Daniel Graham

4 days ago | discoverwildlife.com | Daniel Graham

When an iceberg the size of Chicago broke away the Antarctic Peninsula ice sheet earlier this year, scientists onboard the Falkor (too) research vessel felt compelled to see what had been living beneath it. The Schmidt Ocean Institute researchers were the first humans to explore this hidden world – and with the aid of their remotely operated vehicle (ROV) SuBastian, they made some remarkable discoveries.

1 week ago | discoverwildlife.com | Daniel Graham

New research has revealed a remarkable seasonal survival strategy in the masked shrew – a tiny, mole-like mammal found in the Appalachian Mountains of North America. Scientists discovered that these creatures shrink their bodies, skulls and even leg bones during the colder months to conserve energy. The study, led by Dr Bryan McLean from the University of North Carolina Greensboro (UNCG), found that masked shrews (Sorex cinereus) lose around 13% of their body mass in winter.

1 week ago | discoverwildlife.com | Daniel Graham

Scientists who found an ancient insect enveloped in 16-million-year-old amber in the Dominican Republic say it is the first-ever fossil of a dirt ant (a group of ants) from the Caribbean. Thelong-extinct species, named Basiceros enana, measures just over 5 millimetres in length, making it considerably smaller than its closest living ant relatives, which can grow up to 9 millimetres.

1 week ago | discoverwildlife.com | Daniel Graham

Scientists have uncovered the first known footprints belonging to armoured dinosaurs with clubbed tails. These 100-million-year-old fossilised tracks were found in two locations in the Canadian Rockies – Tumbler Ridge in British Columbia and north-west Alberta – revealing exciting clues about a group of dinosaurs called ankylosaurs. Ankylosaurs were hefty, tank-like dinosaurs covered in bony armour.

1 week ago | discoverwildlife.com | Daniel Graham

Elusive, aquatic and wonderfully odd, the Pyrenean desman (Galemys pyrenaicus) is one of Europe’s most mysterious mammals. Found only in the fast-flowing mountain streams of the Iberian Peninsula and southern France, this small insectivore leads a secretive, nocturnal life. With a flexible trunk-like snout, webbed feet and waterproof fur, it’s perfectly adapted to life underwater. Rarely seen in the wild, its presence is often only known through camera traps and environmental DNA.