Mammals

Paleontologists in South Africa said on June 5 they have found the oldest known burial site in the world, containing remains of a small-brained distant relative of humans previously thought incapable of complex behavior.

A harness-wearing Beluga whale that turned up in Norway in 2019, sparking speculation it was a spy trained by the Russian navy, has appeared off Sweden's coast, an organization following him said on May 29.

Two dead dolphins have been found washed up along the shores of the southwestern province of Aydın's Kuşadası district.

The lifeless body of two dolphins washed ashore on the Nazilli Sitesi and Kocagöl beaches in Kuşadası. Following the examinations of the dolphins, it was determined that both of them were striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba).

Greece is to establish the first National Coordinated Network of Observing and Managing Stranded Wildlife, the Environment Ministry stated on Monday, following an agreement with environmental and scientific organizations.

A motorcyclist was injured on the main Edipsos-Limni road on the island of Evia, in the area of Rovia, after colliding with a pack of wild boar on Friday.

The fur of Costa Rican sloths appears to harbor antibiotic-producing bacteria that scientists hope may hold a solution to the growing problem of "superbugs" resistant to humanity's dwindling arsenal of drugs.

Sloth fur, research has found, hosts bustling communities of insects, algae, fungi and bacteria, among other microbes, some of which could pose disease risk.

Ya Ya the giant panda began its trip to China on April 26 from the Memphis Zoo, where it has spent the past 20 years as part of a loan agreement.

The zoo said Ya Ya was being accompanied on its return to China by a veterinarian who will manage the panda's medical needs and a zoological officer who will handle all husbandry requirements.

A 103-year-old grandmother was beaten by her niece in the village of Damianitsa in the Sandanski region. The incident happened yesterday when grandmother Lyuba refused to give money to her 55-year-old niece.

After hitting her several times on the head, the niece stole BGN 150. She was later detained.

A cheetah brought from South Africa to India has died, wildlife officials said, the second such death within a month in a country where the big spotted cat was declared extinct seven decades ago.

So far, 12 cheetahs from South Africa and eight from Namibia have been brought to India after its top court ruled in 2020 that the species should be reintroduced.

Finland crowned its reindeer racing king on April 9 when 14 reindeer and jockeys competed for the title in the season's final match of the increasingly popular Arctic sport.

Wearing skis, helmets and ski goggles and pulled by harnesses attached to the reindeer, Finland's top 14 competitors raced one kilometer around an oval against the clock in the northern town of Inari.