19 facts about frilled-neck lizards you may not have known
The frilled-neck lizard may be one of Australia’s most iconic reptiles. Named after the flappy collar that folds around their neck, this lizard thrives in northern parts of Australia, and southern parts of New Guinea, where it hangs out high up in the treetops. Check out some fun facts about these reptiles above!
You won't believe what these frogs can do
Look up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… a frog?! Certain species of frog, such as the Gliding tree frog or Wallace’s Flying Frog, have the incredible ability of flight. Approximately 3400 species of frog are able to leap and soar from tree to tree. One of the first people to … Continued
Close encounters of the grizzly kind (or, how to survive a bear attack)
As bear populations make a comeback, many of the same issues that initially helped cement their decline are rearing their ugly head once more. Namely unfortunate human-bear encounters. Yet despite the gnarly attack stories making headlines, including some stories we’ve covered here at Love Nature, most bears want nothing to do with people. In fact, … Continued
Quiz: What were scientists thinking when they named these 10 new species?
You might think that the discovery of a new species is a rare occasion, but it happens with stunning regularity: about 18,000 times a year. An estimated two million species are currently known to science, but millions more remain to be found. Unfortunately, scientists may be running out of time to uncover them. We’re in … Continued
Salmon: an iconic species under threat
It’s WWF Water Wednesday, when Love Nature television explores the unique characteristics, natural history, environmental challenges and threats facing waters and aquatic species in Canada and around the world, hosted by WWF-Canada president and CEO David Miller. Tonight at 9 p.m. ET/PT watch “Two Oceans” and read on about some of the threats facing Salmon … Continued
Sad news for spoon-billed sandpipers
This was one half of a pair of critically endangered spoon-billed sandpiper chicks—the first ever bred in captivity—but sadly neither survived for more than 60 hours. Each weighed only a few grammes and was barely bigger than a bumble bee. Seven eggs were laid in total at WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre in Gloucestershire, of which … Continued
Man ends up in fist fight with a bear
A 61-year-old Canadian man has walked away from a dust-up with a 130kg big momma black bear with just a few scratches after responding to the incensed animal’s attack by punching it in the nose. Rick Nelson from Sudbury in Ontario was walking his dog near Lake Panache at the weekend, when he came across … Continued
Jumbo relocation project begins in Malawi, as 500 elephants pack their trunks and move on
The small southern African nation of Malawi is about to literally pick up 500 huge elephants from one side of the country and drop them in another, in one of the most ambitious wildlife relocation projects the continent has ever seen. The giant-moving mission—which is being managed by not-for-profit Johannesburg-based group African Parks, in collaboration … Continued
Antarctic ozone hole healing up
Amid a deluge of frankly disturbing and depressing climate-related news, it’s a welcome relief to be able to report a environment-related success story, but that’s what we have for you here, with scientists saying in the last few days that the hole in the ozone layer is getting smaller. According to the journal Science, the … Continued
‘Problem' predators—The human-wildlife conflicts where nobody wins
As natural habitats around the world are stripped of their natural resources and built upon, local wildlife becomes increasingly threatened by the most dangerous animal of all: humans. Areas that were once wild are turned into villages, towns and agricultural plots. Generations of animals are cleared out, forced to look for homes elsewhere. Those who … Continued
Honeymooning scientist discovers giant venomous amphibious centipede
Some people have to accept that their partners are married to their work, but the new wife of scientist George Beccaloni may have been sightly miffed when the most exciting thing to happen during their honeymoon to Southeast Asia was the discovery of a 20cm-long centipede that can swim and inflict an excruciatingly painful bite. … Continued
Diving into the depthless deep of Earth's shallowest seas
When looking at the natural world, it often seems that we human beings love nothing more than staring wide-eyed into the abyss, or gazing up at the depths of outer space, desperately straining to try and make out something mysterious and interesting in the inky gloom of a possibly endless void. But perhaps we’re overlooking … Continued
Lowland Tapir to be reintroduced into Atlantic Forest
Driven to extinction in Rio de Janeiro in 1980 due to hunting and habitat destruction, the Lowland Tapir (Tapirus terrestris) is being reintroduced into the Atlantic Forest by Reserva Ecológica de Guapiaçu (REGUA). Without human influence, the Lowland Tapir’s range would have extended through the Atlantic Forest in south-east Brazil. With support from World Land … Continued
18 facts about narwhals you probably didn't know
Narwhals have to be one of the most fascinating marine mammals in the sea. Often called the “unicorns of the sea”, these whales are characterized by a long tusk that protrudes from the left side of the upper jaw. This tusk is an elongated canine tooth, and contains millions of nerve endings which helps the … Continued
Python gets trapped inside perfect circle of its shed skin
It’s a real-life Ouroboros! A Stimson’s Python at the Alice Springs Reptile Centre, in Australia, became trapped inside its own dead skin after it was shed into a perfect circle. According to a post that the Reptile Centre left on their Facebook page, the snake was stuck literally within itself for over 3 hours, until … Continued
Dramatic blue whale rescue unfolds off Californian coast
A life and death struggle to save a blue whale is currently taking place in the Pacific Ocean. The distressed animal is caught in crab nets just off the coast of California, and appears to be dragging 200 feet of line and several buoys from its tail, according to witness reports. The National Oceanic and … Continued
Raccoon family uses teamwork to assist straggling baby
Officer Chris Williams, of the Camdenton, Missouri police department, came across an unusual site while on patrol around Camdenton High School. He noticed a family of raccoons, a mother and her two babies, struggling to climb over a concrete wall. One of the young raccoons was having a bit of trouble making it over the … Continued
Aussies don't want killer sharks hunted down
A study conducted by the University of Sydney in the immediate aftermath of two fatal shark attacks in Western Australia this month, has revealed that the vast majority of locals do not want to see sharks hunted down and destroyed after such incidents. The west coast of Australia has experienced the highest rate of shark-bite … Continued
Jaguar shot and killed at Olympic torch event
An Olympic celebration turned tragic after soldiers were forced to shoot and kill a 17-year-old female jaguar in Manuas, Brazil. The jaguar, named Juma, had been brought out to celebrate the passing of the Olympic torch through the Brazilian Amazon, and to commemorate the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro. Following her public appearance, … Continued
Leopard-attack survivor shares a creative solution to India's human-wildlife conflict
There’s no denying that violent encounters between humans and wild animals make for exciting video content. You might, for example, recall watching on the edge of your seat as men grappled with a leopard at a Bangalore school in this viral video last February. One of these men—the one that gets bitten on the arm—is … Continued
Peake blinder: Astronaut returns to Earth facing vision impairment, dizziness and a colossal cosmic hangover
After six months on the International Space Station (ISS)—during which he completed almost 3,000 orbits of Earth, ran a marathon and became the first Brit to do a space walk—Major Tim Peake returned to his home planet on Saturday. The touch down went smoothly, but experts say the astronaut will be experiencing sensations akin to … Continued
Don’t believe in the Kraken? You may want to start
A behemothic ‘sea monster’ has been sighted in Antarctic waters by sharped-eyed sleuths scouring Google Earth. The satellite image has now been widely shared online and is driving internet users mad in their attempts to discern if it’s a legit photograph of the aggressive sea-beast from Norwegian folklore. Scott Waring, from ufosightingsdaily.com is convinced: ‘I used Google … Continued
These everyday animals all have shockingly naughty habits
It’s hard to look at a cow in the same way once you know how much these farm animals fart. Likewise, red foxes don’t seem quite as cute after you’ve heard their chilling human-like screams, and you might not want to feed the ducks after you discover their disturbing gang rape tendencies. A number of … Continued
This is the first mammal to go extinct due to climate change, and you probably didn't know it existed
The image above is of the Bramble Cay melomys, or Bramble Cay mosaic-tailed rat. These rodents were once found on a tiny, remote reef island found at the northern tip of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, which they shared with shore birds and green turtles looking to lay their eggs. Very little is known about this … Continued
Happy World Sea Turtle Day! Meet the olive ridley sea turtle
As one of 7 species of sea turtle, the olive ridley sea turtle is a little on the smaller side in comparison to his cousins. They get their name from the greenish colouring of their shell, which starts out grey when they’re young but grows greener with age. These turtles thrive in the tropical waters … Continued
Common markets. Exploring the ethics and idiosyncrasies of live animal markets, near and far, old and new
A friend of mine recently came across a live owl for sale in a market in Bali, South East Asia. The nocturnal bird was scrunched up in tiny cage, left out in the brutal heat and unforgiving sunlight of the day. Incensed at seeing such a magnificent creature being kept in the most miserable circumstances, … Continued