More than 13,000 seal pups have died on an Australian territory, as testing confirmed the spread of deadly H5N1 bird flu among penguins, seals and petrels on subantarctic islands. The mass mortality of southern elephant seal pups on Heard Island, about 4,000km south-west of Perth and 1,700km north of Antarctica, was observed by government scientists […]
Tag: Genet
Once Extinct in the Wild, Bandicoot Marsupial to be Released Across Australia After Being Bred For Survival (LOOK)
In Australia, the eastern barred bandicoot was declared extinct in the wild in 1991, after the population dwindled to just 60 living at a landfill site in Victoria. But now, the marsupial has been “bred for survival” and will be released into a half dozen reintroduction sites across the country after previous attempts to reintroduce […]
“Faced with a rugby scrum of suitors, females have little choice over who to mate with.” Here’s why these weird frogs suddenly turn blue
In the world of amphibians, sexual dichromatism, where one sex appears a different colour, is an unusual phenomenon. Dichromatism can be further split into ‘ontogenetic’, where the sexes remain different colours, and ‘dynamic’, where the colour change occurs temporarily – something considered rare as hen’s teeth among anurans. Fighting this froggy trend to a spectacular […]
War on Iran disrupts efforts to save the Asiatic cheetah, world’s rarest big cat
Before the war began in February 2026, there was some rare good news for Iran‘s imperiled Asiatic cheetahs. Rangers spotted and filmed a female in the North Khorasan province accompanied by five cubs — a first. No more than four had ever been seen before, and every individual counts. The Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) is the world’s most […]
“They can stand up to 9 feet tall and weigh over a whopping 24 stone.” 11 bonkers, rule-breaking birds that can’t fly
Wings do not guarantee flight. You may think that the ability to fly might be one of the most envied and useful aspects of being a bird. However, there are numerous bird species which, through evolution, have lost their ability to fly over time. This has happened in different bird groups independently, meaning that flightlessness is a good […]
Defying drought and invasives, a feisty Australian marsupial makes a comeback
The ampurta, a blond or brown guinea pig-sized marsupial, is distinctive for its short, fat tail that becomes a black mohawk at the tip. This micro-predator, also known as the crest-tailed mulgara, was once abundant in the arid, sandy landscapes of Central Australia as well as Western Australia. But by 1994, it had been listed […]
What’s the biggest monkey in the world? Clue – it comes equipped with fearsome canine teeth that are amongst the longest of any primate
This elusive inhabitant of equatorial African rainforests is the biggest of all monkeys and arguably the most beautiful. The 30kg males – three times the weight of females – are adorned with a golden mane and striking blue and red swellings on the face and hind-quarters. The skin colour and pattern permit males to display their […]
Gene from High Altitude Yak Protected and Repaired Myelin Sheath in Early MS Study
A special gene that helps animals like the yak survive at high altitude could enable new treatments for multiple sclerosis after positive findings from a mouse model. The genetic mutation that enables yaks to live in environments with much less oxygen, and may hold the key to repairing nerve damage in conditions such as multiple […]