A Year of Wild Things — Orcas, Alligators, Caterpillars, Lizards, and More!
The Wild Things column in the magazine is, by far, the most fun part to work on. The meetings in which we review potential papers and discuss what would make a good mix for the page often turns into half a dozen adults drowning in giggles. Read on and you’ll see what kept us laughing throughout the year.
After they emerge, larvae cause the dying caterpillar to swing its head violently and scare away predatory bugs. Courtesy of Prof. Jose Lino-Neto
January: Orcas working together to create waves that wash their prey–seals and penguins–off of ice floes
February: The Lily White flower has a set of roots just for digging
March: Hubble Space Telescope software adapted to identify whale sharks
April: A parasite makes the abdomen of its ant host look like a berry
May: The American alligator adjusts its lungs to maneuver
June: Whiskered auklets use feathers for feelers
July: Juvenile locusts have some cannibalistic tendencies
August: Zombie caterpillars
September: Lizards popping wheelies
October: Pen-tailed tree shrews drink alcohol but don’t appear to get drunk
November: Female fallow deer judge mates by their groans
December: Self-sacrificing ants
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