zoology

SciTech
22 SEP

The Great Auk: from Extinct to Extant?

Andrew Mooney describes the groundbreaking genetics research that may lead to the return of the extinct and long-forgotten bird species, the Great Auk, displayed at the Trinity Zoological Museum

Cabinet 20 in the Trinity College Zoological Museum is not crammed with specimens, instead it contains only one, the Great Auk. This specimen, collected off Waterford in 1834, represents the last recorded sighting of this species in Ireland. It wasn’t …

SciTech
19 FEB

Valentine’s day animal style: strangest mating behaviours in nature

In the spirit of Valentine’s day, Katarzyna Siewierska describes some bizarre mating rituals and unexpected physical characteristics.

SCITECH

The bees … and exploding genitalia!

The mating ritual in bees is so bizarre you won’t want to believe it, but it is true. It all starts with a queen bee being bred in a special cell in the beehive. …