In 2016 scientists found a parasite is able to manipulate the behaviour of its chimpanzee hosts, making them morbidly attracted to the odour of their only natural predator. Toxoplasma gondii is a tiny single-celled cat parasite that also infects a range of other mammals and birds as intermediate hosts, forming cysts in their brains and other […]
Category: Wildlife
Poop pills and gut microbes: Wildlife microbiome studies aid conservation
Human microbiome research is a blossoming field of study, shedding light on the millions of microbes living within us — microscopic species frequently vital to our health. In tandem, researchers across the globe have also been delving into the microbes living inside wildlife in hopes of developing a new conservation and rewilding tool. Early research […]
“Complete intoxication.” Lemurs in Madagascar are licking millipedes – and it’s sending them into a “trancelike state”
While many animals in the world are born poisonous (including mammals), some must resort to other techniques to deter predators. The lemur is one of these – and it’s developed an unusual technique to make it unappealing to mosquitoes, which carry the fatal threat of malaria. Madagascar has a thriving population of millipedes, which secrete toxic […]
Dolphins, stingers and ‘salt tongue’: an epic ocean swim around New Zealand’s east coast
First he hears a faint chatter coming from the ocean depths, then clicks and squeaks as the creatures draw closer. From the murky edges of his goggles they appear, swift and agile, darting within 10cm of his bare outstretched arms and following him for a time, as he swims hundreds of metres off the coast […]
“Their real super-power is their ability to shoot blood from their eyes.” The 23 weirdest, strangest animals on the planet – including the striped pyjama squid
With over 8.7 million species of animals in the world, it’s perhaps no surprise that evolution has produced some particularly peculiar-looking ones. Ugly as some of them may be, these so-called weird animals often become some of the most loved and well know (especially in the age of the internet meme – looking at you blobfish!). There will […]
By protecting tigers ‘we save so much more,’ says Debbie Banks
Tiger populations have risen in some countries, such as Bhutan, Nepal and India, but the global population of the big cat species remains critically endangered, says Debbie Banks, campaign lead for tigers and wildlife crime at the Environmental Investigation Agency. The global tiger population was recorded at roughly 5,574 in 2022, with the species having […]
Mass pilot whale stranding in Indonesia raises questions about ocean health
Villagers in central Indonesia rescued 34 short-finned pilot whales following a mass stranding on March 9, but despite their overnight efforts were unable to save 21 others. Mongabay Indonesia’s Ebed De Rosary reports that residents first discovered the pod in the shallow waters off Deranitan village, in East Nusa Tenggara province, at approximately 3:30 p.m. […]