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 […]
Elephant populations in southern Africa serve as a living barometer for the health and sustainability of wildlife tourism. Their movements, behaviors, and distribution patterns reflect the pressures and opportunities that come with increased visitor interest in wild spaces. Observing how these animals respond to tourism activity provides insight into what travelers, destinations, and conservation programs […]
A council in the Republic of Ireland is seeking information following the “callous” beheading of a stag. Fingal County Council has issued an appeal for information after the headless body of the stag, that was part of a herd at Newbridge Demesne, Donabate in County Dublin, was found by staff on Thursday. The stag’s head […]
Nature isn’t just red in tooth and claw – sometimes it’s downright bizarre. Across the animal kingdom, evolution has equipped creatures with an astonishing armoury of unconventional, often outrageous defence strategies. Some wrap themselves in mucus sleeping bags, others weaponise their own skeletons or bodily fluids – and a few simply out-slime anything that dares […]
A striking new species of wolf snake has been uncovered in the forests of Great Nicobar, the southernmost of the Nicobar Islands – an archipelago found off the northern tip of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. The glossy black snake reaches about a metre in length and is harmless to humans. It feeds on reptiles, […]
An “exceptionally rare” pink grasshopper has been spotted basking in the sun alongside a river in New Zealand’s South Island. A group of department of conservation researchers were conducting their annual grasshopper survey near Lake Tekapo in the MacKenzie basin when they came across the dark pink female critter. The species – the robust grasshopper […]
It’s the sort of mystery that leaves ecologists hungry for answers: A submerged crab trap inexplicably hauled out of the depths, ripped open and the bait trap emptied – a few teeth marks the only clue that some sort of predator may be to blame. It took almost a year and a set of remote […]
The elegant hen harrier is perhaps the most iconic bird of prey in the uplands of northern England, but it is also one of the most endangered bird of prey in Britain. These large raptors wheel and soar above the moorland and, in late spring, perform a spectacular ‘sky dance’, exchanging tokens of their affection […]