A new tree species has been discovered in the Western Ghats, the leaves and stem of which, when crushed, gives out a strong smell of camphor. The species was first reported from Agasthyamala hills in the southern part of the Western Ghats and was hence named Cinnamomum Agasthyamalayanum. Image courtesy journalijar.com/uploads/899_IJAR-4343.pdf The genus Cinnamomum contains […]
Tiny National Park Showcases Huge Butterfly Diversity
Gorumara National Park in West Bengal is one of the smallest known national parks of India with a total area of just 80 sq km. Nonetheless, what it lacks in size, the park compensates in the rich diversity of fauna, especially butterflies thriving in this area. A recent study recorded more than 300 species of […]
Rare Turtle Springs a Surprise on Workers Cleaning a Lake in Patiala
The municipal workers clearing the Rajindra lake in the midst of Patiala city of Punjab in northern India were in for a surprise when they accidentally found a rare and endangered turtle in one of the busiest roads of the city. Representative image of Indian soft shelled turtle via biolib The 70-year old reptile was […]
Common Ancestors of Horses and Rhinos Found in India
A horse-like animal that lived in India during Eocene epoch, about 55 million years ago, has been discovered by an international group of paleontologists, making it the common ancestor of modern day horses, tapirs and rhinos. Common Ancestor of Horses, Rhinos and Tapir Perissodactyla (perissodactyls) is a small order of hoofed mammals, containing three families: […]
New Species of Golden-backed Frog Discovered
Closely following his discovery of the 14 species of dancing frogs earlier this year, the frogman of India, Professor Sathyabhama Das Biju of the Delhi University, has made yet another exciting find. Seven new species of Golden-backed frogs (Genus Hylarana) were discovered by Biju and his team in the Western Ghats-Sri Lanka global biodiversity hotspot. […]
From Eggs to Baby Frogs! Rare Indian Frog bypasses Tadpole Stage
The bubble-nest frog or white-spotted bush frog is a Critically Endangered (CR) species found in the Western Ghats of India that was discovered again after 125 years. Now, researchers have also revealed a peculiar behavioral pattern of the frog. They observed that this white frog enters into a hollow living bamboo, lays its eggs there […]
New Species of Wolf Snake Discovered in India
India gets a new species of snake and the state of Odisha lends its name to this new snake! In a delightful news for snake lovers across the world a wolf snake found in India’s eastern state of Odisha (Orissa, formerly) has added to the growing list of new species discovery. The snake has been […]
Hyderabad’s Hidden Jewels: Four New Species Discovered in Five Years
Hyderabad, a city known more today for its Silicon Valley connection has revealed its nature connection too with researchers discovering not one but four new species in the city in the past five years. This includes two spider species, a plant species, a lizard and even the re-discovery of a snake species that was thought […]
Surprise Spotting of Endangered Bird in Dadri Wetlands
When Rajeev Ranjan, an enthusiastic bird watcher got off early from work recently and decided to go bird watching, little did he know about the surprise that nature had in store for him. Much to the delight and amazement of this Greater Noida resident, he got a chance to capture a once in a lifetime […]
Clouded Leopard Photographed After Ten Years in Buxa Tiger Reserve
The clouded leopard is hardly seen and even more difficult is a photographic evidence of its existence. That is why it was a rare delight when camera traps placed in West Bengal’s Buxa Tiger Reserve were able to capture the image of a clouded leopard recently. This is the first photo of the elusive cat […]
Scientists Find World’s Highest Number of Song Birds in the Himalayas
There is a new song they sing and that’s what makes them unique. The results of the first ever mapping of birds in the eastern Himalayan region of India has confirmed that there are more than 360 different songbird species in the regions, most of which are not found anywhere else on the planet. Scientists […]