Bouba the (Andean) bear joins the WCS Queen’s Zoo
Nov21

Bouba the (Andean) bear joins the WCS Queen’s Zoo

The Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus) is the only endemic bear on the continent of South America.  The IUCN lists the species as Vulnerable to risk of extinction, with habitat loss and hunting as drivers behind its dwindling numbers.  This elegant species is sometimes referred to as the spectacled bear due to occasional markings around the eyes that resemble glasses. The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Queens Zoo has welcomed an...

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Picture: tropical beach in Indonesia
Mar28

Picture: tropical beach in Indonesia

The beach on Peucang Island, Java. Photo by Rhett A. Butler.

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Picture: Hammerhead shark
Mar28

Picture: Hammerhead shark

Hammerhead shark. Photo by Rhett A. Butler.

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Picture: Red-eyed tree frog
Mar26

Picture: Red-eyed tree frog

Photo by Rhett A. Butler.

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1,000 new species discovered in New Guinea

Varanus macraei, a monitor lizard first described in 2001, lives on the island of Batanta. WWF calls it “one of the most spectacular reptile discoveries anywhere… with a mesmerising pattern of turquoise and blue.” Photo © Lutz Obelgonner. Scientists discovered more than 1,000 previously unknown species during a decade of research in New Guinea (slideshow), says a new report from WWF. Final Frontier: Newly Discovered...

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What does a baby moose look like? (photos)

Moose and mom are doing fine. Photo courtesy of ZSL’s Whipsnade Zoo. It’s true that moose, also known as European elk (Alces alces), are odd looking animals, yet that doesn’t prevent their babies from being as endearing as any others. This baby moose, named Chocolate (get it?), was born at Zoological Society of London’s (ZSL) Whipsnade Zoo in late May. The moose are apart of the European Breeding Program. Photo...

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Happy world oceans day! (photos)

Coastline in Colombia. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Celebrated since 1992, today is World Oceans Day! As apart of the day’s festivities, conservation organization Oceana is asking people to become Ocean Heroes by pledging to recycle, clean up a local waterway, or eat only sustainable seafood for the summer! Purple-striped jellyfish at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Leopard shark in a kelp forest at Monterey...

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Antelope release! (photos)

Red hartebeest release. Photo courtesy of Colchester Zoo: Action for the Wild. Three antelope species were recently released at the Umphafa Private Nature Reserve in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa in an ongoing effort to restore an over-cultivated area. In all 7 impala, 21 red hartebeest, and 22 blue wildebeest were released. “These recent releases are exciting developments for UmPhafa. The releases of the wildebeest represent the...

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Happy world turtle day! (photos)

Baby marine turtle taking its first step out to sea in Costa Rica. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Yes, there is a World Turtle Day created by the American Tortoise Rescue! And today (May 23rd) is that day! Ancient leopard tortoise in Uganda. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Sumatran freshwater turtle. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Sumatran freshwater turtle. Photo by: Jeremy Hance. Radiated tortoise in Madagascar. Photo by: Rhett A....

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T-rex leech discovered in a person’s nose just one of the top ten new species of 2010 (photos)
May23

T-rex leech discovered in a person’s nose just one of the top ten new species of 2010 (photos)

The International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University has selected its top ten new species from 2010. While all the species are extraordinary, one was discovered in a most baffling, manner: taken from the nasal mucous membrane of a person in a Peruvian clinic. This 2-inch leech is named Tyrannobdella rex, which means ‘tyrant leech king’, because of a resemblance to the extinct T-Rex: both share a...

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Pictures: Primary forests included, secondary forests excluded in Indonesia’s moratorium

This week Indonesia officially signed a moratorium on the granting of new logging and plantation permits in primary forests and peatlands. Secondary forests are excluded from the measure.

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Bird-dinosaur, only recently dead, discovered in Iran (or big hoax)

An photo of the reported recently-deceased bird-dinosaur. Real or faked? Photo from the Islamic Republic News Agency. A corpse reportedly showing a bird with a skull like a canine’s has shown up in northwestern Iran, reports the Islamic Republic News Agency. The animal has two bird-like legs, but a head that looks like a mammalian or reptilian predator, giving the media the ability to dub it a dinosaur bird. A team of...

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Pictures of baby animals with their mothers for Mother’s Day

Mother tarsier and baby on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Mother and baby orangutan in tree in Sumatra. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Mother Panamanian golden frog with green baby. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Southern Tree Hyrax with baby in Kenya. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Baby crowned lemur clinging to its mother in Madagascar. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Mother Agouti (Dasyprocta punctata) with babies...

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Pictures: Happy Cinco de Mayo

To Celebrate Mexico’s Independence Day (Cinco de Mayo), here are some photos of beach sunrises in and around...

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Photos: ugly is the new adorable when it comes to saiga babies
May03

Photos: ugly is the new adorable when it comes to saiga babies

A pair of saiga calves. Photo by: Igor Shpilenok. Few species have seen a worse decline in the past 15 years than the Asian antelope, the saiga. Once known for making up one of the world’s largest migrations, the saiga population has dropped from 1.25 million in the 1990s to 50,000 animals today, plunging over 90% and landing itself on the Critically Endangered species list. The Saiga Conservation Alliance (SCA), which is...

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Photo: emerald toucanet

An emerald toucanet (Aulacorhynchus prasinus) in Belize. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Fortunately the emerald toucanet is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List. It is found throughout Central America and South America down to Bolivia. To see other photos of birds in Belize: click...

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Photos: up close and personal with Sumatran elephants
May01

Photos: up close and personal with Sumatran elephants

Baby Sumatran elephant on the run. Photos of Sumatran elephants at Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park on the island of Sumatra. These Sumatran elephants are patrol elephants; they’ve been recently domesticated and are used to reduce human-wildlife conflict. All photos by Rhett A. Butler. Meeting of the minds. Sumatran elephant with mahout. Trunk tricks. Traveling. Big male. Fountain. Modern world. To see more photos of Sumatran...

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Photo: abused cheetahs returned to the wild

An adult cheetah, which had been smuggled and abused for the illegal pet trade, returns to the wild in Tanzania. Photo by: Annette Simonson. Few people realize that cheetah’s, one of Africa’s great cats, are a target of the global wildlife trade. Yet these speedy predators are sought as exotic ‘pets’, especially in the Middle East. As apart of this illegal pet trade, three adult cheetahs were recently seized at...

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Photo: zoo elephants enjoy spring
Apr26

Photo: zoo elephants enjoy spring

Three Asian elephants from the Zoological Society of London’s Whipsnade Zoo take a spring stroll under blossoming Japanese miniature cherry trees. Photo by: Hannah Thompson. Mongabay.com recently conducted an interview on how wild Asian elephants, and their African counterparts, are vital to ‘gardening’ the continent’s tropical forests. To read more: Elephants: the gardeners of Asia’s and Africa’s...

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