Squirrels in the UK: what they are up to, when and why
The UK is home to two squirrel species: the Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) and the grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis).The species you are more likely to see scampering through the trees or ransacking your bird feeders will depend on your location, though grey squirrels, which are not native to the UK, are now far more common in most areas.
Who were the Neanderthals? - Natural History Museum
Our closest ancient human relatives. Neanderthals were humans like us, but they were a distinct species called Homo neanderthalensis.. Read Chris Stringer's argument for why Neanderthals should be considered a separate species from Homo sapiens >. Together with an Asian people known as Denisovans, Neanderthals are our closest ancient human relatives.
What was the Cretaceous Period like? - Natural History Museum
The Cretaceous Period lasted for nearly 80 million years. Discover what the climate was like in this geological period, where the continents were and what animals and plants lived on them. Find out how an asteroid ended the age of dinosaurs.
Mutualism: eight examples of species that work together to get …
Aphids are little sap-sucking insects that secrete honeydew, a sugary liquid that is the waste product of their diet. Many aphid species are known to engage in a mutualistic relationship with ants that feed on the honeydew by 'milking' the aphids with their antennae.
Convergent evolution explained with 13 examples - Natural …
What is the difference between convergent and divergent evolution? Divergent evolution is the opposite of convergent evolution. Divergent evolution occurs when two species share a common ancestor and evolve one or more characteristics that make them different to each other.
Immortal jellyfish: the secret to cheating death
The hydrozoan Turritopsis dohrnii, an animal about 4.5 millimetres wide and tall (likely making it smaller than the nail on your little finger), can actually reverse its life cycle.It has been dubbed the immortal jellyfish. When the medusa of this species is physically damaged or experiences stresses such as starvation, instead of dying it shrinks in on itself, reabsorbing its tentacles and ...
How an asteroid ended the age of the dinosaurs
Asteroids are large, rocky bodies that orbit the Sun.They range from a few to hundreds of metres in diameter. Any fragment of an asteroid that survives landing on Earth becomes known as a meteorite.. The Alvarez hypothesis was initially controversial, but it is now the most widely accepted theory for the mass extinction at the end of the Mesozoic Era.
What is the Anthropocene and why does it matter?
The word Anthropocene comes from the Greek terms for human ('anthropo') and new ('cene'), but its definition is controversial. It was coined in the 1980s, then popularised in 2000 by atmospheric chemist Paul J Crutzen and diatom researcher Eugene F Stoermer.
Australopithecus afarensis, Lucy's species - Natural History Museum
Australopithecus afarensis facts . Lived: 3.7 million to three million years ago Where: East Africa Appearance: a projecting face, an upright stance and a mixture of ape-like and human-like body features Brain size: about 385-550cm 3 Height: about 1-1.7m (females were much shorter than males) Weight: about 25-64kg (females were significantly smaller than males)
Homo habilis, an early maker of stone tools - Natural History …
Who discovered Homo habilis and where was it found?. Famous palaeoanthropologists Louis and Mary Leakey discovered Homo habilis in 1960. Along with their son Jonathan, they unearthed the first fossils at Olduvai Gorge in the Great Rift Valley of Tanzania, East Africa.. The couple had already found fossils of another primitive hominin species and some early stone tools at the site.