Showing results by author "Sandra Markle" in All Categories

Golden lion tamarins are found only in Brazilian forests. These small, remarkable monkeys once had plenty of space to roam and claim family territories. But years of deforestation caused their numbers to shrink. They were in serious danger of becoming extinct. To help, scientists studied the animals in zoo settings. But they faced several mysteries. Why weren't golden lion tamarins reproducing in zoos? If scientists reintroduced zoo-raised tamarins to the wild, would those monkeys survive?

Honeybees are a crucial part of our food chain. As they gather nectar from flowers to make sweet honey, these bees also play an important role in pollination, helping some plants produce fruit. But large numbers of honeybees are disappearing every year...and no one knows why. Is a fungus killing them? Could a poor diet be the cause? What about changes to bees' natural habitat? In this real-life science mystery, scientists and beekeepers are working to answer these questions...and save the world's honeybees before it's too late.

Honey bees are among the world’s most important insects. They help pollinate many of the crops we depend on for food. Without them, the global food supply would be in great danger. In 1998, beekeepers in Europe made a shocking discovery—almost all of the honey bees had disappeared from their hives. Several years later, beekeepers in the United States found that many of their honey bees had vanished too. Scientists called this disappearance colony collapse disorder (CCD), and at first, no one knew why it was happening.

Using teamwork and keen eyesight, vultures soar thousands of feet above the ground in search of carrion to eat. Learn about the habits and life cycle of this iconic avian scavenger.

With strong jaws and teeth, Tasmanian devils can eat the tough skin of the meals they scavenge. Discover how Tasmanian devils find food, raise their young as the next generation of scavengers, and more.

Wolverines are excellent scavengers with a keen sense of smell and the skills to find meals. Learn about the lives of wolverines, including how they search for food, find a mate, and raise their young.

Jackals will eat almost anything. On the African savanna, they will even steal food from much bigger animals, like lions. Learn more about the lives of jackals.

At one time, red wolves roamed the US from southern New York to as far south as Florida and as far west as Texas. But as European settlers moved in, these wolves began losing their home range and were hunted as a threat. Red wolves became so rare by 1973 that they were given protection under the US Endangered Species Act. Then scientists came up with a daring plan: round up all remaining red wolves, launch a captive breeding program, and once the captive population was large enough, release red wolves to roam free in protected areas.