After thousands of years apart, wild and domesticated cats are now having kittens Researchers have found that European wildcats and domestic cats did not have offspring with each other until the 1960s.
Reindeer in Svalbard are inbred. Is this a problem? Researchers believe that inbreeding can sometimes be an advantage.
Why Norway has banned the breeding of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels Norway’s Supreme Court has ruled that the breeding of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels violates the Animal Welfare Act. A Norwegian professor believes the court has made a mistake in allowing further breeding of English Bulldogs.
Researchers have managed to extract RNA from an extinct animal The last known Tasmanian tiger died in 1936. “It’s unexpected and fantastic to get this information from an extinct animal,” a researcher at UiT The Arctic University of Norway says.
Swine fever in Sweden is spreading. Norway offers bounty for reporting sick and dead wild boars African swine fever has not yet spread into Norway. The Norwegian Veterinary Institute is now urging Norwegians to report any injured, sick or dead wild boar they see.
Do we really need to pick up dog poop? Yes, according to scientists. But should we also do it while hiking in the woods?
The secret lives of slugs: Where do they hide and why do the come out after rain? A wet summer is not necessarily the best for the much detested Spanish slugs.
World's oldest DNA: Scientists discover 2-million-year-old remains of plants and animals Genetic material from the elephant relative mastodon, cedar and spruce has now been discovered in a warmer Greenland of yore. It is the oldest DNA ever found.
Here are 12 of the most exciting prehistoric animal discoveries Palaeontologist Jørn Hurum takes us through the highlights of dinosaurs and other extinct animals over the past 20 years.
Animal populations saw average declines of 69 per cent, but what does that actually mean? The figure from the new WWF report can easily be misinterpreted.
Biological sex: What kind of variations exist in nature? In plants and animals, one type of gamete – reproductive cell – is larger than the other.
Here’s why Rattus norvegicus has taken over Europe The black rat spread across Europe in two waves, first in Roman times and then in the Middle Ages. But today it has had to cede Europe to the ‘Norwegian’ brown rat.
Why didn't our ancient ancestors get cavities? ASK A RESEARCHER: People used to not have cavities. So why do we get them today?
Mammoths and other large animals survived in the north much longer than previously believed New DNA research indicates that the climate, not humans, led to the demise of these large creatures.
Calves not allowed to stay with their mother are more stressed and grow less well Consumers of milk and cheese want cows and calves to stay together.
It’s not just city dwellers who like large carnivores Norway and Sweden have seen an increase in wolf, bear, wolverine and lynx populations in recent years. Meanwhile, people’s positive attitudes towards carnivores has remained high. There are more who like them than dislike them.
Do birds like modern architecture? Birds need hiding places, and some like to build nests in our buildings. So how are birds dealing with all the flat roofs and clean lines in modern construction?
Is it okay to feed your dog leftovers? ASK A RESEARCHER: Many dogs love to eat the same thing that we humans serve for dinner, but is it good for them?
Your cat meows mostly for you Cats don't often meow to other adult cats, but they quickly learn to use sounds to talk to humans.
Why are we more concerned about someone seeing us fall on our face than whether it hurt? ASK A RESEARCHER: Avoiding social pain is often more important than avoiding physical pain, according to psychology researcher.
How annoying is it for sheep to wear a bell all summer long? Do sheep bells qualify as mistreatment of animals?
What’s a moose to eat? Moose like to browse on young saplings. Forest owners count on their trees for timber. Researchers are looking for better ways to meet both needs.
Norwegians more tolerant of illegal wolf shooting Sweden has ten times more wolves than Norway, yet Norwegians are less tolerant of wolves in the wild and are more likely to accept illegal shooting of the animals.
An in-trawl camera for fish A cod swims right past the camera. These images could make it easier to set fishing quotas.
Calves need more motherly care Calves are usually separated from cows right after birth. A new study indicates that they should get more time with their mothers.
Thin Arctic foxes suffer more from industrial pollutants The Arctic may be a long way from the industrial world, but harmful chemical substances find their way northward and concentrate in animals there. Researchers have now found a disturbing trend: concentrations of one harmful chemical family are higher in thin Arctic foxes than in their more well-fed brethern.
Does it harm animals to have two homes after a divorce? "Dogs and cats are different in this respect,” claims an animal welfare researcher.
Wolves help support forest scavengers Scavengers such as foxes, ravens and golden eagles get more year-round access to food supplies in wolf territories than in forests devoid of wolves.
Solving the mystery of bear cub killings Male bears in Scandinavian forests kill bear cubs. The corpses of cubs, claw marks and DNA samples testify to a life-or-death struggle.
Misleading moths with fake fragrances The flights of moths and butterflies might appear willy-nilly but the insects are guided by their sense of smell. A pesticide specialist is now developing artificial rowanberry scents to capture moths and protect apple orchards.
Tooling around with Chimpanzees Chimpanzees from the Savanna use human-like tools to dig up roots and potatoes. This is one of the behaviours that people used to believe was uniquely human.
Happy hens get hot When a hen anticipates eating a juicy larva her temperature increases. Thermal imaging shows that happiness has a warming effect on chickens, just as it does with us.
Nasty nasal parasite A parasite found in a reindeer’s nose 25 years ago may not be the most appealing creature to most people, except for scientists.
Lilliputian shop of horrors Do you cringe at the thought of head lice or intestinal worms? Well, if you were a little creepy thing you would risk something much worse than an itch.