The chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium infects amphibian skin, which they use to breathe and balance salts. Spread around the world, probably in part through the wildlife trade, it has contributed to the decline of at least 501 frog, toad and salamander species, about 90 of which are presumed extinct. It is the greatest loss of biodiversity ever attributed to a single disease.
In 2022, a young tagged bar-tailed godwit flew from Alaska to Tasmania in about 11 days of nonstop flight, covering 13,560 km without eating, drinking or landing. Before departure, these birds pile on huge fat reserves and shrink their digestive organs, which are useless during the journey.
To escape rivals, a dung beetle rolls its ball of dung in a straight line. At night, it holds its course using the glowing band of the Milky Way. In a planetarium, researchers showed that beetles rolled straight under a starry sky but wandered aimlessly when the galaxy was switched off. It was the first animal known to navigate this way.