For more than a decade, wildlife biologist Tiasa Adhya has spent many a day (and night) in a small wooden boat, silently gliding through dense vegetation in the wetlands and mangroves of West Bengal, scanning the banks for signs of a rarely seen wild cat – the fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus). “Fishing cats are fascinating

With no natural predators to worry about, jaguars (Panthera onca) roam the forests of South and Central America. This feline is found in 18 countries, but only 4% of its critical habitat is effectively protected. The lack of protection has allowed its habitat to be destroyed and fragmented, the main reason why this emblematic species

Parrots are special not only because they are vocal learners, but also because they are open-ended vocal learners, able to learn new utterances their entire lives. Of the approximately 10,000 species of birds that have been identified, a bit fewer than half, less than 5,000, learn their vocalizations. Most of these are the 4,000 songbirds—called

Webinar: Grey Parrot Anatomy Project: An Update & Relevance to all Parrot Species Date: Friday, March 19, 2021 Time: 12:00 p.m. PST (double-check your local time with this time zone converter) Scott Echols, DVM, DABVP(Avian Practice) is the founder of the Grey Parrot Anatomy Project and will give updates on the comprehensive study. The information

A blue whale in Chile was caught on animation through a new study. Researchers tracked a whale moving through a busy gulf surrounded by ship traffic. In the animation, the animal looks hectic as it moves between traffic. While blue whales spend time feeding in the South Pacific Ocean, a new study published in Scientific

Humans aren’t the only ones feeling anxiety about environmental destruction. As forests shrink, small mammals are also feeling stressed, and we can tell by their fur. A team of scientists collected fur samples from 106 small rodents and marsupials in six forest fragments in the Atlantic Forest of Paraguay. After grinding each fur sample into

The experimental fencing had gone up to keep the rabbits out, but the ground inside the conservation area at Yathong in central New South Wales had still been nibbled and munched bare. “It was completely denuded,” says Prof Mike Letnic. “It was like a moonscape.” The culprit? Australia’s most ubiquitous marsupial: the kangaroo. ‘Like a moonscape’:

Mention the word “shark” to most people, and they will most likely think of a cruel, bloodthirsty monster along the lines of those portrayed in “Jaws” or the “Sharknado” series. When the word “shark” is used to describe a human, it carries negative connotations of deceitfulness and cunning. We seem to have developed an idea

In a once-cleared patch of rainforest, four black-tufted marmosets scamper up to a pile of bananas lying in a plastic dish on the ground. Within the banana flesh are the seeds of a local native tree, hidden there by scientists. After briefly investigating, the marmosets (Callithrix penicillata) dig in. When they’ve eaten their fill, they

Najin and Fatu are the only two rhinos of their species in existence. Jack Davison visited Ol Pejeta in Kenya to document a story that transcends tragedy. Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya is one of the largest rhinoceros sanctuaries in the world and home to Najin and Fatu, a mother and daughter who are the

Blue-and-gold macawsphoto by CLB/ José Antonio Díaz Luque Wild parrots need our attention and help, not only to thrive but often simply to survive. Many worthy research and conservation organizations are working hard to protect a wide diversity of parrot species. Lafeber is committed to helping. We hope you will be inspired as well. This

At the beginning of the 1990s, while observing the large trees of the Amazon ceding ground to the scrub-like vegetation of the Cerrado, in a process driven by human activity, Brazilian scientist Carlos Nobre conceived of the hypothesis that a process of savannization of the world’s greatest tropical forest was underway. Thirty years later, a

Lawmakers are taking a stand against harming kangaroos! Salud Carbajal, D-Calif., and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Penn., two United States representatives, introduced the Kangaroo Protection Act in February. The act would ban the sale of kangaroo body parts. Nike, Adidas, Puma, and other companies trade in kangaroo skins to manufacture soccer shoes and cleats. Second to the

Scientists have identified a new species of whale—and they say it’s already endangered. LiveScience reports that in January 2019, the body of a whale washed ashore in the Florida Everglades. Scientists initially thought the whale was a subspecies of the Bryde’s whale called Rice’s whale. Bryde’s—pronounced “broodus”—is a baleen whale species in the same category

Monkeys are highly intelligent, emotionally developed, and social creatures. While having a pet with these traits may seem fun, keeping primates as pets causes them severe emotional and psychological distress. Due to primates’ need for social interaction with their own species as well as a large amount of space to move around in, domestic settings

A group called Defend Ballona Wetlands has sued the California Department of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW). Molly Bassler, a Climate Reality Project leader with the Los Angeles chapter, and Robert van de Hoek, a wildlife biologist, are joining it in the suit. The litigants are challenging the CDFW’s approval of a project they say would