Ben Goldfarb

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    My 3 Greatest Revelations

    The author on writing his new book “Crossings,” about the environmental destruction of roads.

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    Fish Are Not Insentient Dullards

    More stimulating environments for captive fish could improve scientific research.

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    Humans Are Overzealous Whale Morticians

    We hastily dispose of dead whales, ignoring the ecological significance of their carcasses.

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    What Oceanographers Can Learn From Their Animal Colleagues

    When you need good data in rough seas, send in the elephant seals.

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    Florida’s Special Sponge for Soaking up Pollution: Fish

    In the swampy center of Florida, 15 miles northwest of Orlando, lies Lake Apopka, a 30,000-acre monument to the transformative power of fish. Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . Apopka may be almost exactly the same size as nearby Disney World, but it’s far from a tourist attraction. For […]

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    Biologists’ Clever Way to Detect Animals They Can’t Find

    A hellbender at the National Zoo in WashingtonBrian Gratwicke via Flickr Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . Wildlife doesn’t get much weirder than the hellbender, a frilly, crayfish-gobbling salamander, about the length of a baby alligator, whose bizarre aliases include “snot otter,” “devil dog,” and “grampus.” The giant amphibian […]

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    This Tool-Using Sniper Changed What We Think About Fish

    An archerfish lets fly at its unsuspecting prey.Ingo Rischawy / Schuster lab, University of Bayreuth Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now .    Few animals have had their cognitive abilities maligned like fish. Myths about their dullness abound—no doubt you’ve heard the one about goldfish’s three-second memories.But have you also heard […]

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    Searching for Disappearing Species in the US’ Deepest Wilds

    Michael Lucid photographs samples found during the Multispecies Baseline Initiative (MBI).Ben Goldfarb Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . In 2010, Michael Lucid, a biologist with the Idaho Department of Fish & Game, captured a surprise in a beer-baited gastropod trap—a slug that didn’t genetically resemble any of the ones […]