Four species of iguanas from the Galápagos Islands have received the highest protection against international commercial trade at the ongoing summit of CITES, the global wildlife trade convention, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The Galápagos land iguana (Conolophus subcristatus), Galápagos pink land iguana (C. marthae), Barrington land iguana (C. pallidus) and marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) are found […]
This extremely rare starlit frog may be slipping into extinction – are wildlife photographers to blame?
A series of photography trips has left one of the world’s most visually spectacular frogs in peril. The rare galaxy frog (Melanobatrachus indicus), named because it looks like the cosmos on legs, is disappearing from India’s Western Ghats, with unregulated photography trips being named as the key culprit. Researchers have reported that several of the […]
Garden ponds provide vital habitats – and a revival is under way in Britain
Afew years ago I created a little pond in my back garden. It’s barely bigger than a paving slab, but since the pond has been in place we have had a garden teeming with frogs, hedgehogs have taken up residence and bird life has abounded. Not only do humble ponds like this give nature a […]
Greek tragedy: the rare seals hiding in caves to escape tourists
Deep in a sea cave in Greece’s northern Sporades, a bulky shape moves in the gloom. Someone on the boat bobbing at a distance offshore passes round a pair of binoculars and yes! – there it is. It’s a huge Mediterranean monk seal, one of the world’s rarest marine mammals , which at up to […]
Artificial incubation gives Colombia’s threatened Andean condor a new lifeline
In an isolated backroom of a nature reserve near Bogotá, Colombia’s capital, Wayra, a recently hatched condor chick, is a symbol of hope for Fernando Castro, a wildlife specialist. Castro, 33, says he sees in the small fluff of gray down the future of the Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) in Colombia. Wayra is the latest […]
Orcas team up with dolphins to hunt salmon, study finds
Orcas and dolphins have been spotted for the first time working as a team to hunt salmon off the coast of British Columbia, according to a new study which suggests a cooperative relationship between the two predators. The research, published on Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports, shows interactions between northern resident orcas (also known […]
Wild Pigs Found With Stained Blue Meat From Poisoning
A shocking discovery in California has revealed wild pigs with neon blue flesh, a sign they ingested rodent poison that raises serious risks for wildlife and human health. According to reporting by ScienceAlert, tests by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed the presence of the anticoagulant rodenticide Diphacinone in several feral pigs and […]
People Are Using TikTok to Sell Endangered Animals to Eat
Critically endangered animals are being advertised for sale as bushmeat on TikTok, a new study finds. The work, published recently in Nature Conservation, underscores the growing role social media plays in the global illegal wildlife trade. Bushmeat—meat sourced from wild animals—is commonly eaten in many African and some Asian countries. Though some people hunt for […]