January 18
Africa: Cash-Strapped Conservationists in South Africa Are Struggling to Collect Biodiversity Data - How to Change That
South Africa's government conservation organisations have experienced substantial budget cuts. Even after steps to cut costs, South African National Parks reported a big shortfall… Read more »
January 17
Mozambique: Mozambique's Cyclone Flooding Was Devastating to Animals - We Studied How Body Size Affected Survival
Anyone who watches the news will have seen the devastation that tropical cyclones can cause when they reach land, with very strong winds, high rainfall and flooding. A cyclone like… Read more »
November 27, 2023
Africa: Stones Inside Fish Ears Mark Time Like Tree Rings - And Now They're Helping Us Learn About Climate Change
As a marine biologist, I've always found it fascinating to learn about how animals adapt to their habitat. But climate change has made it more important than ever - wild animals'… Read more »
November 08, 2023
South Africa: Do You Like Snakes, Lizards and Frogs? Why Herpetology Might Be the Career for You
We are so fortunate to share the world with a huge diversity of creatures. For me, some of the most fascinating are reptiles and amphibians. Collectively called herpetofauna,… Read more »
November 06, 2023
Africa: Wildcats and Domestic Cats Coexisted for 2,000 Years Before Interbreeding - Study
You are unlikely to have seen one, but wildcats are still clinging on by a claw in Scotland. Most of the cats living in the wild in Scotland are hybrid cats with a mix of wildcat… Read more »
November 05, 2023
East Africa: Birds of East Africa - New Book Reveals Their Extraordinary Diversity and Changing Behaviour
101 Curious Tales of East African Birds is a new book that uses academic research to tell fascinating stories about the tropical birds of east Africa, from well-known species to… Read more »
November 01, 2023
Africa: Giraffes Could Go Extinct - the 5 Biggest Threats They Face
Giraffes are the world's tallest mammals and an African icon, but they are also vulnerable to extinction. Read more »
October 16, 2023
Egypt: Ancient Egypt Had Far More Venomous Snakes Than the Country Today
How much can the written records of ancient civilisations tell us about the animals they lived alongside? Our latest research, based on the venomous snakes described in an ancient… Read more »
October 17, 2023
Africa: How Animal Traits Have Shaped the Journey of Species Across the Globe
The devastating tsunami that hit Japan in March 2011 set off a series of events which have long fascinated scientists like me. It was so powerful that it caused 5 million tonnes of… Read more »
October 15, 2023
Africa: Elephant Teeth - How They Evolved to Cope With Climate Change-Driven Dietary Shifts
Seeing elephants in the wild is a timelessly awe-inspiring experience. There are only three living species today: the African savannah elephant, African forest elephant, and Asian… Read more »
October 05, 2023
South Africa: Fossil Snake Traces - Another World-First Find On South Africa's Cape South Coast
Snakes are familiar, distinctive - and often feared - reptiles. And they've been around for a long time: body fossils found in the UK, Portugal and the US stretch all the way back… Read more »
October 04, 2023
South Africa: Lion Protection Fee Paid By Tourists Could Help Stop Trophy Hunting - South African Study
Trophy hunting is contentious. It typically involves paying for and pursuing a specific wild animal, often a large or iconic species, with the goal of killing it to obtain a… Read more »
October 02, 2023
Zimbabwe: New Species of Cobra-Like Snake Discovered - but It May Already Be Extinct
Around the world, natural history museums hold a treasure trove of knowledge about Earth's animals. But much of the precious information is sealed off to genetic scientists because… Read more »
September 26, 2023
Zambia: World's Biggest Bat Colony Gathers in Zambia Every Year
Everybody who visits Kasanka National Park in Zambia during "bat season" agrees that the evening emergence of African straw-coloured fruit bats from their roost site is one of the… Read more »
September 22, 2023
Africa: Farmed Rhinos Will Soon 'Rewild' the African Savanna
With all the terrible news on climate change, it's easy to lose track of what's happening with particular species. So, in case you missed it, a new report has bad news for Earth's… Read more »
September 19, 2023
Africa: Why Invasive Ants Are a Silent Threat to Our Ecosystems
Invertebrates are often described by experts as the "little things that run the world", and ants are certainly one of the top contenders for this role. Ants help ecosystems to… Read more »
September 18, 2023
Uganda: Wild Animals Leave DNA On Plants, Making Them Easier to Track
The world is losing animals at an alarming rate due to habitat degradation, climate change and illegal human activities in the wildlife protected areas. In fact, it is estimated… Read more »
September 07, 2023
South Africa: Great White Sharks Are Migrating
South Africa is renowned for having one of the world's biggest populations of great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias). Substantial declines have been observed, however, in… Read more »
August 30, 2023
Africa: Giraffes Range Across Diverse Habitats - We're Using GPS, Satellites and Statistics to Track and Protect Them
Nearly 6,000 years ago, our ancestors climbed arid rocky outcrops in what is now the Nigerian Sahara and carved spectacularly intricate, larger-than-life renditions of giraffes… Read more »
August 13, 2023
Africa: How to Grow Rhinos in a Lab - the Science That Could Save an Endangered Species
There are several parallel projects running across the world to save the northern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum), one of Africa's captivating and iconic wildlife… Read more »
August 10, 2023
South Africa: Lion Farming in South Africa - Fresh Evidence Adds Weight to Fears of Link With Illegal Bone Trade
In South Africa an estimated 8,000 lions are bred and kept in captivity for commercial purposes in more than 350 facilities. This is far more than the country's wild population,… Read more »
August 09, 2023
Kenya: The Fast, Furious, and Brutally Short Life of an African Male Lion
The death of a lion in Kenya's picturesque savannas rarely tugs at people's hearts, even in a country where wildlife tourism is a key pillar of the nation's economy. But when one… Read more »
August 03, 2023
Tanzania: Conflict Between Humans and Wildlife in Tanzania Is Being Poorly Managed - and Climate Change Is Making Things Worse
Human-wildlife conflicts are a challenge for authorities in African countries where people live near protected areas. Programmes for communities to participate in wildlife tourism… Read more »
July 10, 2023
South Africa: The True Origins of the World's Smallest and Weirdest Whale
The pygmy right whale, Caperea marginata, is the weirdest whale you've probably never heard of. Read more »
June 29, 2023
South Africa: Lions Are Still Being Farmed in South Africa for Hunters and Tourism - They Shouldn't Be
A man was arrested at the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 23 June 2023 with five lion carcasses in his luggage. He was about to board a flight to… Read more »