https://india.mongabay.com/list/animals/ India's environmental science and conservation news Fri, 28 Aug 2026 09:15:05 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.4 https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/western-ghats-frogs-sort-by-size-to-coexist-study-finds/ https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/western-ghats-frogs-sort-by-size-to-coexist-study-finds/?noamp=mobile#respond 28 Aug 2026 14:07:22 +0000 https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&p=40549 Mongabay]]> https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/western-ghats-frogs-sort-by-size-to-coexist-study-finds/feed/ 0 https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/indias-only-singing-swinging-ape/ https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/indias-only-singing-swinging-ape/?noamp=mobile#respond 19 Aug 2026 15:23:29 +0000 https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&p=40236 Mongabay]]> https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/indias-only-singing-swinging-ape/feed/ 0 https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/nine-anchor-species-could-meet-indias-biodiversity-and-climate-targets/ https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/nine-anchor-species-could-meet-indias-biodiversity-and-climate-targets/?noamp=mobile#respond 13 Aug 2026 16:33:56 +0000 https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40101 - Protecting the habitat of any one of the nine key species can help conserve more than 700 mammals, birds and reptiles while protecting around a gigatonne of above-ground carbon, says the study.
- The research comes as India faces growing pressure to meet the 30×30 conservation target. It provides statistical evidence to push for expansion of protected areas.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/nine-anchor-species-could-meet-indias-biodiversity-and-climate-targets/feed/ 0 https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/the-worlds-only-flying-mammal/ https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/the-worlds-only-flying-mammal/?noamp=mobile#respond 12 Aug 2026 16:39:04 +0000 https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&p=40085 Mongabay]]> https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/the-worlds-only-flying-mammal/feed/ 0 https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/tourism-human-disturbance-linked-to-higher-stress-in-tigers/ https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/tourism-human-disturbance-linked-to-higher-stress-in-tigers/?noamp=mobile#respond 11 Aug 2026 15:36:27 +0000 https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40039 - Female tigers appeared to favour less disturbed areas for breeding, although the researchers caution that the findings show associations rather than cause and effect.
- The authors recommend improving wildlife tourism management, including limiting safari vehicles and reducing crowding, while emphasising that tourism and the revenue it generates remains important for conservation.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/tourism-human-disturbance-linked-to-higher-stress-in-tigers/feed/ 0 https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/as-herders-quit-the-skills-that-helped-human-tiger-coexistence-disappear-commentary/ https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/as-herders-quit-the-skills-that-helped-human-tiger-coexistence-disappear-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond 10 Aug 2026 13:23:26 +0000 https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39995 - However, many herders are quitting the occupation due to low wages, loss of pastures and the risk of being attacked by a tiger.
- When herders and their role are not acknowledged, we lose the intergenerational transfer of knowledge, their understanding of the animals, and an ethic that has helped humans coexist with tigers.
- The views in the commentary are that of the author. The findings have not been independently verified by Mongabay-India.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/as-herders-quit-the-skills-that-helped-human-tiger-coexistence-disappear-commentary/feed/ 0 https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/new-clues-into-how-animals-evolved-an-internal-compass-to-navigate-earth/ https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/new-clues-into-how-animals-evolved-an-internal-compass-to-navigate-earth/?noamp=mobile#respond 07 Aug 2026 14:44:33 +0000 https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39947 - Recent studies suggest magnetoreception in animals may have evolved independently from the magnetic systems found in bacteria.
- Although the origins of magnetoreception remain elusive, it is an important ability preserved across the animal kingdom.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/new-clues-into-how-animals-evolved-an-internal-compass-to-navigate-earth/feed/ 0 https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/whiskered-swimmers-with-webbed-feet/ https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/whiskered-swimmers-with-webbed-feet/?noamp=mobile#respond 05 Aug 2026 14:27:08 +0000 https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&p=39683 Mongabay]]> https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/whiskered-swimmers-with-webbed-feet/feed/ 0 https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/07/the-wild-cat-with-a-unique-stripe-pattern/ https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/07/the-wild-cat-with-a-unique-stripe-pattern/?noamp=mobile#respond 29 Jul 2026 15:38:48 +0000 https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&p=39706 Mongabay]]> https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/07/the-wild-cat-with-a-unique-stripe-pattern/feed/ 0 https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/roads-a-risk-to-the-worlds-smallest-wild-cat/ https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/roads-a-risk-to-the-worlds-smallest-wild-cat/?noamp=mobile#respond 27 Jul 2026 15:16:45 +0000 https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39631 - Such roadkill data for small carnivores remains heavily underreported, say conservation scientists, while highlighting the lack of studies on the effects of roads on small carnivores.
- Besides flyovers and drainage culverts, scientists recommend spreading awareness about speeding and implementing proper road signage indicating the presence of wildlife, as mitigation measures.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/roads-a-risk-to-the-worlds-smallest-wild-cat/feed/ 0 https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/new-dna-analysis-reveals-what-dholes-eat/ https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/new-dna-analysis-reveals-what-dholes-eat/?noamp=mobile#respond 24 Jul 2026 13:37:35 +0000 https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39584 - Researchers collected small pinches of scat material and tested the samples through DNA metabarcoding method to assess dhole diet. They say that this method offers more accuracy compared to older methods which had more biases.
- The findings suggest that maintaining a healthy wild prey population is key to dhole conservation and could reduce human-wildlife conflict by limiting livestock predation.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/new-dna-analysis-reveals-what-dholes-eat/feed/ 0 https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/new-camera-trap-record-confirms-caracal-presence-in-kuno/ https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/new-camera-trap-record-confirms-caracal-presence-in-kuno/?noamp=mobile#respond 01 Jul 2026 14:55:11 +0000 https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38850 - The record confirms the species’ presence in Kuno, but experts caution that a single camera-trap image cannot establish a resident population.
- Experts note that more research on the caracal’s distribution, ecology, behaviour, habitat requirements and movement patterns is important to develop conservation strategies.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/new-camera-trap-record-confirms-caracal-presence-in-kuno/feed/ 0 https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/07/a-cat-that-is-clouded-by-design/ https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/07/a-cat-that-is-clouded-by-design/?noamp=mobile#respond 01 Jul 2026 14:00:37 +0000 https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&p=38785 Mongabay]]> https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/07/a-cat-that-is-clouded-by-design/feed/ 0 https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/the-goat-antelope-of-the-high-himalayas/ https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/the-goat-antelope-of-the-high-himalayas/?noamp=mobile#respond 24 Jun 2026 15:47:16 +0000 https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&p=38791 Mongabay]]> https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/the-goat-antelope-of-the-high-himalayas/feed/ 0 https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/as-temperatures-rise-cattle-and-the-related-economy-feels-the-strain/ https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/as-temperatures-rise-cattle-and-the-related-economy-feels-the-strain/?noamp=mobile#respond 19 May 2026 13:21:29 +0000 https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38234 - The impact on cattle ranges from health and fertility issues to broader impacts on the economy such as fodder shortages and disruptions in the milk supply chain.
- These pressures are expected to intensify as India braces for a harsher summer and the possible onset of El Niño, which could disrupt monsoon rains and prolong heat stress.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/as-temperatures-rise-cattle-and-the-related-economy-feels-the-strain/feed/ 0 https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/rare-peacock-tarantula-gets-dedicated-conservation-survey/ https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/rare-peacock-tarantula-gets-dedicated-conservation-survey/?noamp=mobile#respond 14 May 2026 15:04:13 +0000 https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&p=38180 Mongabay]]> https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/rare-peacock-tarantula-gets-dedicated-conservation-survey/feed/ 0 https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/spiny-tailed-lizards-add-insects-to-the-menu/ https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/spiny-tailed-lizards-add-insects-to-the-menu/?noamp=mobile#respond 04 May 2026 14:19:02 +0000 https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38007 - Challenging the notion that the species is predominantly herbivorous, the study found that it also eats insects ahead of the breeding season when food resources are scarce.
- The lizard however faces threats from hunting, habitat fragmentation and changes in land use from agricultural expansion in the Thar region.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/spiny-tailed-lizards-add-insects-to-the-menu/feed/ 0 https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rising-illegal-wildlife-trade-across-the-himalayan-countries-threatens-the-mountain-ecosystem/ https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rising-illegal-wildlife-trade-across-the-himalayan-countries-threatens-the-mountain-ecosystem/?noamp=mobile#respond 29 Apr 2026 15:26:33 +0000 https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37911 - Carnivores, elephants, and pangolins are among the most trafficked species.
- Researchers call for greater regional cooperation, supply chain mapping using spatial technology, and the adoption of a One Health approach to address zoonotic disease risks.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rising-illegal-wildlife-trade-across-the-himalayan-countries-threatens-the-mountain-ecosystem/feed/ 0 https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/small-creatures-big-adaptations/ https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/small-creatures-big-adaptations/?noamp=mobile#respond 22 Apr 2026 15:31:13 +0000 https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&p=37744 Mongabay]]> https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/small-creatures-big-adaptations/feed/ 0 https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/ecological-debate-over-iron-ore-halts-mining-bid-in-tiger-landscape/ https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/ecological-debate-over-iron-ore-halts-mining-bid-in-tiger-landscape/?noamp=mobile#respond 15 Apr 2026 11:35:38 +0000 https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37700 - The proposed site lies within a critical wildlife corridor and could disrupt tiger dispersal in a region already witnessing a rise in human-tiger interactions.
- Environmentalists argue the project’s ecological and social costs far outweigh its limited economic benefits, with minimal job creation and inadequate compensatory afforestation.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/ecological-debate-over-iron-ore-halts-mining-bid-in-tiger-landscape/feed/ 0