Fossil footprints give glimpse of how ancient climate change drove the rise of reptiles

A set of fossils that lay forgotten in a museum are revealing new secrets about Britain's prehistoric wildlife

‘Herbivorous dinosaurs were closer to birds than reptiles’

Down To Earth speaks to GVR Prasad, palaeontologist and professor in the Department of Geology at the University of Delhi, on his team’s …

Nearly a fifth of reptiles face risk of extinction, says study 

Threatened species concentrated in Southeastern Asia, West Africa, northern Madagascar, northern Andes and the Caribbean

Is climate change killing Pantanal, the world’s largest tropical wetlands?

During a climate crisis, the world’s largest tropical wetlands must be saved before it is too late

First-of-its kind turtle rehab centre comes up in Bihar

To be inaugurated this month, the centre will house injured and sick turtles rescued from smugglers

A unique dragon

The population of the Southern Flying Lizard of the Western Ghats is fast dwindling and needs conservation

Snakes can hear sound and react to it — this may help prevent snakebites

Researchers studied 19 snakes across five genera; find different snakes react differently to what they hear

Galapagos giant tortoises make a comeback, thanks to innovative conservation strategies

The Galapagos Islands' giant tortoises are one of the world's best examples of evolution. Scientists are pioneering new conservation strategies …

Bhitarkanika census finds an increase of 15 saltwater crocodiles from last year

There are now 1,757 crocodiles in the park, the census conducted on January 3, 2020, found. Last year, there were 1,742

A peek into the secret lives of Indian spiders

India is home to several unique species of spiders; some are known to science, while many others are yet to be discovered

Officials count 122 saltwater crocodile nests in Bhitarkanika

The numbers are much more than previous years, implying that the adult breeding population is increasing

A month after sighting, Gharial hatchlings go missing from Angul

Forest officials call disappearance a “natural phenomenon”; activists ascribe it to department oversight

Endangered

More than amphibians, it is the reptiles that are in danger of becoming extinct, claims a new study

When did modern lizards originate? A beast from the Triassic Period offers answers

‘Cryptovaranoides microlanius’ lived in limestone cracks around Bristol about 250-200 million years ago

Killed in cold blood: Amphibians and reptiles are bearing the brunt of crop intensification

Loss of species due to rising farm productivity is inevitable, says research 

These animals and plants of India could have become 'possibly extinct' : IUCN

A number of fish, birds, crustaceans and plants could have died out according to the IUCN’s latest Red List of Threatened Species

Despondent in captivity

It has been two-and-a-half decades since the Central Zoo Authority was set up to improve the lot of zoo inhabitants. Then why are animals still …

Unbalanced sheet

According to the WWF Living Planet 2002 report, people are consuming more natural resources than nature can produce, and some more so than others.…

Invasion triggers evolution

A study on lizards shows evolutionary change can occur swiftly when two closely related species compete

World Turtle Day: Meet Odisha’s ‘Turtle Man’

Rabindranath Sahu and his team have been helping in Olive Ridley conservation since 20 years  

Olive Ridley nesting begins: Over 500,000 turtles lay eggs in 4 days at Odisha’s Gahirmatha sanctuary

Space crunch has pushed several female turtles to return to sea. But they will be back in a few days to nest

Wildlife trade is thriving on Internet, finds study

Survey finds wild animals and wildlife products worth US $11 million for sale online in 16 countries

Paradise in peril

Galpagos, an archipelago straddling the equator 1,000 km west of Ecuador, is probably the world's best-known biodiversity zone. But alien species …

Reptilian recovery

Once threatened, the gharials get afresh lease of life at the Kukrail Reserve Forest near Lucknow

The world’s spectacular animal migrations are dwindling. Fishing, fences and development are fast-tracking extinctions

Human exploitation of migratory species is the main reason why these species are in decline