breeding news stories on Newser

'Gay' Penguins to Be Split Up at Zoo

Mary Papenfuss — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 02:45:00 CST

A pair of "gay" penguins will be split up by the Toronto Zoo so that they can have chicks—with females. The so-far inseparable males “will be put in with a specific female so they have the chance to get to know one another, and if they bond, that’s what...

Last Tortoise of His Kind Needs a Date

Matt Cantor — Tue, 10 May 2011 15:20:05 CDT

When you’re the only known member of your species, romance is hard to find. Such is the case for Lonesome George, the last Pinta tortoise in the Galapagos. Since George’s discovery in 1971—at a time when his species was believed to be extinct—scientists have searched far and wide...

Rare Rhino Is Pregnant

John Johnson — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 14:56:05 CST

Animal activists fighting to save the threatened Sumatran rhino have reason to celebrate: a female named Ratu is pregnant and due to give birth in Indonesia next year to only the fourth such rhino born in captivity. Sumatran rhinos are the rarest of five existing rhino species, reports CNN , and...

Dogs Aren't Human—But They're Close

Harry Kimball — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 14:54:43 CST

When your dog's “soulful eyes” watch you, trying to discern your needs, it’s easy to forget the animal is not your child or your “wing man,” John Homans writes. Dogs have moved off the farm and into our homes, where they eat gourmet diets, relax in luxury kennels, and essentially...

Taiwan Panda Keepers Seek Love Doc's Advice

M. Morris — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:51:59 CST

Ahead of breeding season in February, the Taipei Zoo is soliciting expert advice for getting its two giant pandas in the mood. A researcher dispatched from their native China found Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan—presented last year as a symbol of thawing relations between the countries—just a little...

Pandas Haven't Bounced Back From China Quake

Nick McMaster — Fri, 08 May 2009 16:12:01 CDT

China’s efforts to save the giant panda from extinction haven’t recovered from last year’s earthquake in Sichuan province, AFP reports. The temblor swallowed up whole groves of bamboo, causing a food shortage just as breeding centers, whose efforts have caused a recent panda “baby boom,” have more mouths to feed...

Cute Dog Craze Yields Dumber, Weaker Breeds

Ambreen Ali — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 05:35:00 CST

Humans' quest for beautiful, quirky "leash candy" is making man's best friend dumber, weaker, and more introverted, reports the Times of London. Bred less and less to be hunters, guard dogs, and herders, current breeds can do little more than look pretty, a Swedish study of dog behavior has found.

Aha! Zoo Bears Won't Mate Because Both Are Female

Michael Roston — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 13:36:01 CST

A Japanese zoo is learning it might want to check the plumbing more closely the next time it acquires a polar bear cub, CNN reports. Tsuyoshi was brought to the Kushiro Zoo to breed with 11-year-old Kurumi. But when the cub reached reproductive age, he turned out to be she,...

Devils Breed Earlier to Stave Off Cancer

Neal Colgrass — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:46:24 CDT

Tasmanian devils are reproducing at a younger age to offset a contagious cancer epidemic, the Daily Telegraph reports. The ill-tempered marsupials, suffering from tumors that cut their lifespan in half, are now breeding at age 1 instead of 2 or 3. "We could be seeing evolution occurring before our eyes,...