A new study has for the first time explored the extraordinary rate at which the world’s largest fish, the endangered whale shark, can recover from its injuries. The findings reveal that lacerations and abrasions, increasingly caused through collisions with boats, can heal in a matter of weeks and researchers found evidence of partially removed dorsal […]
This Device can Detect the Presence of Animals from Thin Air
Most people who go on safaris will know that sighting a wild animal in the jungle is not easy. You might roam for hours without even a trace of a tiger or a leopard or a rhino. It is especially harder for field researcher who spends hours and days inside the forests and can still […]
Studying Human-Animal Interaction During the Lockdown ‘Anthropause’
From the moment the lockdown began in India in March 2020, social media was abuzz with animal sightings across the country in urban areas. From the civet seen in Kerala to the leopards visiting colonies in Chandigarh and flamingoes in Mumbai, it seemed the lack of people on roads made animals bolder to venture beyond […]
This Amazing Cuckoo Flew 1,000 Km per day to Reach India
A tiny bird is breaking the internet with a display of its sheer will-power and tenacity. Onon, a common cuckoo is impressing researchers and people all over the world with its amazing migration journey. The little bird flew from Kenya on 29th April, 2020. On 4th May – in merely five days – it was […]
How eco-friendly are you? One research says you might be overestimating yourself
How eco-friendly are you? One research says you might be overestimating yourself We are all familiar with environmental jargon like reduce-reuse-recycle or stop using plastic. Many of us also take these motivations seriously and act upon them. But research by the University of Gothenburg with participants from India, Sweden, England, and the United States found […]
How to Save a Fish that Looks and Acts Like a Snake
More often than not all fish in our minds look like a version of the fish we drew in our school colouring books – cute beady eyes, fins, and a tail. The problem with this version is that if there is in the real world, a fish that does not fit the description, and does […]
Revealed: Why Animals Eat, What they Eat
A deer eats grass, a tiger eats deer, a human is capable of eating both plants and meat. This basic lesson in the eating habits of animals is something we are all generally aware of. But have you ever wondered why? Why does the deer munch on leaves but not bones. Or why does the […]
Deforestation Cutting Escape Route of Animals Fighting Climate Change
Imagine it is unbearably hot where you live. The rain clouds are nowhere in sight and you wish you could escape to a cooler climate, somewhere on the hills. In fact, you set out the very next day, only to find that the road that would take you to the hills is gone. In its […]
Bees Can Connect Symbols To Numbers Just Like Humans
If you show a first grader the symbols 1,2,3,4 he or she would quite easily be able to tell you that these represent the numbers one, two, three and four. Interestingly, if you show a honeybee the same symbols, the bee too might give a knowing buzz of recognition and understand that those symbols represent […]
Elephants Can Make Joints From Their Trunk To Pick Food
It is a nose that can be used as an arm, a hand, a straw, a hose or even to call out your friends. Now researchers have found out how elephants can use their trunks with so much dexterity especially to pick up small objects with ease. Elephants can turn their trunk into a bone-like […]
Bees Stop Buzzing During Solar Eclipse
The North American total solar eclipse of 2017 was a landmark event. Attracting both lay people and scientists in droves, it saw many people turn their gazes to the sky. For a group of researchers however, the elements of interest were bees. For the first time, the behavior of bees in solar eclipses was tracked […]