Few insects in India are as enigmatic as the cicadas. We all have most probably heard them — they are the ones that make that buzzing and clicking noise, which can be amplified by multitudes of insects into an overpowering hum. Inside a forest, in the dead of the night or just a buzzing sound […]
12 White Crocodiles, 1682 Saltwater Crocodiles Found To Inhabit Bhitarkanika National Park, Odisha
Here is some welcome news regarding crocodiles. According to the latest census, wildlife enumerators have found 1682 estuarine or saltwater crocodiles in the brackish water bodies and water inlets of Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha’s Kendrapara district. The census also found the presence of 12 of the unusual white or albino crocodiles in the park […]
Monkeys Have The Vocal Tools To Speak Like Humans Finds Study
“What you’ll find in the textbooks is that monkeys can’t talk because they don’t have the appropriate vocal tract to do so. That, I think, is a myth. My colleagues and I all get very tired of seeing this. But you see it in all the textbooks. Lots of popular books, and also scholarly books […]
Unbelievable Aging Seen In Birds Living In Cities
The fast-paced stressful lives led by human beings in big cities is undoubtedly taking a toll on their health. Now, there is research to prove that it affects birds living in cities as well. Compare the two birds in the picture above – it would be hard to believe that they are the same age. […]
Big Dams Causing Extinction Of Species
[AdSense-B] A new study has found that reservoir islands created by large dams across the world suffer loss of species every year. Reservoir islands, however are termed conservation sanctuaries to protect species from hunting and deforestation. These islands were found to have 35 per cent lesser species than nearby mainland ecologies. In the case of […]
In A First, Scientists Track A Great Indian Bustard’s Over 7000 km Flight
For the first time in India, the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard has been tracked for a distance of 7774 km using satellite telemetry. This tracking has provided information about the bird such as its breeding pattern, feeding behavior and preferred habitat. With only 300 of the birds left in the wild, this insight would […]
Larger Brains Could Be Responsible For Faster Extinction
Larger brain may be considered an asset but it is a liability as far as extinction threat is concerned, says a new study. The researchers add though, that while a large brain in itself may not be a threat to an animal, combined with other factors such as limited food, it increases the challenge for […]
Sea Sponges Were The First Animals On Earth, Find Scientists
Image via wikimedia American Scientists believe that Sea Sponges were the first ever animal that appeared on the Earth. This discovery of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) team is based on the analysis of molecular fossils that were obtained from rocks that still exist and are 640 million years old. ‘Cambrian explosion’ is […]
Damsel in Distress Sends SOS Calls to Escape Predators
It’s a tiny fish not more than 2 inches long, but when predators attack the Damsel fish, it knows how to save itself from the hungry shark or other sea-faring creature by calling more predators around itself and escaping in the chaos! This was discovered by a team of researchers from Australia who added that […]
World’s Glaciers Melting at Fastest Rate Ever
A recent study on glaciers has indicated a serious imbalance in many regions of the world due to the severe ice loss of the past two decades. The research adds that stability in climatic conditions would not prevent further ice loss from glaciers. “The observed glaciers currently lose between half a metre and one metre […]
‘Your Friend is My Friend’ Say the Hyenas
The exceptional success of facebook as a social media tool has proven beyond doubt that humans have a natural tendency to make friends with the friends of their friends. A study from National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis shows that even the spotted hyenas instinctively seem to know that this kind of bonding is […]