Saying “Ah!” at the Shrimp Spa
On coral reefs, an army of tiny cleaners eat their clients’ parasites, food particles, and dead skin, boosting biodiversity in the process.
Alexander Mustard's Latest Articles
Pass the Pufferball
California sea lions and other marine mammals engage in complex play that prepares them for life, improves their well-being—and may be just plain fun.
The Eyes Have It
The mysterious northern pygmy squid develops into a brilliant predator.
The Reptile Who Plays Possum
Grass snakes fake death to avoid predation.
Sticking the Landing
Tree and torrent frogs defy gravity with complicated toes.
The Snowshoe Effect
The Svalbard rock ptarmigan, Earth’s northernmost land bird, is finely tuned for winter survival.
A Wild Home on the Bones of the City
North America’s largest and most urban double-crested cormorant colony shows how people can share space with an unfairly reviled species.
Slime Sense
A wildly variable group of single-celled organisms shows intelligent behavior.
What the Caribou Remember
A herd of ungulates in Alaska draws on experience to adapt to a changing winter landscape.
The Curious Life of a Singing Fish
Plainfin midshipmen migrate from the deep sea to the intertidal zone to spawn, and that’s when things really get loud.