If you’re a cyclist, you’re not imagining it – the magpies really are after you. Statistics for the Australian magpies’ 2025 breeding season show almost two in three swooping attacks are on cyclists. And the best thing to do? Slow down. Get off the bike and walk, even. Step away from the nest, if you […]
Is there such a thing as a ‘problem shark’? Plan to catch repeat biters divides scientists
First was the French tourist, killed while swimming off Saint-Martin in December 2020. The manager of a nearby water sports club raced out in a dinghy to help, only to find her lifeless body floating face down, a gaping wound where part of her right thigh should have been. Then, a month later, another victim. […]
Wolves’ continued spread in California brings joy, controversy & conflicts
With its enchanting eyes, powerful jaws, acute senses and haunting howls, the gray wolf (Canis lupus) — the largest member of the dog family — is a wilderness icon. Once the most widespread mammal on the planet, gray wolves roamed across large swaths of North America, Europe and Asia. However, as human settlements grew, these […]
Solitary, yes. Shy? Hardly, albatrosses trail after trawlers and dance for their partners
In March, as Cyclone Alfred roared towards the south-east Queensland coast, the bayside suburbs of Brisbane were treated to a rare cold-water visitor. A shy albatross was spotted offshore, opposite a fishmonger in Sandgate. A couple of days later, what was likely to be the same bird flopped into a front yard of nearby Banyo, […]
SC man punished for trafficking sperm whale parts, prosecutor says
A South Carolina man was punished for trafficking sperm whale parts, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Tuesday in a news release. From September 2021 to September 2024, 69-year-old St. Helena resident Lauren DeLoach violated the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Lacey Act, according to the release. DeLoach illegally imported, sold and possessed sperm whale […]
Birth of UK’s Only Bonobo Baby Gives Fresh Hope for World’s Most Endangered Ape
Conservationists and zookeepers are celebrating our closest living relative giving birth to a healthy baby. Heart-tugging photos show the bonobo mother Yuli cradling her tiny newborn after it was born at Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire last Thursday. Experts have hailed the birth as a ‘globally significant’ moment which could help save one of the world’s […]
Results of the Best Photo of the Month September 2025
We are delighted to announce the results of our latest photo competition. Kdhadden67 wins First Prize with his outstanding image ‘Welcome Autumn. Glenn Bartley wins Second Prize with his inspirational image ‘Crossing Swords – Black-browed Albatross‘. Third Prize goes to Alan Murphy with ‘Barn Owl‘. Please give kudos to the photographers by leaving comments at […]
‘Involved sequentially’: leopard sharks observed mating for first time in wild have threesome
A trio of leopard sharks in New Caledonia has made marine science history after they were recorded mating in a “threesome”. It is the first time the globally endangered species has been documented in a mating sequence, providing valuable knowledge to aid conservation efforts. Dr Hugo Lassauce, a researcher at the University of the Sunshine […]