In 2006, scientists dredged up an ocean quahog clam from the North Atlantic seabed. By counting the growth bands in its shell, like tree rings, they determined it had been born in 1499. Nicknamed Ming, it is the oldest individual animal whose age is known precisely. The researchers had no idea when they killed it for study.
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.