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. […]
What is the difference between a Sumatran Tiger and a Bengal Tiger?
10 year old Jelita from Bali, Indonesia asks, What is the difference between a Sumatran Tiger and a Bengal Tiger? Tigers were once found in most parts of Asia and they were so widespread that each population living in different ecosystems became distinct subspecies with some characteristic differences from each other.In the world today there […]
Eco-Travel: Silent Valley National Park, Kerala
A monthly focus on one of the many wildlife sanctuaries and national parks of India The Silent Valley National Park forms the core area of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Located in the Palakkad district of Kerala, the place was so named by the British in 1847 owing to the supposed absence of the loud and […]
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 […]
Road Kills Pose High Risk to Leopards in Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh may soon lose all its leopards if an action plan is not set in place very soon to conserve them. The beautiful spotted feline once found in good numbers in Madhya Pradesh is under grave threat mainly due to road kills. Image via cc/Flickr by Kosala Bandara On 24th September this year, at […]
Technology to the Rescue of Elephants along Railway Tracks
Technology will now be employed to ensure the safety of elephants that are at risk of being killed by passing trains. In an affidavit issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), the government has recommended the use of technology, especially electronic surveillance, to curb the number of elephant deaths due to collision with […]
246 Species of Butterflies at Periyar Tiger Reserve
Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala, India is a notable tiger reserve as well as an elephant reserve. A recent survey, however has shown that the protected forest area rich in biodiversity is also home to 246 species of butterflies, proving once again that protecting a tiger’s territory helps conserve a number of species including the […]
Open Wells Claim Lives of Two Lion Cubs in Gujarat
As a child, listening to the Panchatantra tale of the lion and the rabbit, I was quite impressed by the clever rabbit which outwitted the greedy lion and tricked it into jumping into a well. Today, however, I realize the importance of each and every species that exist in nature and their contribution to diversity […]
Migratory Birds Begin Arriving at Chilika Lake
The largest inland saltwater lake in Asia, Chilika Lake of Odisha is playing winter host once again to thousands of migratory birds from Siberia, Iraq, Afghanistan and other nations beyond the Himalayan mountain ranges. The first flock of over 10,000 birds arrived in the eastern Indian state in the past few weeks. Image via cc/Flickr […]