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Scorpions wield some of the natural world's most formidable built-in weapons, from crushing pincers to venomous stingers. Scientists have long known that these structures contain trace metals that strengthen them, but only a small fraction of the roughly 3,000 scorpions have ever been examined for this trait.

Why are there so many species of coral reef fish? According to a new study, it's because about 50 million years ago, some fish figured out how to bite food from hard surfaces.

In addition to habitat loss and illegal hunting, the jaguar (Panthera onca) faces another threat that increases its risk of extinction in the South American Atlantic Forest: food scarcity. A study by Brazilian researchers has found that the availability of jaguar prey is reduced, even in the protected areas of the biome, which covers approximately 15% of Brazil and extends across 17 states in the South, Southeast, and Northeast regions, as well as parts of Argentina and Paraguay. The paper is published in the journal Global Ecology and Conservation.