They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but what about the beauty of the eye itself? Vertebrate eyes show strong conservatism, but amphibians have additional structures in their irises that have never been fully described! Why has no one been LOOKING (😜) at these structures? buff.ly/eaJ2WMs

By combining DNA sequencing of museum specimens with newly collected specimens & detailed anatomical analyses, an int'l team led by the University of Göttingen has discovered 10 extraordinary new worms species. Paper published in journal: @zoojlinnsoc.bsky.social. Read more here: shorturl.at/XHVKY

New Blog! 🚨 Did you know pangolins are more closely related to dogs & bears than anteaters & armadillos? Here, guest blogger Shana Knight delves into new research on its classification using diploic veins, explaining where pangolins fit in the evolutionary tree! Read it below 👇🧪🐜 buff.ly/xP8X7SZ

New Blog! 🚨 In a dark corner of Cape Verde, 5 new species of sponge have been found. Here, guest blogger Lily Fallows discusses this discovery & how it impacts our understanding of evolution! Overlooked & underappreciated, we've a lot in common with sea sponges...read it below 👇 buff.ly/8aOhIIc

Hidden Caves: Cape Verde's Secret Sponges

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Call for Posters! 📣 Research orchids? Know someone who does? We're eager to showcase your work at our upcoming hybrid day event on 25 November 2026! Space is limited, so get your posters in soon! Deadline is 12 October 2026...👀 Learn more about our event: buff.ly/GM5IyNL 🧪

Symposium | Orchidaceae | Taxonomy, Diversification, and Biogeography

Bringing together contributions that advance our understanding of orchid evolution across taxonomic, temporal, and geographical scales.

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New Blog 📣 Giant salamanders are revered around the world, but how did they evolve? Here, Juliet Maxted discusses how CT scans of three E. asiaticum skulls have uncovered new insights into the evolution of this family! Read the blog below 👇🧪 www.linnean.org/news/2026/08... It's serving face!

Facial Reconstruction: Bringing New Life to a 66-Million-Year-Old…

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The Dodo might not have been so stupid after all... CT scans of its skull have revealed differences in visual processing suited to low-light environments, as well as highly sensitive olfactory systems! We might owe the dodo an apology. Read more about it about it here! 🧪👇 doi.org/10.1093/zool...

The sensory world of the Dodo and Solitaire revealed by endocast and skull anatomy

Abstract. The Dodo (Raphus cucullatus) and its close relative, the Rodriguez Solitaire (Pezophaps solitaria), are two of the most recognized symbols of hum

doi.org

Ever wondered if harvestmen care for their young? Well you're in luck! Using citizen science data from iNaturalist, a new study on Gonyleptoidea has revealed both maternal & paternal care, more than doubling the records of this behaviour! 🧪🌍👇 doi.org/10.1093/zool...

New Blog! 🚨 As one of Africa's most distinctive primates, over 20 species of bushbaby are recognised in science. But how, and why, did so many evolve? Here, guest blogger Katie Porter answers that question by breaking down a recent study in our Biological journal! Read it below 🧪👇

How Did Bushbabies Become Different Species?

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To protect marine species we must understand their ecology & evolution, aligning management with biological not political boundaries. Here, two closely-related octopus species were found to have opposing genetic & demographic patterns that highlight the need for species-specific management plans 🧪

Contrasting patterns of population structure and historical dynamics between two octopus species, Eledone moschata (Lamarck, 1798) and Eledone cirrhosa (Lamarck, 1798), in the Mediterranean basin

Abstract. Understanding the ecological and evolutionary history of marine organisms is critical for the sustainable management of marine resources. Accurat

doi.org

Genome-scale evidence for species boundaries in an insular lizard radiation: phylogenomics of Gallotia galloti New paper just out @zoojlinnsoc.bsky.social academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/a...

Genome-scale evidence for species boundaries in an insular lizard radiation: phylogenomics of Gallotia galloti

Abstract. Island systems provide powerful natural laboratories for studying the processes that maintain species boundaries. The lacertid lizard Gallotia ga

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Call for Writers! 📣 Are you a student or early career researcher? Science communicator? Know someone who is? We're looking for our next round of Guest Bloggers for our journal blog The Paper Trail! Check out our vacancies page to apply, and read some of our latest posts here: buff.ly/7JVQmSx 🧪 🌍

Citizen science data from iNaturalist has helped uncover the evolution of parental guarding behaviour in harvestmen: from @zoojlinnsoc.bsky.social Combining nearly 300 years of fieldwork with data from iNaturalist, researchers have more than doubled documented cases of parental care in harvestmen.

Devoted dads and citizen science: the evolution of parental care in harvestmen is uncovered

Citizen science data from popular platform iNaturalist has helped uncover the evolution of parental guarding behaviour in harvestmen, as shown in research published in th...

eurekalert.org

Blog Alert! 🚨 How would you achieve complete ecological dominance in the Mesozoic? Early sauropodomorphs like Macrocollum itaquii decided a long neck was the answer, stretching their vertebrae into great lengths...talk about sticking your neck out! 🧪 🌍 Read it here 👇 www.linnean.org/news/2026/06...

The Architecture of Enormity

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Happy #VolunteersWeek! We're celebrating Catherine Sgorbati, an AI in Biosciences graduate & guest blogger for the Zoological Journal! She wrote about gender & geopolitical disparities in taxonomy - you can read her work below 🌍 🧪 👇 www.linnean.org/news/2026/03...

Happy #VolunteersWeek! Rosie Ryland, graduate ecologist at Arbtech, is our spotlight today, having written a blog for The Paper Trail about anole adaptations in the Andes and featuring in our membership magazine The Linnean! You can read her blog below 👇 🧪 🌍 www.linnean.org/news/2025/06...

Our (Jenny Dunn, Carolina Chagas, @willjsmith.bsky.social) paper on the evolution of island Wrens is finally out @evojlinnsoc.bsky.social! We describe the evolution of island gigantism in the St Kilda and Shetland subspecies. academic.oup.com/evolinnean/a...

There's always plenty more fish in the sea...right? According to this paper, the answer is probably...if you're looking for an African freshwater fish using species description trends! In fact, of a predicted 9964 species, 6600 remain undescribed! 🧪🌎👇 doi.org/10.1093/zool...

Investigating Africa’s freshwater fish diversity through the lens of species description trends: How many species are there?

Abstract. Africa hosts one of the world’s richest freshwater ichthyofaunas, yet major gaps persist in species diversity, distribution, and evolutionary kno

doi.org

Do calcareous sponges count as #FossilFriday? Representing a relic group with unresolved taxonomy, here researchers investigated their systematics using morphology & molecular tools! Finding 5 distinct types of skeleton, convergent evolution & cryptic species may abound...🧪🌍 doi.org/10.1093/zool...

Stony secrets unveiled: evolution of hypercalcified calcareous sponges (Porifera)

Abstract. Hypercalcified calcareous sponges represent a relic group with a complex evolutionary background and unresolved taxonomy. This study revisits the

doi.org

Despite their enormous size, the early fossil record of titanosauriforms is very small, keeping their early evolution a mystery. Alleged titanosaurs have been found in early Cretaceous layers, making them the stratigraphically oldest reps of this clade, but are they really? 🧪 doi.org/10.1093/zool...

Re-evaluation of the Early Cretaceous titanosauriform sauropod dinosaur Triunfosaurus leonardii from the Triunfo Basin, Brazil: implications for the initial radiations of Somphospondyli and Titanosauria

Abstract. Somphospondylan titanosauriforms have a rich, global fossil record. However, the early evolutionary history of this sauropod dinosaur clade, incl

doi.org

Island hopping is not restricted to holidaying in Greece, but also an evolutionary strategy by Caribbean Pitcairnia - a group of terrestrial plants in the Bromeliad family! Here, it was found they likely radiated from Venezuela to the islands 200,000 years ago... academic.oup.com/botlinnean/a...

Island hopping: dispersal of Pitcairnia L’Her. (Bromeliaceae) through the Caribbean islands

Abstract. Pitcairnia, a group of terrestrial and mesophytic plants, is the second largest genus in the Bromeliaceae family, with over 400 species distribut

academic.oup.com

Scientific nomenclature is ostensibly a neutral system for identifying biodiversity, yet it remains deeply linked to the cultural & intellectual history of its practitioners. Here, Taro Yoshimura introduces the concept of taxonomic Graecism & its prevalence within Mollusca..but what does this mean?

With the closure of the Itshmus of Panama & acceleration of Andean uplift, many American lineages diversified. The leaf-toed gecko is one example, where a time calibrated phylogeny revealed North & Central American lineages to be older, suggesting dispersal across land & sea! 🌍🧪👇 buff.ly/3bybFuD

It's #SaveTheFrogsDay today, and we're hopping you'll enjoy this ribbiting new blog by Caroline Sgorbati! Looking at the incredibly diverse family of Ceratobatrachidae frogs, it delves into how these freshwater amphibians conquered islands in the Pacific...🌍🧪🐸

Island-Hopping Frogs: How Geology, Ocean Currents and Evolution…

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You've gotta be squidding me! A study on 680 species of cephalopod found larger, more streamlined species were adapted to hunting in open waters, whilst compact, non-streamlined species thrived in specialised habitats! Someone let the sperm whales know...🌍👇🧪

Distribution, temperature, and trophic position as ecological drivers of body morphological divergence in cephalopods

Abstract. Cephalopods exhibit diverse adaptations to environmental pressures, but previous studies often focus on single traits or few species, overlooking

doi.org

Biased sampling of Lauraceae, a family with over 3000 species, means its diversification history remains poorly understood despite its prevalence in the tropics. Here, plastome sequencing of 16 genera significantly improves our understanding, revealing divergent spatial patterns! 🌍🧪

Differential plastome diversification of the Lauraceae between tropical regions of Asia and America

ABSTRACT. The Lauraceae, a diverse family with over 50 genera and 3000 species, exhibit exceptional species richness in tropical regions of Asia and Americ

doi.org

This #FossilFriday we're looking at the axial skeleton of the Sauropodomorph Macrocollum itaquii, an early 'prosauropod' that shows features of derived & plesiomorphic traits! 🌍🧪👇 doi.org/10.1093/zool...

Our new paper published in @zoojlinnsoc.bsky.social on the osteology and neuroanatomy of the crocodyliform Koumiodontosuchus. Great study led by @christijanibarker.bsky.social with @tetzoo.bsky.social et al academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/a... @linneansociety.bsky.social @sotonbiosciences.bsky.social

As the sole living genera of an ancient order of reptiles, tuataras are key for fossil comparisons of extinct species & modern lepidosaurs (lizards & snakes). Here, their axial skeleton is described in detail, offering new insights to this unique creature...Tuatar-ya interested? 🌍🧪👇

The axial skeleton of the tuatara (Rhynchocephalia: Sphenodon): insights on intraspecific variability, ontogeny, sexual dimorphism, and remarks on fossil taxa

Abstract. As the sole living rhynchocephalian, the tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus) provides important comparative information for fossil rhynchocephalians an

doi.org

It's #FossilFriday and you know what that means! We might have been slow today, but we're not sleeping on this neotropical giant ground sloth, where a near complete skull & 2 partial skeletons from Brazil shine a light on a previously misunderstood species! 🌍🧪👇 doi.org/10.1093/zool...