Enlarge / An artistic reconstruction of the newly described 328-million-year-old vampyropod, Syllipsimopodi bideni . (credit: K. Whalen/Christopher Whalen) Paleontologists believe they have discovered a new genus and species of extinct cephalopod with ten functional arms, similar to a vampire squid . The 328-million-year-old fossil is the earliest known example of a vampyropod (ancient soft-bodied cephalopods) […]
Enlarge / Reconstruction of the orthocone ammonite Baculites compressus . A new study reveals that the creatures likely lived a vertically oriented lifestyle. (credit: David Peterman) The fossil record is chock-full of the fossilized remains of spiral-shelled ammonoids , whose shapes are reminiscent of rams’ horns. But there was another type of ammonoid with long, […]
Enlarge / A common cuttlefish, Sepia officianalis, in the Marine Resources Center at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA. A new study finds the cuttlefish can delay gratification—a key feature of the famous “marshmallow test.” (credit: Alexandra Schnell) Certain species show a remarkable ability to delay gratification, notably great apes, corvids, and parrots, while […]