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: 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.
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....
Video: saving cape fur seals from fisheries’ trash
Innovative program by Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town, South Africa to save wild fur seals from dangerous, and in some cases deadly, trash from local fisheries.
Photos: the gentle lemur
The world’s bamboo lemurs are also known by the more evocative name, the gentle lemurs. Currently these lemurs are separated into five species, all of which are threatened with extinction. These photos are of the Eastern Lesser Bamboo Lemur which is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List. Photos by Rhett A. Butler. More photos of bamboo...
Activism: oil in Virunga National Park
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. Male gorilla in Gabon. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is currently considering allowing oil companies SOCO and Dominion into Virunga National Park for drilling. Home to a quarter of the world’s mountain gorillas, as well as...
Video: Australia’s banteng question
Conservation problem or opportunity? Australia tries to decide what to do with its population of invasive wild cattle, known as banteng. The problem is that this invasive species has almost gone extinct in its native Southeast Asia. Does Australia protect a globally endangered species even if it’s not their own? Credit:...
Photo: Critically Endangered Mexican spider monkey with baby
The Mexican spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi vellerosus), a subspecies of Geoffroy’s spider monkey, is classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List. Surviving in Mexico and parts of Central America, the species has been decimated by habitat loss. These shots were taken in Mexico. Photos by: Rhett A....
Photo: world’s prettiest grasshopper looks like something out of Avatar
Native to Madagascar, the incredibly colored Rainbow Milkweed Locust (Phymateus saxosus) is toxic due to its propensity to eat milkweed. The stunning colors and wild patterns make this species look like it belongs on Pandora, the alien moon setting of James Cameron’s film Avatar. Photo by: Rhett A....
Video: National Geographic donates 10 cents to lions for every viewing of The Last Lions trailer
Watch the new trailer for the film The Last Lions and National Geographic will donate 10 cents to help conserve lions in the wild. Watch it again, and another dime goes to conservation efforts. Plus, it’s a beautiful trailer! To find out more information about the film : The Last Lions. To read an interview with the film-makers: A lion’s story, an interview with the filmmakers of The Last...
Photos: tiny creatures of Gabon
Dung beetle working hard with a ball of dung in Gabon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. In wildlife terms Gabon is known for gorillas, chimpanzees, forest elephants, and mandrills. But Gabon is also home to a reach variety of mini-fauna, a few of which are highlighted here. Copper-colored tiny spider in Gabon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. Bright butterfly in Gabon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. Caterpillar in Gabon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. Beige...
Photo: silhouetted ibis
Hadeda ibis in a tree in Kenya. This species is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List. Photo by Rhett A. Butler.
Video: giant leaf-tailed gecko hunting at night
Footage from the BBC’s new program Madagascar. The giant leaf-tailed gecko (Uroplatus fimbriatus) is found on the islands of Nosy Mangabe (mongabay.com’s namesake) and Nosy Bohara. To see photos of Uroplatus fimbriatus and other Malagasy geckos: Leaf-tailed geckos of...
Activism: titanium mine approved in Cambodia
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. Asian elephants in Cambodia. Photo courtesy of Wildlife Alliance. Cambodia has approved a controversial titanium mine in the heart of the Cardamom Mountain forests. Home to many endangered species, critics say the open-pit mine will pollute waterways, destroy over 20,000 hectares of...
Video: bizarre tenrecs communicating through ‘stridulation’
Footage from the BBC’s new program Madagascar. Native only to the island of Madagascar, the bizarre tenrec communicate in a way no other mammal in the world does: stridulation. This is the scientific term for communication by rubbing body parts together, such as crickets producing sounds by rubbing their legs against one another. In this case, tenrecs are capable of communicating by rubbing special spines on their back. To read...
Photos: baby gorilla takes first steps
Nicknamed ‘Tiny’, a three-month old baby male gorilla took his first steps a the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) Zoo. Tiny had not left his mother since birth, but the 12-year-old mom, named Mjukuu, encouraged him to begin exploring his home. While Tiny is beginning to get his first teeth, keepers say he has awhile to go before reaching a full-sized silverback male. Photos courtesy of...
Photo: If you really love them, name a giant hissing cockroach after them
Nothing says happy Valentine’s Day like Madagascar’s giant hissing cockroach. Photo by: Julie Larsen Maher. Running late on your valentine’s gift? Have no idea what to get your special someone? Well, according to Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) Bronx Zoo, nothing says ‘I love you’ like naming a giant hissing cockroach after your sweetheart! WCS is offering brave romancers the chance to name...
Video: lemur evolution
From the Science Channel show Mutant Planet, this episode on Madagascar looks at the bizarre turns evolution takes on one of the world’s most unique islands. To find out more information and see more videos from the production: Mutant Planet:...
Photo: close-up baby caiman
Close-up of a baby caiman in Costa Rica. Photos by Rhett A. Butler.
Photo: not tic-tacs, but millipedes
While it may look like someone spilled a a container of dark green tic-tacs, these are actually a swarm of young Malagasy emerald pill millipedes. Photographed in Madagascar these millipedes are classified in the order of Sphaerotheriida. Photos by Rhett A. Butler. Click to see more photos of millipedes (and...
