Photos: Bornean gliding leopard tree frog
The Bornean gliding leopard tree frog (Rhacophorus pardalis). Shots taken from a recent visit to Gunung Palung National Park in Kalimantan. Photos by Rhett A. Butler,...
Photo: bear cubs woken from hibernation
Three wild black bear cubs were microchipped by researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Nevada Department of Wildlife. For safety reason, the mother was tranquilized before researchers went to work. The cubs will be monitored throughout their lives for research. Photo by: Jon Beckmann (WCS).
Photo: the shadow cast by a tree frog
A tree frog photographed in Amacayacu National Park, Colombia, 2010. We have been unable to identify this species, if you know please contact us. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler.
Girl Scouts question palm oil in their cookies
Forest clearing in Sumatra for palm oil plantation. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Two Girl Scouts are asking their organization why palm oil is an ingredient in pervasive and popular Girl Scout Cookies. Madison Vorva and Rhiannon Tomtishen, after their concerns about the environmental and social impact of palm oil have long been ignored by the heads of the Girl Scout organization, have joined with the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) to...
Photo: oil spill hits endangered penguins
Northern rockhopper penguins covered in oil. Photo by: Tristan Conservation Team of Simon Glass, Wayne Swain and Matthew Green. Courtesy of: The Tristan da Cunha Website. Northern rockhopper penguins (Eudyptes moseleyi) hit hard by an oil spill from a wrecked cargo ship on Nightingale Island in the Southern Atlantic. Already listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List, the oil spill threatens nearly half of the northern rockhopper...
Photos: raptor launch!
Raptor in Yucatan, Mexico. We have been unable to identify this species, if you know please contact us. Photo by Rhett A. Butler,...
Earth Hour on Saturday: will you turn out the lights?
A red sunset in Kenya. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. On Saturday, March 26th at 8:30 PM lights will go out across the world in the 5th annual Earth Hour. Will you join in? To date this will be the biggest Earth Hour yet with 131 countries and territories signed up to participate on all seven continents. Yes, that’s right, people working in Antarctica will be turning out their lights too. “Earth Hour is a chance for people and...
Photo: caterpillar invasion
Caterpillars in Manu National Park, Peru. We have been unable to identify this species, if you know please contact us. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler.
Activism: dams on the Mekong River
Note: mongabay.com does not endorse the action below, but believes its readers may be interested in taking action or discussing the issue in comments. Fishing on the Mekong. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. A coalition of NGOs, lacademics, journalists, artists and local people have started a petition against a series of dams planned by Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand. According to the organization, the massive dams will upend the river’s...
Photos: Irish scenes (Happy St. Patrick’s Day!)
The west Irish coast. Photo by: Tiffany Roufs and Jeremy Hance. Gallarus Oratory, a 1,200-year old Irish stone church. Photo by: Tiffany Roufs and Jeremy Hance. Typical scene in Ireland: the sun is far away. Photo by: Tiffany Roufs and Jeremy Hance. Driving along the western Irish coast line, notice sheep. Photo by: Tiffany Roufs and Jeremy Hance. Lakes dot peatland. Photo by: Tiffany Roufs and Jeremy Hance. Cliffs of Moher. Photo by:...
Trailer for Oka! Amerikee, eco-drama set in the Congo rainforest
Filmed in the Congo rainforest of the Central African Republic (CAR), a region rarely explored in film, the movie tells the story of an American ethnomusicologist living with the indigenous Bayaka people, also known as the pygmies, as loggers invade their land. According to the film’s website: “The movie is partly based on the life’s work of Louis Sarno, who has lived with and recorded the music of the Central African...
Photo: black-and-white colobus hanging out
A black-and-white colobus (Colobus angolensis) in Kenya. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler.
Photo: what species am I?
A rarely seen bird in the nightjar family is photographed in Brazil’s Pantanal. But which nightjar species is this? If you know please contact us. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler.
Photos: green basilisk
A green basilisk (Basiliscus plumifrons) escapes onto a branch from a stream in Costa Rica. Photos by Rhett A. Butler. More photos of green...
Video: bizarre purple frog sounds like a squeaky toy
Native to India, the purple frog (Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis) is listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List. The species is also a focal amphibian for the innovative ZSL EDGE program, which selects the species it works with based on their evolutionary uniqueness and threat level. According to the EDGE website: “The purple frog is the sole representative of an ancient lineage of frogs that has been evolving independently for...
Photo: snow capped mountains
Snow capped mountains as seen from a plane in the western US. Photo by Rhett A. Butler.
Photos: some of our best rainforest shots
Sunset over Borneo rainforest . Photo by Rhett A. Butler. Fast-flowing creek forming the border of Bwindi park in Uganda. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. Kapok tree towering over the forest in Costa Rica. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. Giant dipterocarp tree on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. Brownsberg reserve in Surianme. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. Rainforest waterfall in Malaysian Borneo . Photo by Rhett A. Butler....
Photo: eye to eye
An emerald star? A disco ball? No, it’s the iris of a mountain lion in Belize. Photo by Rhett A. Butler.
Volunteer opportunity in the Peruvian Amazon
Chanti waterfall. Photo courtesy of: The Amazon Waterfalls Association. Have you ever dreamed of visiting the Amazon? How about touring little-seen jungle waterfalls—one of which is three times taller than the Eiffel Tower and 17 times taller than Niagara Falls? The Amazon Waterfalls Association is looking for a few good volunteers to help develop walking paths passing by a series of astounding waterfalls in Peru. “The trek...
Photo: the lovely gray-necked wood rail
The gray-necked wood rail (Aramides cajanea) can be found from Mexico south to Argentina. This individual was photographed in Costa Rica. The bird is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List. Photo by Rhett A....