Scientists map the genome of Australian ‘punk’ fish that prefers to walk instead of swim

Scientists map the genome of Australian ‘punk’ fish that prefers to walk instead of swim

They’re Australia’s own underwater punks in leopard print. Spotted handfish are an endangered species of fish that prefer to “walk” instead of swim, thanks to their unusual pectoral and pelvic fins; have a fluffy dorsal fin on their head that looks almost like a mohawk; and live in the waters off south-east Tasmania. Now CSIRO […]

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Petition: Tell the International Whaling Commission to Reconsider Approving Whale Sanctuary

Petition: Tell the International Whaling Commission to Reconsider Approving Whale Sanctuary

Whale advocates’ hopes were dashed at the recent International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Lima, Peru, where a critical vote to establish a whale sanctuary was blocked. The proposed South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary would have made the South Atlantic permanently off limits to whaling, and has been considered at almost every IWC meeting since 1999. […]

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Overpass project to stop animals getting hit by cars in Yellowstone moves a step closer

Overpass project to stop animals getting hit by cars in Yellowstone moves a step closer

Two proposed wildlife overpasses in Yellowstone National Park, designed to minimize animal collisions, are moving forward after receiving funding government funding. In the works for four years already, the overpasses would provide a safe way for animals to cross over a highway near Yellowstone‘s Dome Mountain, an area of frequent animal collisions. Between 2012 and […]

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Climate change and agrochemicals pose lethal combo for Amazonian fish

Climate change and agrochemicals pose lethal combo for Amazonian fish

Among the labs of Brazil’s National Institute of Amazonian Research, or INPA, is what’s known as the “room of the future.” Here, an extreme climate change scenario is being simulated according to projections by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The temperature is around 5° Celsius (9° Fahrenheit) hotter than the average […]

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Romance, rivalry, & resilience: Jaguars clash and thrive in the Pantanal’s wild wetlands

Romance, rivalry, & resilience: Jaguars clash and thrive in the Pantanal’s wild wetlands

Third-biggest cat on Earth, muscular and low-slung, boasting one heck of a chomp, the jaguar reigns supreme atop the wild Neotropical food web. And while catching a glimpse of this burly beast across much of its forested range is no easy feat, the Pantanal –the “Kingdom of Waters,” world’s biggest freshwater tropical wetland and a […]

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