In the bear family the polar bear is the only species that is considered carnivorous. With the seven other species one is considered herbivorous (the panda) and the other six are considered omnivorous. The polar bear is most closely related to the highly omnivorous brown bear, so closely related their hybrid offspring can be fertile even. With the brown bear its diet varies greatly on the environment (in some areas over 50% of their food comes from meat while in others over 90% comes from plants).

This made me think, is this the case with the polar bear too? Is the polar bear only carnivorous because of the polar environment it lives in which provides very little plant food for it and if it lived in an area with more plant food available it would be more of an omnivore like the brown bear? Or has it actually become carnivorous, like how the panda became herbivorous?*

*I know the polar bear and panda will occasionally eat some amounts of plants and meat respectively, like how a lot of animals typically considered carnivores/herbivores will, but I'm asking more about "true" omnivory like with the brown bear.

From watching scorpions, spiders and even lizards fight........they have a weird pattern of fighting. They will stand in front of the opponent completely still, and then suddenly make a move. And then they will stand completely still again for minutes before making their next move. While staring facing the opponent.

What would explain this pattern? I don't even see them adjusting themselves, recoiling or circling the opponent to find the appropriate attack angle. They're pretty much frozen in time.

Do their brains work differently? Is it not working in real time? Does their brain activity peak and then drop? Like a switch is being turn on and off?

From a logic based perspective, it doesn't make much sense. If there is another living being trying to kill you, your instincts would tell you to go beserk and keep fighting until the threat is dissolved.

I was thinking about Dolphins and Whales and how they went from sea to land to sea, and I couldn’t help but wonder if any other creatures have switched more times.

Looking for the answer to what I think may be a simple question but can't seem to find the answer anywhere...basic question, where do ANNUAL (not periodic) cicadas spend the non-summer months? From what I understand they can live from 2-5 years...do they (like the nymphs) go underground? Do they also live on tree sap all fall/winter/spring? To make the question/s more complicated: I'm specifically interested in cicadas on the island of Mallorca, if it makes a difference. I'm assuming (perhaps falsely?) that the males mate perhaps multiple times, that the females might as well, but maybe once impregnated...cease in order to gestate?? How long is that gestation? Do they stop their clicking once they're impregnated? When do the males stop their "singing"? Thanks!

Cranes walk across street with baby gator https://www.facebook.com/share/r/mGnNRswKPq6fyRkn/?mibextid=xfxF2i

www.wildguesser.com

The game isnt finished and is still in early development, but would love some feedback on what to change or add before we officially release.
Its an animal guessing game, where you have to find out facts about an animal(like where it lives, what it eats, its taxonomy etc) and then you can guess its name when you have enough info.
Would love any feedback(good or bad). So i know what to add or change.

Cetaceans are strange...

Is there any wild animals that humans haven’t been able to domesticate that you wish had been?

Hello, denizens of r/zoology!

It's time for another weekly thread where our members can ask and answer questions related to pursuing an education or career in zoology.

Ready, set, ask away!

It came from a vernal pool in the forest preserve near my house (northern Illinois). It looks to be some kind of wormlike thing covered in a casing of leaves and other materials. There are others in the jar too around the surface plant layer. Any ideas? Apologies for shakiness.

https://reddit.com/link/1dypnuk/video/cm148o2j7ebd1/player

I live in northern Germany and was walking around town this afternoon when I saw something I have never seen before, a bat flying around in broad daylight. I occasionally see bats in this area, but only at dusk. I thought this was quite strange until I noticed that several ant colonies were on their mating/nuptial flight today. This is of course a rare and abundant food source for bats and I wonder if during these nuptial events bats break their usual "sleep by day, hunt by night" rhyme to make efficient use of this temporary food source? Is this a well-documented behaviour or is my observation just a coincidence? Thanks in advance for your answers.

There’s probably a better way to word that headline but… here we are.

Basically, when a skunk sprays, assuming some of the spray inevitably gets back on the skunk, does its fur retain the smell the same way its target would?

Do they have some built-in way to repel it somehow? Or are they just as screwed as whatever they spray?