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Stories about: biodiversity


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Dinosaurs Hit by Major Cold Snap Some 116 Million Years Ago

Dinosaurs living in the Cretaceous period were used to feeling warm and toasty. Little did they now that they were about to be hit by a major cold snap that lasted for about 2.5 million years. A paper recently published in the journal Nature Geoscience details how, smack in the middle of the Cretaceous period, glob...

17 June 2013
07:13 GMT

Fish on Prozac, Zoloft Turn Celibate, Display Aggressive Behaviors

A series of experiments has shown that, when exposed to Zoloft and Prozac, male fathead minnows undergo noteworthy behavioral changes. More precisely, the fish seem to lose their interest in looking for a mate. What's more, they behave aggressively, meaning that they attack and sometimes even kill others of th...

15 June 2013
16:41 GMT

$56,000 (€42,068) Reward Promised to Whomever Helps Catch Conservationist's Murderer

A $56,000 (€42,068) reward awaits the person who can help police officers in Costa Rica figure out who is responsible for the death of 26-year-old Jairo Mora Sandoval. As reported, the 26-year-old conservationist was brutally murdered after being kidnapped while he was walking the beaches in Costa Rica, lookin...

13 June 2013
15:41 GMT

15 New Bird Species Discovered in the Amazon

15 new bird species have been documented by wildlife researchers exploring the Brazilian Amazon. On average, just 7 new bird species are found and described each year. Because of this, the discovery of these 15 previously undocumented creatures is regarded as a major achievement. “Discovering new species &#...

13 June 2013
14:51 GMT

World's Rarest Marine Mammal Gets Protection from the Government of Mexico

The government of Mexico has recently decided to step up the republic's efforts to safeguard local biodiversity. Thus, high officials have announced plans to implement a series of measures aimed at protecting vaquitas living in the Gulf of California. Recent headcounts indicate that less than 200 vaquitas are ...

10 June 2013
16:21 GMT

World Oceans Day Celebrated This June 8

This June 8 marks World Oceans Day. This celebration has been around since 2009, and greenheads see it as the perfect opportunity to raise awareness about how important it is that we look after our oceans. “On June 8, 2013, communities around the globe will celebrate World Oceans Day as an opportunity to lear...

8 June 2013
03:18 GMT

Newborn Okapi Makes First Public Appearance at Bristol Zoo

This past Thursday, a newborn okapi named K'tusha made its first public appearance at Bristol Zoo. The baby okapi walked around its enclosure for a while, and its overprotective mother kept a close eye on it at all times. Okapis are also known as African unicorns, wildlife researchers explain. What makes peo...

7 June 2013
04:27 GMT

Poop Analysis Helps Researchers Better Monitor the World's Kangaroo Populations

A team of University of Adelaide researchers have figured out a way to extract DNA from kangaroo poop. They say that this will make it easier for conservationists to monitor these animals and determine how climate change and global warming are affecting them. The specialists who developed this innovative DNA test m...

6 June 2013
15:51 GMT

Headcount for Monitor Lizards Keeps Dropping as the Years Go By

The world's monitor lizard population is steadily dropping, argues a paper recently published in the journal Herpetological Conservation and Biology. By the looks of it, these reptiles are often sold as pets. What's more, they are killed and stripped of their skin, which is used to manufacture handbags an...

5 June 2013
15:51 GMT

“Chewbacca” Bat Spotted During Expedition in Mozambique

Between April 15 and May 15, 15 scientists went on an expedition in Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique. Their goal was to determine how this protected area was recovering after being damaged during the country's 17-year-long civil war. As it turns out, biodiversity in this part of the world is doing better ...

5 June 2013
15:31 GMT

101 New Beetle Species Discovered in New Guinea

A whopping 101 new beetle species are described in a single paper recently published in the journal ZooKeys. These new species were all discovered in New Guinea and entomologists say that they all belong to the same genus, Trigonopterus. Mongabay informs us that, although these beetles might strike ordinary folks...

4 June 2013
16:41 GMT

Giant Fluorescent Pink Slugs Discovered in Australia

I'm not a big fan of hiking, but I have to admit that I would not hesitate to grab my backpack and journey all the way to the top of Mount Kaputar in Australia just to snap one or two pictures of these slugs in their natural habitats. The species was recently discovered in this part of the world, and wildlife ...

30 May 2013
03:21 GMT

Watch: 8 Quirky Animals and Their Amazing Defense Mechanisms

When it comes to staying alive, there are only two options: fight or flight. When you put it like that, it all sounds a bit boring. The good news is that, as the video above clearly proves, some choose to fight or run for their lives in pretty amazing ways. The video introduces us to eight rather quirky animals a...

29 May 2013
15:01 GMT

Antarctic Polar Icecap Found to Be 33.6 Million Years Old

The Antarctic polar icecap is a whopping 33.6 million years old, a study recently published in the journal Science says. Using carbon-dating technologies, scientists with the University of Granada and the Spanish National Research Council have found that this icecap formed during the Oligocene. They say that, bef...

29 May 2013
04:22 GMT

Two New Miniature Spider Species Discovered in China

A recent study published in the journal ZooKeys documents the discovery of two new miniature spider species in China. The creatures were found in the country's southern region and evidence suggests that they only inhabit mountainous areas. Thus, Trogloneta yuensis is said to call the Jinyun Mountain in Chong...

25 May 2013
16:21 GMT

Scientists Release Top 10 New Species List

This May 23, researchers at the International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University decided to entertain the crowds by releasing 2013's top 10 new species list. The species that made it on this list were all discovered in 2012, and there is little denying that they owe their popularity ...

23 May 2013
16:31 GMT

Watch: All You Need to Know About the Freakishly Ugly Aye-Aye

I first got the chance to write about the aye-aye back in 2012, when I introduced you to five animal species which are freakishly ugly and also endangered. The time has now come to find out more about this weird animal and its even weirder ways. Check out the video above to learn awesome details concerning the ay...

23 May 2013
16:01 GMT

Fishing Gear Causes Whales to Die a Slow, Horrific Death

Pretty much everybody knows that fishing gear kills whales. Still, not many are all that familiar with how it is exactly that fishing lines impact on these marine mammals' lives, ultimately causing them to die. On May 21, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution published a study documenting how a whale's...

22 May 2013
09:17 GMT

Deforestation Rates in the Brazilian Amazon Up by 88% Compared to Last Year

Data shared with the public by Brazilian forest monitoring agency IMAZON shows how, when compared to last year's figures, deforestation rates in the Brazilian Amazon have increased by as much as 88%. Thus, these greenheads maintain that, according to their investigations and official reports, roughly 606 squar...

21 May 2013
16:01 GMT

Rare Crane Egg Gets Round-the-Clock Protection

Remember that piece of news about how cranes are now once again nesting in South England after their being declared extinct in this region back in the 1600s? Well, it appears that an egg laid by these birds is now quite the local celebrity. And by this I mean that conservationists are so enthusiastic about its arriv...

21 May 2013
04:55 GMT

Picture of the Day: Sea Butterfly Caught on Camera by Research Zoologist

The stunning creature pictured above is commonly referred to as a sea butterfly. However, wildlife researchers explain that, rather than having a lot of things in common with butterflies, such creatures are in fact closely related to snails. While the latter move about their environment by creeping along the ground...

20 May 2013
16:21 GMT

Endangered Amur Tigers and Leopards Might Yet Have a Chance at Survival

As reported on several occasions, efforts to save big cats from extinction need necessarily go hand in hand with efforts to up the population of their prey. In other words: conservationists would do best to make sure that the cats they are trying to rescue from extinction have what to eat. Because of this, the ne...

18 May 2013
15:11 GMT

Jaguar Population in the Peruvian Amazon Is Unusually High

The jaguars living in Mexico, Central America, Brazil, Argentina and several other regions are not exactly having the time of their life, meaning that their overall headcount has been steadily declining over the years. However, news from the Peruvian Amazon says that the jaguars inhabiting these lands are pretty mu...

17 May 2013
16:51 GMT

Newly Discovered Pit-Viper Species Is Already Critically Endangered

A study published in the journal ZooKeys documents the discovery of a new pit-viper species. Sadly, these newly discovered reptiles are already critically endangered. Sources are saying that this new species of pit-viper is currently inhabiting the cloud forest of Honduras. More precisely, it can be found in the Te...

15 May 2013
16:51 GMT

Earthworms Protect Plants Against Hungry Slugs

Despite their living in the soil and not above ground, earthworms help protect plants against slugs, a team of University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna researchers now say. These specialists also maintain that, when wishing to protect various natural ecosystems against said pest, it is best to incre...

13 May 2013
05:31 GMT

Widespread Loss of Common Plants and Animals Will Occur This Century

A team of researchers writing in May 12's issue of the scientific journal Nature Climate Change detail how climate change and global warming will impact on global biodiversity by the end of this century. These specialists warn that, as far as they can tell, the environmental and weather changes set to take pla...

13 May 2013
05:08 GMT

Seagulls Might Be Killing Hundreds of Whales in Patagonia

As of recently, right whales inhabiting the waters off the Argentine coastline have experienced a steady decline in their population. Conservationists now say that, as surprising as this may sound, seagulls might be the ones to blame for the fact that ever fewer right whales are left to live in these waters. Seve...

9 May 2013
02:34 GMT

Hundreds of Plants, Animals to Be Affected by Decline in Snow Cover

Plants and animals inhabiting the Northern Hemisphere are about to hit some very rough patches, all because of climate change-induced decline in the local snow cover. A team of UW-Madison researchers writing in a recent issue of the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment explain that several of the plant ...

8 May 2013
14:41 GMT

Watch: Facts About the Tapir That Everybody Must Know

The video above made it online a few days ago, and it has already proven to be quite successful amongst wildlife enthusiasts. The people who pieced it together only wished to point out that, though many recognize them when coming across them in various documentaries, few know the most basic facts about tapirs. We...

7 May 2013
15:31 GMT

Invasive Feral Pigs in the Brazilian Pantanal Help Safeguard Local Wildlife

More often than not, invasive species turn out to be a hassle, which is why wildlife specialists do their best to monitor them and keep their population well under control. As previously reported, feral pigs are listed amongst some of the most dangerous invasive species. However, news from the Brazilian Pantanal ...

7 May 2013
14:31 GMT

Bird Reserve Now Home to Three Fox Cubs

The Saltholme Wildlife Reserve and Discovery Park near Middlesbrough, Teesside, is now home to three fox cubs born here just a few days ago. Given the fact that said reserve accommodates several bird species, there is little denying that the cubs will be eating such feathered creatures for breakfast, lunch and dinn...

3 May 2013
16:41 GMT

World's Rarest Duck Now Making a Comeback in Madagascar

The world's rarest duck is now said to be making a comeback in Madagascar. Apparently, it was back in 1991 when conservationists were quite convinced that the Madagascar pochard had completely fallen off the biodiversity map. However, thanks to 22 individuals found inhabiting Lake Matsaborimena, conservationis...

2 May 2013
03:50 GMT

New Species of Giant Mole Rat Discovered in Africa

A study recently published in Zootaxa details the discovery of a new species of giant mole rat. The researchers who stumbled upon this new species explain that, according to their investigations, these mole rats currently inhabit parts of Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola. Mongabay reports that ...

1 May 2013
02:17 GMT

Picture of the Day: American Bald Eagles Fight over Dead Carp

Few can deny the fact that American Bald Eagles are amazing birds, especially when they decide to show off their skills by fighting over a piece of dead carp. The picture above was recently snapped near Salt Lake City by wildlife photographer Rob Palmer, who later said that both birds were equally committed to maki...

29 April 2013
16:31 GMT

Basking Shark Washes Ashore in Rhode Island

This past weekend, folks living in Rhode Island got the chance to come fairly close to a basking shark that had washed ashore on Misquamicut Beach. Sources say that the animal was first spotted on Sunday, and that it had most likely passed away some time before beaching. Witnesses maintain that, as far as they co...

29 April 2013
15:01 GMT

Hundreds Visit Penguin Exhibit That Houses Absolutely No Penguins

This past weekend, about 2,000 people paid the Kansas City Zoo a visit and (more or less) patiently waited in line just so that they might visit the facility's penguin exhibit. Oddly enough, said exhibit is presently home to absolutely no penguins. Thus, sources say that the animals are presently being kept ...

29 April 2013
08:22 GMT

Chlamydia Outbreak Threatens the Survival of Koalas in Australia

Australia's koalas must now figure out a way to deal with a major threat to their long-term survival: a chlamydia outbreak which affects females, males and even offspring. Local conservationists are quite worried about how this outbreak will affect the species, more so given the fact that koalas are already de...

26 April 2013
04:00 GMT

Watch: Lonely Dodo Is the Last of Its Kind, Goes Looking for New Friends

This short animation was created by Academy award-winning studio Aardman, whose members wished to lend a helping hand to the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and their ongoing conservation campaigns. The people who pieced together this video explain that the dodo bird is considered by many to be a symbol of exti...

25 April 2013
02:25 GMT

Measles Outbreak Kills over 100 Dolphins in Italy

Since the beginning of 2013 and until present day, the carcasses of over 100 dolphins have showed up on the Italian western coastline. Most of these carcasses were discovered by the local population and by wildlife experts on beaches from Tuscany to Sicily. Following their investigating these carcasses, wildlife ...

23 April 2013
04:52 GMT

Bison Roam Germany for the First Time in over 300 Years

Germany can now take pride in having become the first country in western Europe to once again have bison roaming its lands. Thus, a small herd was recently released by conservationists in the area of the Rothaar Mountains. These bison are the first to inhabit Germany's wilderness in well over 300 years. As t...

19 April 2013
02:49 GMT

Endangered Huemul Deer Make a Comeback in Patagonian “Eden”

Huemul deer only live in the Latin American region of Patagonia, which is why conservationists were worried in the extreme when discovering that, because of hunting and the destruction of their natural habitats, these animals came fairly close to extinction. Still, it appears that conservation efforts meant to keep...

17 April 2013
16:31 GMT

Two New Moth Species Are Discovered in Russia

Russia was recently discovered to be the home of two moth species previously unknown to science. Anatomical particularities aside, what makes these insects interesting (and quite fun, I might add) to look at is the fact that, as shown in the picture above, they push their hind section up into the air whenever they ...

17 April 2013
07:37 GMT

Picture of the Day: Meerkat Pups Line Up for Group Photo

The four meerkat pups pictured above were born about two weeks ago at Richmond's Zoodoo Wildlife Park. Despite their still being too young to keep their eyes open, the baby meerkats seem more than willing to line up for a group picture. In all fairness, they probably did not really have a say in the matter, s...

17 April 2013
03:49 GMT

New Species of Forcepfly Discovered in Brazil

Wildlife researchers working in Brazil have recently stumbled upon a new species of forecepfly. The species, pictured above, belongs to the Meropeida family, which has now come to encompass three members. The other two forcepflies belonging to the Meropeida family can be found in Australia and North America, respec...

15 April 2013
10:47 GMT

Previously Undocumented Orangutan Population Discovered in Borneo

There are several subspecies of orangutans currently inhabiting the island of Borneo, yet the Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus is listed as the most severely threatened of the group. This is because, according to recent estimations, only 3,000 – 4,500 such apes are currently left to call these forests their home. Th...

11 April 2013
16:51 GMT

Newly Discovered Porcupine Species Is Already Critically Endangered

The adorable little fellow pictured above is a proud representative of a newly discovered species of tree-dwelling porcupines. A report published in the scientific journal Zootaxa a few days back says that this new species of porcupine is currently inhabiting Brazil's Northeastern Atlantic Forest. Wildlife r...

11 April 2013
05:27 GMT

Bizarre Bat That Looks Like a Panda Discovered in South Sudan

Wildlife researchers recently came across a bat which, as it is easily noticeable in the picture above, looks fairly similar to a panda bear. Due to its unique anatomy, this so-called panda bat is expected to be placed in an entirely new genus by the specialists who documented its existence. Sources say that the ...

10 April 2013
07:24 GMT

Hermit Crab Species Discovered Alive for the First Time Ever

The three hermit crabs featured in the picture above may not look like much to your average Joe and Jane, but the fact remains that, as far as wildlife researchers are concerned, these colorful creatures can and should be labeled as VIPs. This is because these hermit crabs are the first of their kind to have ever b...

9 April 2013
16:31 GMT

Less than 100 Sumatran Rhinos Believed to Be Alive in the World Today

Reports recently issued by conservationists say that, all things considered, it is quite likely that less than 100 wild Sumatran rhinos are currently left in their natural habitats on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. Therefore, national and international conservation projects meant to save this species from becom...

8 April 2013
16:41 GMT


More: next 50 >>

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