Large flightless birds that once thrived in the forests of New Zealand may be one step closer to resurrection. Cousins to the ostrich and emu, moa were once New Zealand’s dominant herbivores, roaming the forests to feed on twigs and other plant material. Unlike other flightless birds, they are the only completely wingless birds known to have […] More
Just when you think you’ve heard it all, you find out there’s a parasite that eats the tongues of fish before setting up shop inside their mouths. The tongue-eating louse, or Cymothoa exigua, is a tiny crustacean that survives by severing the tongues of fish, then attaching itself to the leftover stub — essentially becoming the […] More
China’s recent ban on plastic imports could create a massive trash disposal problem for the rest of the world — creating a massive pile-up of tons of plastic with nowhere to go. For the last 26 years, China has been importing recycled scraps generated by wealthy Western countries like the United States and turning that trash into new […] More
Want to meet a spider so large it eats the heaviest insects on earth for breakfast? Head to New Zealand. The Rangatira spider (Dolomedes schauinslandi) is a colossal arachnid found only on three relatively undisturbed islands of New Zealand – and it eats giant wētā for dinner. It’s a whopper and it eats wētā. The […] More
Sizing up competitors can often be a bit of a gamble for many species, but lemurs can instantly sniff out weakness in their counterparts. A decade-long research project at Duke University recently revealed that the endangered primates native to Madagascar can identify each other’s weaknesses just by the scent they leave behind. That’s bad news […] More
A new species of parasitoid wasp has been discovered in the Amazon with an insanely huge stinger that scientists describe as a “fierce weapon.” A team from the University of Turku in Finland identified the terrifying wasp while studying samples collected in a biologically diverse region between the Andes and the Amazonian lowland forest. They described […] More
In a bit of poetic justice, a group of suspected rhino poachers who snuck into the Sibuya Game Reserve in South Africa became an unlikely meal for a pride of lions. A guide at the game reserve discovered human remains strewn across a thickly vegetated area near the lions last week. Due to the condition of […] More
Some good news: Critically endangered Snub-Nosed #Monkeys are saved from brink of extinction! “When there is a will, there is a way”! #Myanmar @Clean_Malaysia https://t.co/MBI2wjEn21 pic.twitter.com/omUJwbgl6w — IPBES (@IPBES) January 23, 2018 Things may be looking up for a critically endangered primate species discovered less than a decade ago. According to a report from Fauna […] More
Gray wolves that live in the Chernobyl disaster site are beginning to roam out into surrounding areas — raising concerns that they could spread mutated genes to other populations. In 1986, the infamous nuclear explosion at Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear power plant reportedly released 400 times more radioactive fallout than the Hiroshima bomb. Because authorities could […] More
This unusual, armadillo-like creature is the most trafficked animal on the planet — even more than rhinos and elephants — and now South Africans are trying to save it. Two conservation organizations recently announced plans to build a “pangalorium,” a pangolin refuge in Johannesburg that will help care for African pangolins seized by customs officers until […] More
Like something out of a horror movie, parasitic Glyptapanteles wasp larvae survive by consuming their hosts from the inside out, then manipulating them into serving as bodyguards. The process is grisly: first, the female wasp begins by injecting approximately 80 eggs into an unlucky caterpillar victim. The eggs develop inside the creature, going through several molts and […] More
Researchers have identified 23 new species of semi-aquatic spiders lurking near Australia’s streams and rivers. Queensland Museum arachnologist Dr. Robert Raven, who led the research, described the spiders as being capable of running on water, diving, and swimming — some even remaining underwater for up to an hour to hunt. “I found a spider that hunts […] More
