Mammals

Researchers have identified the genetic mutation behind orange fur in cats, closing a question that has puzzled geneticists since the 1960s. The finding, reported by ScienceAlert, explains why orange coloring works differently in cats than in other mammals and why orange cats are so often male. The story is drawing wide attention from science readers charmed by the subject.

The 2014 album Animals That Don't Lay Eggs, Vol. 1 by the band Mammals, which blends math-rock, noise-rock and post-hardcore, is being shared again among music fans online. Listeners are recommending it as a notable example of the band's angular, heavy style, sparking renewed interest in a lesser-known release from the genre.

The Pacific pocket mouse, North America's smallest mammal, is living at the Marine Corps' Camp Pendleton training area in Southern California. Reporting from Popular Science highlights that the heavily restricted military land offers the endangered species rare protected habitat, with conservationists viewing the base population as an important stronghold for the mouse's survival.

Busch Wildlife Sanctuary in Jupiter, Florida is highlighting its resident animals with a 'Feather, Fangs, Fur & Fun' feature covered by The Palm Beach Post. The piece draws attention to the sanctuary's work with native wildlife, from birds of prey to reptiles and mammals, and its role in animal care and conservation in the region.

Wildlife photographers shared a roundup of top pika photographs from the past week, calling it a good week for images of the small mountain-dwelling mammal. The pictures drew appreciative engagement from nature and photography communities, with readers praising shots of the elusive animal in its alpine habitat.

A biologist in Alaska has reported the first recorded sighting in decades of an albino caribou, an extremely rare color variant of the species. The animal was spotted alive in the wild, and the sighting is considered notable because albino caribou have gone essentially undocumented for many years. Observers say the find offers a rare glimpse of a genetic anomaly in a large Arctic mammal.

A marine mammal biologist at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California works to protect seals, sea lions and other coastal wildlife sharing habitat with one of the world's busiest rocket launch sites. The role involves monitoring animal populations around launches and minimising the spaceport's impact on the surrounding marine environment.

The National Allotment Society is encouraging allotment holders to make their plots wildlife-friendly over winter. It says the cold season is hard for wildlife, but allotments can shelter birds, insects and small mammals while also improving gardening outcomes for the coming year. Advice is published on its website, and gardeners in home-and-gardening circles are sharing the guidance.

Scientists at the University of Chicago have identified a semi-aquatic mammal from the Jurassic period that resembled an otter and was capable of chewing and swallowing its food. The discovery, reported by CBS News, offers new insight into how early mammals diversified and adapted to aquatic life millions of years ago.

North America's smallest mammals — shrews — are living on a US Marine Corps training area, according to Popular Science. The discovery is being framed as good news, suggesting that restricted military land can double as de facto wildlife habitat, offering undisturbed space for species that struggle elsewhere.

Researchers have traced the development of a mammal from a single cell to 1.2 million cells, producing the largest cellular family tree ever made for a mammal. By tracking cell lineages, the work maps how one fertilised cell gives rise to millions of specialised descendants, offering an unprecedented view of how organs and tissues form during development and opening new avenues for studying growth, ageing and disease.

Researchers at UW Medicine have developed a 'DNA Typewriter' technique that records the developmental history of cells in an early mouse embryo. The tool inscribes genetic changes into cells over time, allowing scientists to trace lineage relationships as the embryo develops. The work, covered by UW Medicine's newsroom and distributed via EurekAlert, offers a new way to study how a single cell gives rise to all tissues in a mammal.

Wyoming News reports that black-footed ferrets, one of North America's most endangered mammals, appear to be thriving in Carbon County, Wyoming. The report is paired with coverage of local high school cross country, where RHS runners delivered strong finishes at the Tough Pumpkin Invitational. Together the items highlight positive environmental and community sports news from the region.

A photographer has posted a fresh series of pika photographs, saying there were so many of the small mammals around that they could not resist sharing more. The images are drawing appreciation from wildlife photography fans, with pikas' elusive, quick-moving nature making such plentiful encounters a treat for nature lovers.

Scientists have found that nuclear traces accumulated in whales' teeth can be used to reconstruct individual whales' life stories. The method, reported by Phys.org, suggests teeth hold chemical records of events across a whale's lifetime. Marine biology enthusiasts are sharing the news widely, praising it as an innovative way to study long-lived marine mammals that are otherwise hard to track.

Scientists have described a fossil of an early mammal relative that shows some of the earliest evidence of chewing, swallowing and suckling. The find, reported by NPR, suggests these feeding abilities developed far earlier in mammal evolution than previously understood. The fossil is being compared to features seen in platypus-like animals, and researchers say it sheds new light on how mammals' distinctive way of eating first emerged.

Scientists at the University of Chicago have described a Jurassic-era mammal resembling an otter that was capable of chewing and swallowing food like modern mammals. The finding sheds light on how early mammals evolved sophisticated feeding mechanisms far earlier than once believed, drawing attention from paleontologists and science audiences interested in mammalian evolution.