Ornithologists and conservationists hope a year-long hunting ban on turtle doves in Spain will help slow the dramatic UK decline of the species. The birds, with their distinctive ‘purring’ call and striking mottled wings, have become a rarity on British shores over the past half century, the population falling around 95 per cent from aContinue reading “Weekly round-up: June 27”
Rewilding is an often controversial topic among British farmers, landowners and conservationists, but while the debate continues, Eurasian jays, thrushes, mice and squirrels have been busy regenerating woodland themselves. A study of two abandoned fields in Cambridgeshire revealed rapid growth of woodland over 24 and 59 years, with the presence of seed-caching and berry-eating speciesContinue reading “Weekly round-up: June 20”
Ever considered the mechanics of eating underwater? Most fish rely on suction to hoover up prey, but a wonder of evolution presented the moray eel with a second set of jaws to grab and swallow its meals – which one species has just been found to do on land. Rita Mehta, associate professor of ecologyContinue reading “Weekly round-up: June 13”
Seven Tasmanian devil joeys have been born on mainland Australia, the first such birth in more than 3,000 years. The newborns are part of a project between Re:Wild (formerly Global Wildlife Conservation) and Aussie Ark to re-establish the animals, starting with the introduction of 26 adults into a 400-hectare wild sanctuary last year. “We haveContinue reading “Weekly round-up: May 30”
Swifts are even more swift than scientists thought, with new tracking technology showing the migrating birds cover an average of 570 kilometres (354 miles) per day, 70 kilometres more than previously estimated. New tracking data also recorded one individual travelling 830 kilometres (516 miles) per day over nine days on the journey between Africa andContinue reading “Weekly round-up: May 23”
More than 14,000 sharks are thought to have been caught in an Indian Ocean marine protected area – in which all fishing is banned – between 2010 and 2020. A study led by the University of Exeter recorded evidence of illegal fishing in the British Indian Ocean Territory and conducted interviews with local fishers fromContinue reading “Weekly round-up: May 16”
A species of fanged frog new to science has been “hiding in plain sight” in the Philippines. The Mindoro fanged frog (Limnonectes beloncioi) was previously thought to simply be another population of the Acanth’s fanged frog, a physically identical amphibian on the neighbouring island of Palawan, but genetic analysis has revealed the two are entirelyContinue reading “Weekly round-up: May 9”
Pollination, pest control and a potential cancer treatment – which family of insect offers all three? The much-maligned wasp, which researchers say needs a significant PR overhaul. A study, led by UCL and the University of East Anglia, is calling for wasps to be as highly valued as other insects – especially bees, often similarContinue reading “Weekly round-up: May 2”
While Steven Spielberg may have beachgoers across the globe fearing a great white shark lurks behind every wave, in reality the apex predator is only seen consistently in a handful of locations – and scientists have just discovered one more. Central California, Guadalupe Island Mexico, South Australia and South Africa have traditionally been the mainContinue reading “Weekly round-up: April 25”
Just 2.8 per cent of the Earth’s land area remains ecologically intact, according to a new study, significantly lower than the 20-40 per cent mapped previously. Researchers measured loss of species instead of habitat intactness and areas free of human development such as roads and settlements – the results estimated a maximum 2.9 per centContinue reading “Weekly round-up: April 18”
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