The world of cats is fascinating, especially when it comes to their sleeping habits. Researchers from Italy, Germany, Canada, Switzerland, and Turkey have made an intriguing discovery – cats prefer to sleep on their left side. This bias towards one side might seem trivial at first, but the team behind this study believes it holds a significant evolutionary advantage.

Cats are notorious for spending around 12 to 16 hours a day snoozing. They often find elevated places to rest, making it difficult for predators to access them from below. The research team, led by Dr. Sevim Isparta and Professor Onur Güntürkün, aimed to understand the behavior behind this preference. They analyzed over 400 YouTube videos featuring cats sleeping on one side or the other.

The results showed that two-thirds of these videos had cats sleeping on their left side. So, what’s the explanation? According to the researchers, when a cat sleeps on its left side and wakes up, it perceives its surroundings with its left visual field. This visual information is processed in the right hemisphere of the brain, which specializes in spatial awareness and threat processing.

This might seem like an insignificant detail, but for cats, it’s a crucial aspect of survival. By sleeping on their left side, they can quickly respond to potential threats or prey upon waking up. The researchers conclude that this preference could be a key survival strategy for cats.

The study published in the journal Current Biology provides valuable insights into the fascinating world of cat behavior and evolution. As we continue to learn more about our feline friends, we might just uncover even more surprising advantages behind their seemingly ordinary habits.

The Tumat Puppies, two remarkably well-preserved puppy remains found in northern Siberia, have shed new light on the evolution of wolves. The genetic analysis of their remains has revealed that they are most likely wolves, and not related to domestic dogs as previously suggested.

The puppies were discovered in layers of soil, preserved in ice, alongside the bones of woolly mammoths, some of which showed signs of having been burned and processed by humans. This led scientists to wonder if the site was once used by humans to butcher mammoths, and whether the puppies might have had a connection to people, possibly as early dogs or tamed wolves that hung around humans for food.

However, a new study has shown that based on genetic data from the animals’ gut contents and other chemical ‘fingerprints’ found in their bones, teeth, and tissue, that the way they were living, what they were eating, and the environment they existed in, points to the puppies being wolf cubs and not early domesticated dogs.

The research findings suggest that these Pleistocene wolves may have been somewhat bigger than the wolves of today. The “Tumat Puppies” challenge the original hypothesis that they belonged to a dog population that eventually died out and didn’t lead to today’s domestic dogs.

Anne Kathrine Runge, from the University of York’s Department of Archaeology, said: “It was incredible to find two sisters from this era so well preserved, but even more incredible that we can now tell so much of their story, down to the last meal that they ate.”

The research has also provided insights into the environment and ecosystems of the time. The cubs’ stomachs contained tiny fossilized plant remains, indicating a diverse landscape with varied habitats, including prairie grasses, leaves from the shrub genus Dryas, and willow twigs.

Dr Nathan Wales, from the University of York’s Department of Archaeology, said: “We know grey wolves have been around as a species for hundreds of thousands of years based on skeletal remains from palaeontological sites. The soft tissues preserved in the Tumat Puppies gives us access to other ways of investigating wolves and their evolutionary line.”

The research findings, however, means that the hunt for the oldest dog — and their place of origin — is still on.

The discovery of killer whales using seaweed tools for grooming has left scientists stunned. For the first time, researchers have observed this behavior in an endangered population of resident killer whales living in the Salish Sea, which is part of the Pacific Ocean between British Columbia and Washington.

According to Dr. Michael Weiss, a whale expert from the Center for Whale Research in Friday Harbor, WA, the southern resident killer whales regularly use lengths of bull kelp during social interactions as a tool to groom one another. This behavior was observed across all social groups, both sexes, and all age classes, with the whales creating tools by breaking off the ends of bull kelp stalks.

“We were amazed to find that the whales not only used but also manufactured these tools,” says Dr. Weiss. “What’s more remarkable is that despite this being a common behavior, it hadn’t been discovered in this population despite nearly 50 years of dedicated observation.”

The researchers found that whales were more likely to groom closely related whales or similarly aged partners. They also observed some evidence that whales with more molting or dead skin were more likely to engage in grooming, suggesting it may have a hygienic function.

“This finding highlights yet another way these whales’ society and culture is unique,” says Dr. Weiss. “The importance of recovering the southern resident killer whale population cannot be overstated.”

This research has significant implications for our understanding of tool use in marine mammals and demonstrates that tools can be used in a wide array of contexts.

“The discovery of this behavior opens new avenues for understanding tool use in marine mammals,” says Dr. Weiss. “It also underscores the importance of continued observation and monitoring of these incredible animals.”

The study was supported by several organizations, including the UK Natural Environment Research Council, the Orca Fund, and the Wild Fish Conservancy.

As scientists continue to learn more about this fascinating behavior, it’s clear that there is still much to discover about these intelligent and social creatures.