Octopuses are known for their impressive ability to disguise themselves through camouflage and by hiding in tiny crevices but mimic octopuses are the best of the best. These ingenious cephalopods don’t just change the colour of their skin to blend into the background. By altering their colouring and patterns and throwing different shapes with their arms, they actually pretend to be […]
Tag: iucn red list
Amid conflict and poaching, tech helps boost mountain gorilla numbers
The population of the world’s last mountain gorillas has rebounded by 73% since 1989, allowing the subspecies to be reclassified from critically endangered — one step away from extinction — to endangered. But they remain imperiled, with about 1,063 left. They live in just one place: the Greater Virunga Landscape that straddles Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic […]
Giant otters, river sentinels, now listed as threatened migratory species
With evidence that the giant river otter is in an increasingly perilous state, delegates to the United Nations Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) listed it as an animal requiring urgent conservation action at its March 2026 meeting in Campo Grande, Brazil. The giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis), endemic to tropical river systems in South America, […]
Songbird trade threatens lesser-known ‘master birds’ with secondary extinctions: Study
Increasing demand for songbirds is raising the risk of “secondary extinctions” of so-called “master birds” in Southeast Asia, conservationists warn. While these birds never enter the region’s songbird singing competitions, they have unique qualities to their songs. When caged near songbirds, elements of their calls can be learned, says Vincent Nijman, lead author of research documenting their […]
Asian wild dog spotted in Vietnam for the first time in 20 years
Recent research has confirmed the first sighting of a dhole in more than two decades, a reddish-brown wild dog native to Asia. Before the sighting, the predator was believed to be extinct in Vietnam. The dhole (Cuon alpinus), historically one of the most widespread large carnivores in Asia, was seen on camera-trap footage. The single adult […]
Inbreeding adds to growing threats to Africa’s smallest wildcat, study finds
Populations of the black-footed cat, a little-known feline in Southern Africa, have been declining for the last half a million years and exhibit very high degrees of inbreeding. This could increase their risk of a disease called amyloidosis, according to a new genetic study. “Frequently genomic studies focus on large charismatic cats so that small […]
Golden Spectacled Bear (The real Paddington bear)
By: Michael Tweddle Lucky to share this natural instinct by enjoying and admiring wildlife. Life has led me to travel to such places that when I was a child taught me characters as Jacques Cousteau and TV documentaries such as the National Geographic, Transtel Cologne and BBC among others. Happy today, after thirty years taking […]
A second calendar year Eastern Imperial Eagle – Sabkhat Al Fasl
Whilst birding at Sabkhat Al Fasl in January I saw and photographed a second calendar year Eastern Imperial Eagle. The species is rarely seen at Sabkhat Al Fasl although the Greater Spotted Eagle is seen almost every visit during the winter. The Eastern Imperial Eagle is an uncommon winter visitor to Saudi Arabia with most […]