, as both fulfil similar ecological niches by feeding on nectar and therefore play a key role in pollination. Sunbirds and hummingbirds are not closely related at all - hummingbirds' closest cousins are actually swifts and nightjars3 . In addition, sunbirds and hummingbirds do not coexist anywhere in the world. Sunbirds are found in Asia, Africa and Australia while hummingbirds are found only in North and South America4 . So the next time you're confused as to whether a bird you've seen is a sunbird or a hummingbird, all you have to do is know which continent you're on!

Source (opens new window)

Ravens

• Shared Emotional States in Ravens (opens new window)
• Crows could be the smartest animal other than primates (opens new window)
• Crows possess higher intelligence long thought a primarily human attribute https://hn.premii.com/#/comments/24583314 (opens new window)

Shrimp

• How mantis shrimp make sense of the world (opens new window)

Dolphins

• Dolphins Seem to Use Toxic Pufferfish to Get High (opens new window)
• Dolphins learn from their peers to use empty shells to catch fish (opens new window)

Earthworms

• The Intelligence of Earthworms: https://hn.premii.com/#/comments/23560086

Eeels

• Eel life history https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eel_life_history
• Where Do Eels Come From? https://hn.premii.com/#/comments/23265000

Octopus

• Researchers model how octopus arms make decisions (opens new window)
• An Alien Among Us (opens new window)
• Octopuses Are Able to 'See' With Their Skin (opens new window)

Rats

• A Game That Made Rats Jump for Joy (opens new window)

Tortoises

• Giant tortoises show surprising cognitive powers (opens new window)

Whales

• Humpbacks bounce back from near extinction to help fight climate change (opens new window)