For the second year in a row, Massachusetts beaches have recorded more nesting Piping Plovers than anytime in the last four decades — 1,196 nesting pairs, a 1.5 percent increase over 2023 and a 500 percent jump since the program began, according to preliminary data gathered by MassWildlife’s Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program and […]
Florida’s manatees are actually relative newcomers, historical research suggests
Manatees, long considered among Florida‘s most beloved and enchanting inhabitants, are not native at all, and only came to the Sunshine state for warm temperatures and clear blue waters like any other visitor, researchers have found. The surprise revelation by scientists at the University of South Florida (USF) and George Washington University (GWU) upends decades […]
Grieving Killer Whale Who Lost Her Calf in 2018 Has Again Lost a Newborn Female
In devastating news for the Pacific Northwest population of southern resident killer whales (SRKW), Tahlequah, a 25-year-old member of the group, has lost another newborn female calf. The mother made headlines seven years ago when she swam with her deceased calf for 17 days around the Salish Sea in an act of grieving. She has […]
Sweden’s wolf hunt starts, aims to halve population
Sweden has started its 2025 wolf hunt, with an aim to kill 30 wolves between Jan. 2 and Feb. 15. By the end of Jan. 2, hunters had shot 10 wolves (Canis lupus), according to Sweden Herald. Most recent estimates put wolf numbers in Sweden at roughly 375 by late 2023, a decline of nearly […]
Leopards Each Have Their Own Unique Roar, Study Finds
Each leopard can be identified by their own unique roar, the first large-scale study of its kind has found. Using a combination of camera traps and recordings, the research team was able to identify the vocalizations of individual leopards with 93.1 percent accuracy, a press release from University of Exeter said. “Discovering that leopards have […]
Australia’s flying foxes are ‘curious, gentle and intelligent’ – and often misunderstood
One of the most spectacular sights at Adelaide’s Womadelaide music festival is not on the official lineup. As dusk approaches, thousands of grey-headed flying foxes begin chattering and stretching their wings as they prepare to ascend from their roosts in Botanic Park and set out in search of food. “It’s an amazing sight,” says associate […]
Young Boy Found Alive After Spending 5 Days Surrounded by Lions and Elephants in Game Park
A missing boy has been found alive after spending nearly a week alone in a northern Zimbabwe game park filled with lions, elephants and other wild animals, local officials said. On Wednesday, Jan. 1, Mutsa Murombedzi, a member of Zimbabwe’s parliament, shared news of the “true miracle” on social media. “A boy missing & found […]
Scientists in Bali find what could be the world’s largest coral colony
When a massive coral colony was recently discovered in the Solomon Islands, it was believed to be the largest in the world. Then last week, scientists found an even bigger one in the waters off the Indonesian island of Bali. Coral restoration nonprofit Ocean Gardener announced that Indonesian marine biologists had measured a Galaxea astreata […]