Like all lemur species, ring-tailed lemurs are endemic to Madagascar, an island off the coast of East Africa. Lemurs are the world’s most endangered group of mammals; they are even the world’s most endangered group of vertebrates. The 2020 IUCN Red List update found that 98% of lemur species are Endangered, and 31% of species are […]
Every summer, millions of people escape the heat and humidity of Tokyo by heading to the tranquil resort town of Karuizawa in Japan’s Nagano prefecture – just an hour by bullet train from the capital. Here, at the foot of Mount Asama, visitors stroll bamboo-lined pathways, cycle in verdant highlands, and practise the wellness ritual […]
With a huge reptile-like head, powerful jaws and a sleek, muscular body, the leopard seal is one of Antarctica’s most formidable apex predators. The third-largest seal species ranking behind elephant seals and walruses, these solitary hunters are capable of tackling penguins and even other seals and can swim at speeds of up to 25mph. What do leopard […]
“Under our Syilx Okanagan law, everything is sacred to us. We believe that Mother Earth is alive, all of kʷuləncutn, the creator’s creation, that it’s all alive,” Chief Dan Wilson of the Okanagan Indian Band, a Syilx Okanagan Nation, told Mongabay in a phone call. “That’s why the caribou are so important to us … […]
Coverage of wildfire usually arrives after the fact. Aerial images of black hillsides, a tally of dead animals, a recovery timeline measured in decades. The variables that produce those images are settled much earlier, long before anyone reaches for a camera. Severity and final size are largely decided in the first hour. A start found […]
These cute cephalopods that fit in the palm of your hand could kill you in minutes with a venom a thousand times stronger than cyanide, says Melissa Hobson. What are blue-ringed octopuses? Blue-ringed octopus are a genus of octopus known for their iridescent blue markings. These iconic patterns only reveal themselves when the little octopus – which are smaller than a […]
Sure, dogs bark, growl and howl. But did you know they can scream, chatter and whistle, too? The dhole or ‘whistling dog’ is a formidable and co-operative hunter that relies on these strange vocalisations to communicate with pack members across dense vegetation and bring down prey far larger than itself. With a russet coat and […]
If you’re a black-tailed deer on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington, you’re always surrounded by friends and family. You are free-range, with abundant food to forage in familiar woods and meadows. But you’re also vigilant because you’re a prey species and your ideal habitat is also home to your top predators: […]