COLOMBO –- Wildlife enthusiast Pathum Bandara watched Kavantissa, believed to be Sri Lanka’s tallest living tusker, moving gently through the landscape on Sept. 20 around Galgamuwa in the island’s northwestern dry zone, a well-known human-elephant conflict zone. The following day, Bandara noticed that the elephant was limping. A closer look revealed a gunshot wound on […]
66 million years ago, the dinosaurs died – but ants thrived. Scientists just figured out why
Ants are the most species-rich family among social insects, with more than 15,000 species worldwide. They originated around 140 to 168 million years ago but didn’t rise to ecological dominance until 66 million years ago, when an asteroid ended the age of dinosaurs. Scientists now know exactly what allowed ants to triumph after this mass […]
Africa’s monitored wildlife populations declined 80% since 1970, new report says
Africa’s monitored wildlife populations have declined an average of 80% since 1970, according to a new global assessment. The report also points to pockets of recovery where conservation efforts have been maintained over decades. The report on the decline in the average size of monitored populations was released Oct. 8 in the Living Planet Report […]
This eye belongs to a feline predator – can you guess which one in less than 10 seconds?
The animal kingdom is full of incredible eyes – they come in different sizes, colours and patterns, and have a vast range of functions. The colossal squid is thought to have eyes the size of a football, Arctic reindeer can see UV light and some iguanas even have a ‘third’ eye (known as a parietal […]
Scientists discover 180,000 giant tortoises on one Seychelles island
A survey of the world’s largest free-roaming giant tortoise population has discovered that the once endangered species is thriving. A population of Aldabra giant tortoises lives on an island in Seychelles called Aldabra Atoll. The most recent survey, led by Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF) and the University of Exeter, revealed there were approximately 180,000 tortoises […]
This sloth has moths living in its fur. The reason why is remarkable
British birds such as blackbirds, jays and woodpeckers will sometimes come down to the ground, fan their wings and allow ants to swarm over them, possibly squashing the ants as they do. “We think it’s to do with reducing parasite loads, because the [formic] acid from the ants does that, though people are still open-minded […]
Hunters reportedly kill hundreds of migratory birds stranded by thunderstorm in Malta
A multi-day thunderstorm over the Mediterranean Sea struck Malta, stranding hundreds of passing migratory birds on Sept. 14, 2026. Hunters in the country then shot hundreds of those birds, including protected species, shows evidence gathered by the conservation NGO Birdlife Malta. Malta sits on the Central European-Mediterranean flyway that millions of migratory birds use annually […]
Is it a bear? Is it a dog? No, it’s something in between…
Despite being known as ‘bear dogs‘, amphicyonids are neither bears nor dogs. Instead they’re a distinct family of distantly related carnivores that, for several million years, were among the largest and deadliest mammals alive. What are bear dogs? The term ‘bear dogs’ refers to a family of extinct, terrestrial mammals known as the amphicyonids, which means […]