There’s no conservation motive or benefit behind the Uzbekistan government’s recent releases of more than 2,000 captive-bred Asian houbara bustards across its desert regions, according to an expert on the threatened species. The government has touted the releases over the past three months as a wildlife restoration effort, but Nigel Collar, a conservation biologist at […]
It sings like a whale, climbs like a cat and was once thought extinct… meet one of the world’s strangest dogs
The New Guinea singing dog is one of the world’s most enigmatic and elusive canids, roaming the cloud forests of this tropical island at altitudes approaching 5,000m. Long thought to have vanished from the wild, it was rediscovered in 2016, but is mainly known from captive populations. Is New Guinea singing dog a domestic, feral or […]
Jackie, a beloved bald eagle and livestream star, dies of mysterious illness
Jackie – the beloved bald eagle at California’s Big Bear Lake whose livestream was followed by millions of viewers as she birthed and raised chicks – died on Monday due to a mysterious illness. She was 14. Jackie had been receiving treatment at the Ojai Raptor Center since mid-July when she was found weak and […]
It has relatively huge hinged fangs and can strike with astonishing speed, delivering a potentially dangerous dose of venom…
Rather than fleeing when danger approaches, this heavyweight and highly venomous viper often stays perfectly still, relying on its patterned skin to blend into its surroundings. Slow and normally sluggish until it has been disturbed, then its demeanour changes dramatically. Puff adders inflate their bodies and unleashes a loud warning hiss and, if necessary, can strike with astonishing […]
Brazil’s wildcats face multiple diseases due to habitat fragmentation
Every day, millions of Brazilians recall how rich the country’s feline biodiversity is when they reach into their wallets: Since entering circulation in 2010, the ‘50 real’ notes have carried a printed drawing of a jaguar (Panthera onca), the largest feline in the Americas. In Brazil, one can even trace the animal that inspired the design of […]
“It can carry Ebola, a nasty virus that causes bleeding from every orifice and is usually fatal.” Meet the world’s 7 deadliest bats, famous for carrying lethal diseases
Bats play a vital role in ecosystems, from agricultural land to tropical rainforests, scooping up mosquitoes and beetles, pollinating plants and dispersing seeds. But these diminutive mammals are also long-term hosts for serious viruses, including Ebola, a ferocious disease that drains its victims of bodily fluids, rabies, a disease that affects the nervous system, and, most […]
Too smart to eat? Why octopus farms are such a slippery problem
In 2022 Nueva Pescanova, Spain’s largest fisheries business, announced it was investing €65m (£56m) in the world’s first industrial octopus farm and processing plant near the Canary Islands’ port of Las Palmas. Despite the creatures being notoriously difficult to farm, the company predicted that by 2025 it would be producing 3,000 tonnes of octopus a year on […]
“Its compelling exteriors hide a vicious secret. Its venom’s so powerful it can kill a human in 5 minutes.” World’s 10 most beautiful lethal killers
Some of the most ferocious predators in the world are also some of its most attractive animals – a marriage of stunning looks and lethal power, says Sheena Harvey. !0 most beautiful killers in the world Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) Nothing sums up majestic beauty and dangerous killer more than the Bengal tiger. Our spirits […]