Antarctic krill are small, shrimp-like marine crustaceans (Euphausia superba). They feed on plankton and are the main food source for larger marine animals. The word “krill” comes from the Norwegian word “kril” meaning the small fry of fish. Why are they so important in Antarctica? In the Antarctic, they are the key species upon which […]
Category: Wildlife
Colony of world’s highest-flying bird under threat in Uganda
LUKU CENTRAL FOREST RESERVE, Uganda — Ornithologist Ivan Oruka stops suddenly near the foot of a cliff that’s streaked with the telltale whitewash of bird droppings. He quickly presses his binoculars to his eyes. Against the clear blue sky, on a bright September morning, at least 29 large birds circle effortlessly above on broad, dark […]
California euthanizes 4 gray wolves after ‘unprecedented’ surge in livestock kills
After being wiped out in California for nearly a century, the gray wolf has been making a comeback in the state, in a change that’s been celebrated by conservationists and wildlife lovers. But as their population has grown over the last decade, so too has the number of conflicts between wolves and ranchers. It’s a […]
Petition: Canada Must Ban Cruel and Outdated Ostrich Farming
After an avian flu outbreak at an Ostrich farm in British Columbia, the Canadian government informed the farm that it had to cull the infected ostriches – at least 400 animals in total. But it wasn’t the ostriches’ fault that humans had crammed them in farmed conditions where diseases run rampant. Canadians and Americans alike […]
Senate declines to halt plan to kill off half-million barred owls by Fish and Wildlife Service
The US Senate rejected an effort on Wednesday to halt a contentious US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) plan to kill nearly half a million barred owls in order to save their cousin, the northern spotted owl. John Kennedy, the Republican senator from Louisiana, had hoped to block the proposal by bringing the matter to […]
Is this the world’s most aggressive animal? Just the size of a fox, this badass raids beehives, steals from lions, shrugs off snake venom and never backs down…
Also known as the ratel, the honey badger is famous for its seemingly fearless and aggressive attitude to other animals, even larger predators such as lions and leopards – but does the honey badger live up to this infamy, and if so, just why is it so aggressive? What is a honey badger? The honey […]
Infectious diseases are killing deer and risking rural US economies: ‘You smell the dead everywhere’
When landowner and hunter James Barkhurst went scouting his property about a month ago to assess the local deer population ahead of the fall hunting season, he was left in shock. “I’ve seen about 14 dead in less than a mile stretch. There’s a lot of does, big bucks and even fawns. You smell the […]
Scientists say North Atlantic right whale population slowly increasing
One of the rarest whales on the planet has continued an encouraging trend of population growth in the wake of new efforts to protect the giant animals, according to scientists who study them. The North Atlantic right whale now numbers an estimated 384 animals, up eight whales from the previous year, according to a report […]