Yellowstone's grizzly bear breeding population has expanded fourfold, new study reports
Forty years ago, when grizzly bears gained protection under the Endangered Species Act, they were in serious trouble. In the lower 48 states the bear held just two percent of its former range, with only 800 to 1000 individuals persisting in five or six holdout communities. The most southernmost and isolated of these populations was the bears … Continued
A 5,000-year-old tree in Scotland is changing sex
Something strange is happening to Britain’s oldest tree: it appears to be changing sex. Reputed to be 5,000 years old, the Fortingall Yew in Perthshire, Scotland, has awed visitors for centuries due to its immense age. Now, the ancient tree, which could be the oldest in the UK, is causing more wonder by apparently undergoing … Continued
Turns out your cat is a miniature lion but don't worry, it's not out to kill you. We think
This may be shocking news to cat lovers everywhere, but we know virtually nothing about feline personalities. While there’s been 150 studies into the specifics of primate personalities, and 51 concerning candids, to date there’s only been 20 to query this aspect of cats and most have focused on domesticated subjects only. This is especially … Continued
This fist-sized, fish-eating spider is out to reclaim British wetlands
One of Britain’s largest arachnids—the fist-sized, fish-gobbling fen raft spider—has once again returned to the wild in growing numbers, after being pushed to the precipice of extinction just five years ago. The size of this super spider, which can balance on water thanks to a whopping (for a UK spider) 8cm leg-span, may be a little … Continued
Time to put the wildness back into childhood
Only 40 years ago, children were free to roam about the countryside. Yet over a quarter of today’s kids have never played outside by themselves beyond their garden gate, according to a new YouGov poll for the UK charity, The Wildlife Trusts. Modern lifestyles, stranger danger fears and declining wildlife habitats mean that youngsters are … Continued
This incredibly rare whale has been caught on camera for the first time
An international team of whale biologists have just released incredible footage of an Omura’s whale being caught on camera for the first time. One of the least known species of whales in the world, Omura’s whales (Balaenoptera omurai) are the small cousin in a group that includes the giant blue whales and the acrobatic humpbacks. Speaking … Continued
Animals need personal space too
Humans have probably always had a propensity towards bugging wildlife, but today’s selfie-culture could be pushing things too far. Seen that startled sea otter video floating around the Internet a little while ago? Well it might not seem like it, the person waking this sound-asleep otter was actually breaking the law—not just in the United States … Continued
The case for false animal sounds
The team behind Sir David Attenborough’s upcoming BBC One series ‘The Hunt’ got a lot of heat for disclosing what many wildlife filmmakers have been doing from the start writes Jennifer Huizen: faking animal noises. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who’s ever tried to capture animal antics up close, but when you zoom you compromise … Continued
Canada gets its first giant panda cubs
Earlier this month Er Shun and Da Mao, the giant panda pair on loan from China to the Toronto Zoo, became the proud parents of two healthy cubs. Now zoo staffers and Chinese experts are working round the clock to ensure everything continues to go smoothly. Dr. Chris Dutton, the head of veterinary services at … Continued
Facial-cleansing routines are harming so many fish that even this cosmetics industry body says it should be stopped
A major cosmetics industry association has made a big move towards reducing plastic pollution in the world’s oceans after recommending that its 4,000 members phase out the use of microplastics in wash-off cosmetic and personal care products. The recommendation by Cosmetics Europe—the ‘voice of Europe’s EUR 58.1 billion cosmetic, toiletry and perfumery industry’—was cautiously welcomed by … Continued
Dingoes and Aboriginal Australians have likely been tight from the start
For over thirty years now researchers have been trying to explain changes in the Australian archaeological records from around 5,000-years-ago, when people suddenly began using new tools, eating harder to process foods, and hunting a wider array of animals. While many would like to think these developments were the result of increasing human ingenuity, people like Jane … Continued
Africa's vultures are circling towards extinction, a new study warns
One of nature’s most iconic birds—the vultures of Africa—is now in serious danger of vanishing from the continent completely, a new study reports. The assessment, carried out by BirdLife International, discovered that six of Africa’s 11 vulture species are now at risk of extinction. The drastic population decline is thought to be the result of … Continued
How do you stop an animal from eating a poisonous toad? By feeding it sausages!
Conservationists in Australia are serving up nauseating sausages to a population of northern quolls, in a novel attempt to educate the endangered marsupials about the perils of eating cane toads. Northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus) are small, spotted, carnivorous marsupials native to Australia, which are in danger of being wiped out due, amongst other factors, to … Continued
A deadly new type of neuro-pesticide is decimating bee colonies, by damaging the queens
New and sophisticated pesticides are jeopardising the survival of honeybee colonies across the world by seriously damaging the health of their queens, a groundbreaking new study confirms. Honeybees have been in decline for decades; the Nature Conservancy estimates that their populations have fallen from four million worldwide in the 1970s to just 2.5 million today. … Continued
Killing endangered creatures by mistake is WAY more common than you'd like to believe
It made European headlines when a pair of hunters mistakenly entered the confines of Norway’s Polar Park Zoo and shot two elk, but sadly, people accidentally kill wild and often endangered animals quite a bit. Last week two Norwegian hunters called up officials at the northernmost zoo in the world with some seriously bad news. … Continued
Perfectly preserved: 10,000-year-old lion cubs discovered in the Siberian permafrost
Siberia’s permafrost throws up all sorts of oddities from time to time, from wooly mammoth carcasses, to the remains of ancient equine species. But in an extraordinary turn of events, Russian palaeontologists have just discovered what it is being called ‘the most perfectly preserved remains of cave lions ever unearthed.’ The two long-dead cubs, thoughts to … Continued
Britain has got bigger, at least for its birds
It seems Britain has got a little bit bigger over the past 15 years, at least for its birds. A new study has shown that many of the country’s bird populations have significantly expanded their range in response to the new environmental conditions climate change is bringing about. The report—published in the scientific journal Bird … Continued
This animal has an insane tolerance to alcohol (and no it's not us)
Ever want to take that obnoxious fellow boasting at the pub about their epic booze-tolerance down a few pegs? Try daring them to a g/kg drinking contest with a dwarf hamster. For decades it’s been known that hamsters have a particular fondness for alcohol. Some critters that eat fruits, nuts, and seeds come across the … Continued
Turtles risk stranding on UK beaches this week
The British public has been urged to keep an eye out for stranded turtles when they’re walking along their favourite beaches this week. The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) says marine turtles spotted near Swanage, and thought to be endangered loggerheads, may well be at risk of stranding on nearby beaches in the coming days as the sea … Continued
Zoo animals enjoy their yearly dose of pumpkin-fun
Zoos are always trying to come up with new ways to enrich their animals’ lives, and entertain audiences in the process if possible. That’s why many have taken on the tradition of offering their inhabitants autumn pumpkins—be them bears, birds or snakes. Though not every animal that gets the veg may be eager to dig in … Continued
Monkey trouble: The plight of primates behind closed doors
A new campaign has been launched to highlight the ongoing welfare concerns of monkeys and other primates kept confined and isolated in homes right across Britain. An estimated 5,000 primates are kept as pets in the UK and rescue groups such as Wild Futures and the RSPCA receive approximately one call a week relating to the welfare … Continued
Frustrated elephants have had enough of noisy motorcycles
A motorcyclist traveling through Khao Yai National Park in Thailand found himself on the wrong side of the herd, when a pack of angry elephants charged his noisy motorbike. The elephants were agitated due to a group of motorists that had sped through the same area moments earlier, and by the time this guy was … Continued
This little koala is the most adorable hugger on the internet
We all have those moments where the only thing that’ll make the world a better place is a good hearty hug, and this little marsupial is no exception. The baby koala, named Imogen, is seen exploring her new home in a koala sanctuary for the first time. Then all of a sudden—perhaps made nervous by … Continued
Lost baby bat is rescued by mum and given a big worried hug of relief
A baby fruit bat lies on the concrete floor, desperately calling out for its mother in the darkness; it’s a scene that even the most hardhearted of watchers will struggle not to feel concern over. Luckily this story has a happy ending when—hearing the distress calls—the juvenile’s mother sweeps into the rescue, giving the scared baby … Continued
The horrific effect of deforestation summed up in one photo
Scattered among the piles of twigs and rubble, a young koala searches desperately for her home. She’s lost, alone and confused, for what was once a budding forest full of life is now scrap and debris. The young female koala, nicknamed Ash, was rescued by a volunteer from Wildcare Australia Inc. after she was spotted wandering … Continued
The reason elephants don't get cancer
Elephants very rarely get cancer, a long known fact now attributed to the pachyderm’s 20 modified copies of a gene us humans have just one of, the tumour suppressor gene, p53. Joshua Schiffman, a paediatric oncologist at the University of Utah’s High Risk Paediatric Cancer Clinic and researcher at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, was first inspired … Continued