Plunge-diving gannets hit the water at speeds of up to 86kph – fast enough to do some serious damage if they were a human diver. The bird’s long, slender neck may look like it would buckle on impact, but the muscles are arranged to lock the vertebrae in place before entry. To the extent that […]
Three-metre giant oarfish, ‘palace messenger’ of doom, washes up on Tasmanian beach
It was a beautiful warm day in north-west Tasmania when a fish with a reputation as a harbinger of doom washed ashore. Tony Cheesman, who lives in the seaside town of Penguin, was walking his two dogs, Ronan and Custard, along the beach at Preservation Bay on Friday morning when something silvery and surrounded by […]
First state-authorized killings mark escalation in California’s management of wolves
This is the third part of Mongabay’s series on the expanding wolf population in California. Read the first and the second parts. In late October, wildlife authorities in the U.S. state of California announced they captured and euthanized three adult gray wolves and shot a juvenile dead, all from the Beyem Seyo pack in the […]
How Indonesian communities rescued the Bali starling from the brink of extinction
One of the world’s rarest birds has rebounded from near extinction after Indigenous communities on the Indonesian island of Bali committed to protect it under traditional laws, Mongabay contributor Heather Physioc reported. The Bali starling (Leucopsar rothschildi) is a songbird with striking white plumage and a cobalt-blue face. In 2001, just six birds were known […]
It’s called a wader but doesn’t wade – and doesn’t like to fly either. Discover the bird that’s regarded as something of an oddity
The woodcock is surprising in many ways, not least because of its association with woodland habitats, largely nocturnal behaviour and strange display-flight. Related to the snipes, the woodcock has evolved to take advantage of the small invertebrates found under woodland leaf litter and in damp soil. This ground-loving species flies only sparingly, except when on […]
These rare whales had never been seen alive. Then a team in Mexico sighted two
It was an early morning in June 2024 and along the coast of Baja California in Mexico, scientists on the Pacific Storm research vessel were finishing their coffee and preparing for a long day searching for some of the most elusive creatures on the planet. Suddenly a call came from the bridge: “Whales! Starboard side!” […]
10 fastest swimmers in the ocean, including one animal that can accelerate to nearly 80MPH quicker than a Porsche
Some species in the ocean live their lives at a breakneck pace – at least, when they need to. Whether it’s to catch their dinner or avoid becoming dinner, many animals can swim incredibly quickly. But which are the fastest? Of course, it’s almost impossible to know exactly how fast a fish can swim, as […]
Petition: Protect Spain’s White Lynx Now
In southern Spain, a photographer captured something extraordinary: a white Iberian lynx, never before seen in the wild. Nicknamed “the white ghost of the Mediterranean forest,” this lynx, named Satureja, is now the focus of international attention and scientific curiosity. But her appearance is also raising alarms about the future of her species and their […]