We’ve now destroyed 83 per cent of all wild mammals
There may be millions of species out there, but when it comes to the one that has been the most destructive, human beings are clearly at the top of the chain. New research shows that, despite the world’s 7.6 billion people representing just 0.01 per cent of all living things, we’ve now managed to destroy … Continued
Family raises dog for two years before realizing it’s a bear
According to Jim Halpert, it’s pretty much fact that bears eat beets. But apparently, it’s also a fact that bears look like dogs. So much so that one family actually raised a bear thinking it was a dog for two whole years. That’s right, when a family in China purchased a puppy two years ago … Continued
Researchers discover "ground zero" causing worldwide amphibian plague
It looks like there’s even more reason to take those airport signs seriously. While we’ve long known about the potential dangers of introducing animals to foreign ecosystems, researchers now believe the illegal transportation of amphibians across borders could be the reason so many of them have been dying from a known plague. Chytrid fungus, a … Continued
These polygamist owls are baffling scientists for more than one reason
They say it takes a village to raise a child. But whoever “they” are probably meant the phrase to apply to human babies—not little owlets still living in their nests. So imagine scientists’ surprise when they accidentally discovered two great horned owl chicks being raised by a father, a mother… and another mother. That’s a … Continued
Scientists have found a new species of exploding ants
Spock may have been on to something when he explained how the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Indeed, that utilitarian way of thinking could explain why a newly discovered species of ants in the tropical rainforests of South-East Asia basically explode when threatened. Scientists discover thousands of new species every year, … Continued
Shrimp may be the key to stabilizing the ocean
Shrimp may be some of the tiniest creatures in the water, but when it comes to the all-important tasks of mixing up the ocean layers and transporting nutrients, shrimp and krill may pack a bigger punch than we originally thought. And you thought jumbo shrimp was an oxymoron. New research published in Nature suggests that tiny … Continued
A punk, butt-breathing turtle is facing extinction
If reptiles were rock stars, Australia’s Mary River turtle would certainly be the poster child. With two spikes under its chin, a tuft of bright green “hair” resembling a Mohawk, and the ability to breathe through its genitals, this reptile might have more showmanship than Gene Simmons. It’s also officially endangered. The Zoological Society of … Continued
Help for Santa’s helpers? The plight of reindeer in Britain
Not so long ago, the only contact children in Britain had with reindeer was finding a nibbled carrot on the fireplace beside Santa’s half eaten mince pie on Christmas morning. Nowadays, they can see Rudolf in the flesh at one of numerous festive events taking place in town centres around the country and even feed … Continued
Why colourful bird feathers never fade
Imagine a future where colourants were nearly fade-resistant, on top of being far more sustainable and environmentally friendly. In this scenario a coat of paint could last a lifetime and red sweaters would never dye socks and undies pink. Well thanks to University of Sheffield researchers, an X-ray scattering machine at the ESRF facility in … Continued
Jane Goodall on life, legacy and why dirt-lovin’ youngsters are our best chance to save the world
When Dr Jane Goodall arrives for our interview at the Chelsea Hotel in downtown Toronto, she’s only moments off the phone talking about November’s United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris. It’s there that Dr Goodall will join the world’s most prominent environmental activists and experts, scientists and politicians, all of which have one objective … Continued
Back to the wild: Inside the RSPCA’s wildlife rehabilitation programme
Each year some 16,000 injured, sick or orphaned wild animals pass through the doors of the RSPCA’s four wildlife hospitals, while hundreds of thousands more receive care at other wildlife centres throughout the UK. All kinds of creatures can find themselves in need of rescue, but according to Llewelyn Lowen, RSPCA Wildlife Scientific Officer, certain … Continued
Love Nature & WWF International pledge support to Philippines’ Masbate community
Climate change has already hit the poorest communities in the world, and as they are often unable to adapt and recover quickly, it further deepens their hardships. As the effects of climate change worsen, escaping poverty becomes more difficult. The Philippines is one of the top 10 countries in the world that is most vulnerable … Continued
Love Nature To The Rescue
Researchers from Mozambique’s Zavora Marine Lab, working with Love Nature jumped straight into action this week to save the life of a giant leatherback turtle. The turtle – a rare sight along Zavora beach – was entangled in an illegal fishing net cast close to shore. Marine researchers had just minutes to save the giant … Continued
The must-see, totally magical, photos of Siberian huskies on a frozen lake
It’s a magical scene—a couple of beautiful huskies inquisitively wander over the mirror-like surface of a frozen lake in northern Russia. The world seems so still, so completely calm in the photographs that you could almost be forgiven for thinking the dogs are walking across the very sky itself. The photographer, who goes by the online … Continued
Eyes in the sky: The incredible technology helping save Asia's wildlife
Drones can be an affordable and time-saving tool in wildlife conservation A few years ago, two young wildlife biologists were struggling to study Orangutan nests in the dense jungles of northern Sumatra in Indonesia—one of the most threatened rainforests on Earth. Locating the primate nests hidden high up on treetops in the dense forest was … Continued
Camels: pack animal of the future
Camels are ultra efficient workhorses, and the secret to their success may be in their blood. While most people think of horses, cattle and oxen as the ultimate pack-animals, camels have been equally useful to humans. The perfect longhaul transport vehicle—able to travel for weeks without water or food thanks to reserves in its hump—camels … Continued
Countries commit to protecting 30 per cent of the world's seas by 2030, but is it enough?
In the wake of President Obama’s recent creation of the largest protected marine area on the planet off Hawaii, an international coalition of governments and NGOs attending the World Conservation Congress have this week committed to officially safeguarding a third of all the world’s oceans by 2030. Currently, less than four per cent of Earth’s … Continued
Eastern gorillas are on the edge of oblivion, but giant pandas have bounced back
The world’s top conservationists this week warned that the eastern gorilla, the planets biggest primate, is on the very brink of disappearing forever. With extinction staring right into its anthropomorphic eyes, the species has been added to the organisation’s Red List. At its congress in Hawaii, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) … Continued
9 totally terrific facts about sharks
No matter how frightened you may be of the ocean’s ultimate hunter there’s really no escaping how awesome and awe-inspiring these animals are. With more than 465 known species, sharks are the top of their food chain, apex predators just likes us. But they’ve been around a lot, lot, longer—thought to have originated some 300 … Continued
Obamacare Mk.II: US President sanctions world's largest ever ecologically protected zone
President Obama has just celebrated the centenary of the US National Park Service (NPS) by massively expanding a national marine monument in Hawaii, where he was born. The newly super-sized Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument now sprawls across 582,578 square miles of blue ocean around the uninhabited northwestern islands of Hawaii, making it officially the planet’s … Continued
'We have never seen anything like this'—Over 300 wild reindeer killed by freak lightning storm
Over the weekend hundreds of reindeer were killed by lightning in Norway, in a freak incident that appears to be unprecedented in recorded history. The bodies of 323 reindeer were found after a severe electrical storm savaged the Hardangervidda mountain plateau in southern Norway, a scenic area, which is popular among local hikers and foreign … Continued
Ultra runner ultra relieved to be reunited with canine companion
A runner has been reunited with the stray dog that randomly kept him company during a gruelling 250km ultra-marathon across China’s Gobi desert last month, before promptly disappearing and leaving him heartbroken. Long distance running is an infamously lonely activity, but Dion Leonard found himself a charismatic companion in the shape of a little mutt, … Continued
Space explorers discover our nearest known exoplanet, and it's potentially inhabited
Sky scouring scientists have just announced the discovery of an Earth-like exoplanet in orbit around our own sun’s nearest stellar neighbour, Proxima Centauri. And, not only is this newly noticed world located on our galactic doorstep, it’s also positioned in the right proximity to its host star to make liquid water a possibility…so it could … Continued
The flawed reason why the UK is planning to kill even more badger
A controversial culling campaign targeting badgers is to be extended into five new areas of England over the next month, it was revealed yesterday, despite no evidence that previous targeted killing of the protected species has had any effect on controlling TB in cattle. Badgers, nocturnal omnivores that eat mostly earthworms and small animals, are … Continued
Mortal Wombat! A woman was just savaged by a seemingly cuddly marsupial
A woman in Australia who was attacked by a wombat in a suburban street in the country’s capital city has said that she thought she was going to be killed by the deceptively docile looking marsupial. Wombats, although extremely powerful animals, are usually peaceful vegetarians, but it didn’t look that way when Kerry Evans became … Continued
These incredible bird photos are beyond beautiful
A magically moody shot of a mute swan has nailed the top slot at the very first Bird Photographer of the Year (BPOTY) competition, a new initiative held by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) in partnership with Nature Photographers Ltd. BTO President and competition head judge, Chris Packham, made the announcement during the awards … Continued