ecology

Shells, composed mostly of invasive zebra mussels pile up at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan. The Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Species Control and Prevention Act of 1990 and the United States Geological Survey's Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database were created in response to this mussel. corfoto/Getty Images hide caption

The central European bicolored ant, L. emarginatus, wanders around a rock in New York City. Researchers hope that people will continue uploading sightings of the so-called ManhattAnt to sites like iNaturalist so they can track the ants' movement and learn more about their behaviors. Julian F./iNaturalist hide caption

Unlike most other ants that prefer sticking to cozy places like decaying leaves or logs, the ManhattAnt seems comfortable out on busy sidewalks. Ellen van Wilgenburg hide caption

Conservation biologist Gliselle Marin carefully untangles a bat from a net in Belize during the annual Bat-a-thon. Her fanny pack is decorated with printed bats. Luis Echeverría for NPR hide caption

Some researchers say the African coral tree has a racial slur embedded in its name. This month, scientists at an international meeting voted to have that epithet removed. tree-species/Flickr hide caption

When Australia's black flying foxes are well-fed, they tend to be healthy. A lack of food stresses the bats — and stress causes them to shed, or release, viruses into the environment. Ko Konno/Getty Images/iStockphoto hide caption

A sea otter in the estuarine water of Elkhorn Slough, Monterey Bay, Calif. Emma Levy hide caption

Spiderwebs can act as air filters that catch environmental DNA from terrestrial vertebrates, scientists say. Rob Stothard/Getty Images hide caption

Do you know this goose? Researchers have developed a new facial recognition tool for geese that can ID them based on their beaks. Konrad Lorenz Research Center hide caption

The Steller's jay, Cooper's hawk, and Wilson's warbler will all get renamed under a new plan to remove human names from U.S. and Canadian birds. Mick Thompson, Tom Murray, Jerry McFarland/Flickr Creative Commons hide caption

Devils Hole pupfish gather on the precious rocky shelf that supports their entire fragile existence in the wild. Olin Feuerbacher/NPS hide caption

A female cockroach considers accepting a sugary offering from a male cockroach. Ayako Wada-Katsumata hide caption

The cover of Cylita Guy's children book, illustrated by Cornelia Li, Chasing Bats & Tracking Rats: Urban Ecology, Community Science, and How We Share Our Cities. Annick Press hide caption

Picture of a sign warning about the presence of hippos in a neighborhood in Colombia, near the Hacienda Napoles theme park, once the private zoo of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP via Getty Images hide caption