Each year in May, World Migratory Bird Day draws attention to the billions of birds that migrate long distances with the changing of the seasons, a living braid of ecosystems separated by thousands — even tens of thousands — of kilometers. According to Kariuki Ndang’ang’a, BirdLife International Africa’s regional director, about 2 billion birds fly […]
Category: Wildlife
“Big surprise!” Birdwatchers stunned as unexpected visitors turn up at a hide in South Africa
A wildlife photography guide was shocked when a pair of cheetahs arrived at a bird hide and decided to strike a pose. “Big surprise!” says wildlife photographer Alex Brackx on Instagram. “This was the first time cheetahs were seen at this bird hide in South Africa.” Although there is a pane of glass between the cheetahs and the guests, the close-up encounter […]
9 animals that could take on (and probably kill) a saltwater crocodile: Just which creatures are able to take on one of the world’s deadliest animals?
The saltwater crocodile, also known as the estuarine crocodile or saltie, is the largest of all living reptiles. Males can exceed 6m in length and a tonne in weight and are widely touted as producing the strongest bite-force of any animal. Like other crocodilians, they dismantle their prey using a manoeuvre called the ‘death roll’, which […]
Becoming a Whooping Crane Addict The Seductive, Alluring Call of the Cranes
It’s now May and it is too, too quiet without the daily calls of the Whooping Cranes. Lamar resident and property owner John Sullivan says that it is just too quiet without them visiting his yard – a daily ritual he has grown to cherish since purchasing the property years ago. He reported the […]
‘Black Death’ buffalo shot dead after fatally goring millionaire American trophy hunter in ambush while being stalked
THE “Black Death” buffalo that gored a big game hunter to death has been shot dead. Millionaire ranch trader Asher Watkins, 52, was on Safari in Limpopo, South Africa last Sunday stalking the 3,000lb bull when he was fatally charged at. Without warning, the buffalo – considered Africa’s most dangerous animal – burst from cover […]
Species thought extinct for thousands of years ‘rediscovered’ thanks to Indigenous knowledge
On a remote peninsula in Indonesian Papua, a species long thought extinct by scientists has been confirmed to survive. The evidence did not come from a formal survey. It began with conversations with Tambrauw elders, who described a forest glider they had known for generations. Their accounts, combined with earlier photographs, led researchers to verify […]
“They can deliver an agonising bite and its venom attacks the nervous system, causing severe pain and a drop in blood pressure…”
Named after the Arizona Gila River basin, where they were first discovered, Gila (pronounced hee-lah) monsters are one of only a small number of venomous reptiles and the largest lizards in the USA. The largest lizard in the world is the komodo dragon Gila monsters have a frightening reputation, says Jo Price, especially in local folklore, […]
Once Extinct in the Wild, Bandicoot Marsupial to be Released Across Australia After Being Bred For Survival (LOOK)
In Australia, the eastern barred bandicoot was declared extinct in the wild in 1991, after the population dwindled to just 60 living at a landfill site in Victoria. But now, the marsupial has been “bred for survival” and will be released into a half dozen reintroduction sites across the country after previous attempts to reintroduce […]