Cuckoo wasps are the ultimate bad houseguests, hiding their eggs in other insect’s nests and then allowing them to hatch and eat their ‘siblings.’ Researchers in Norway were able to identify an entirely new cuckoo wasp based on a single specimen. To infiltrate the homes of unsuspecting wasps, the killer insects mimic their hosts’ pheromones—and … Read more
A cute species of peacock spider has been named after Nemo, the beloved clownfish in Pixar’s Finding Nemo franchise. Maratus nemo, which is only about the size of a grain of rice at just over 4mm in length, was discovered by a citizen scientist in South Australia. The new species has been named for its iridescent … Read more
Ancient kangaroo which weighed 60kg and could climb trees is discovered for the first time – and researchers say it could change what we know about Australia’s landscape Research on ‘Congruus kitcheneri’ found it lived half on land, half in trees Bones found on the Nullarbor Plain, challenging a belief it was always treeless Researchers … Read more
Save the black rhino! World Bank launches ground-breaking new bond to protect endangered species By Daily Mail City & Finance Reporter Published: 21:50 GMT, 24 March 2021 | Updated: 21:50 GMT, 24 March 2021 A ground-breaking bond has been launched in a bid to save the black rhino. It will be sold by the World … Read more
One of the most endangered animals in the US got a boost with the birth of a cloned black-footed ferret. Born on December 10, ‘Elizabeth Ann’ is the first successful clone of an endangered species in North America. She was created using cells from a female black-footed ferret that died more than 30 years ago … Read more
The international wildlife trade is causing more than a 60 per cent fall in species abundance, a new study reveals. An international team of researchers, including experts from the University of Sheffield, performed a ‘meta-analysis’ of the wildlife trade from 31 studies. They found a 62 per cent fall in species abundance overall, as well as … Read more
A species of baleen whale that is native to the Gulf of Mexico, called Rice’s whale, is already threatened by extinction – even though it’s only just been properly identified. US experts unravelled ‘a complex species puzzle’ with an analysis of a Rice’s whale skull, which revealed key morphological differences compared with other baleen whale species. … Read more
A quarter of known bee species in the wild haven’t appeared in public records since the 1990s, a concerning new study reveals. Argentinian researchers used a publicly available database on specimen collections and observations, complemented by citizen-science efforts. Despite a large increase in the number of records available, 25 per cent fewer species were reported between … Read more
After four-and-a-half years, the world’s largest deep-sea exploration mission has identified at least 12 new species of marine life, including a new kind of coral. Funded by the European Union, the just-completed ATLAS Project carried out some 45 research expeditions since June 2016, exploring undersea life in a deep stretch of the North Atlantic. More … Read more
Not every new animal is discovered in the jungle or rainforest: A new species of snake was discovered in a museum after being ignored by researchers for years. Levitonius mirus, also known as the Waray dwarf burrowing snake, is native to the Philippines. But specimens of the snake sent to the University of Kentucky were … Read more