The biggest claw on Earth is an enormous 20cm long and shaped like a scythe. What it’s used for may surprise you
It is generally known that animals such as bears, tigers and sloths have exceptionally long claws. But the creature that holds the world record might surprise you. While two-toed and three-toed sloths have claws that grow between 7–10cm long, they aren’t the longest claws you’ll find in the animal kingdom. Grizzly bears and Siberian tigers generally have claws that are […]
On the brink of extinction, the Javan green magpie gets a conservation lifeline
Teetering on the brink of extinction, Indonesia’s Javan green magpie may have a conservation lifeline after national and international conservation NGOs launched an action plan to preserve it in the wild. Javan green magpies (Cissa thalassina) are endemic to the upland forests of West Java province, but have been assessed as critically endangered, with as few as […]
It has a cloak, huge eyes and bright blue snot – AND that’s only the beginning…
Strange things lurk in the planet’s deepest, darkest corners. And it doesn’t get much deeper and darker than the bottom of the ocean, or stranger than Vampyroteuthis infernalis – the ‘vampire squid from hell’. As such it is one of the world’s weirdest sea creatures What is a vampire squid? Despite its name – inspired by its dark […]
Crackdown on snares in Sumatra as elephant, sun bear and tiger rescued
PADANG, Indonesia — Authorities in a stronghold for Sumatran tigers have warned the public against using snares to trap wild boar following the dramatic rescue of an 11-month old female tiger cub last month. While it is not illegal to set a snare for the purpose of trapping wild boar or animals that are not […]
“Banishment is basically a death sentence in the Kalahari. It follows a barrage of physical abuse.” Meet the world’s most murderous mammal…
If I asked you to name the world’s most murderous mammal, your answer might be the human male, or perhaps a warring alpha chimpanzee, or even a territorial bull elephant seal. The truth is far more feminine – and cute. The meerkat was unmasked in a scientific study as the most homicidal of over 1,000 mammals. One-in-five […]
Seizures reveal macabre grey parrot blood trade in Cameroon
The blood of African grey parrots is emerging as a new, macabre illegal wildlife product traded in Cameroon, analysts from TRAFFIC, a nonprofit that monitors wildlife trafficking, reported. This grim trade in grey parrots, an endangered species long coveted by exotic bird collectors, first came to light in 2025, when forest officials patrolling Cameroon’s Lobéké National Park caught trappers […]
Australia’s earless dragon is so rare it was thought extinct, until two ecologists got an unexpected surprise…
Deep within the grasslands west of Melbourne, Australia, a population of Victorian grassland earless dragons has been quietly living and reproducing out of sight of humans. So out of sight, that there hasn’t been a verifiable record since 1969 despite several targeted searches, and many feared that the species was extinct. However, in January 2023, […]
A little bird told her: scientist wins $100,000 prize for decoding birdsong
A scientist who decoded the vocalisations that a bird uses to communicate has won a $100,000 prize for making progress towards a world in which humans can talk to the animals – without being met with a blank response. Dr Julie Elie at the University of California, Berkeley, was awarded the 2026 Coller-Dolittle prize for […]
“Just sat there on deck.” Researchers weren’t expecting to see this onboard when they came back from their dive
Researchers studying kelp forests around the Shetland Islands were greeted by a surprise visitor that had snuck onboard their boat. “We walked out onto the deck of the boat and, to our surprise, there was a sea otter just sat on the deck,” says Dr Dan Smale, senior research fellow at the Marine Biological Association, which shared the […]