Animal Behaviour News

Of the insect world’s many architects, the termites are undoubtedly the reigning monarchs. The earthen mounds that these tiny insects construct out of soil, water and their own saliva, are…

Karmali (also called Carambolim) is among Goa's most picturesque railway stations, perched on the banks of the lake with the same name. The lake has long been known for the…

With the onset of monsoons, excitement sets in, in a community along India’s southeast coast. The Telukunchi village community in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh, with vast swathes of wetlands, prepares…

Tigers are known for living in dense forest areas, away from human settlements -- unlike the other big cats, leopards, that are quite comfortable living in human-dominated habitats and in…

Some butterflies go to any lengths to make ant-friends. Their caterpillars have evolved button-like spots on their backs to spout sugary rewards to attract ants; a special gland in their…

Elephants in north Bengal are more likely to raid crops in areas with a matrix of agriculture, forests, riverine patches, tea plantations and peripheries of protected areas, a study has…

A pencil sketch shows an elephant trying to dismantle a thatched roof. Another depicts a pachyderm helping itself to succulent sugarcane stalks from a farm as people brandish fire torches…

A heartwarming picture of a small tiger cub playing with its mother at Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR) published recently has caught the attention of wildlife lovers across the globe. The…

Found among the lush forests of Kerala and Tamil Nadu with a minor distribution in southern Karnataka and Goa, the Petinomys fuscocapillus, or the Travancore flying squirrel, is among the…

Twenty-nine-year-old Rohit Sharma recalls growing up with monkeys in Ayodhya, the famous pilgrim centre in Uttar Pradesh. The last few weeks though, in the midst of the COVID-19 lockdown, he…

Earlier this month, after a tiger in the Bronx Zoo in New York tested positive for COVID-19, authorities in India had put the zoos and protected areas, including the national…

As India is well into week two of a 21-day lockdown to curb the spread of novel coronavirus disease, animal rights activists continue highlighting the impact of the lockdown on…

There is something common between Manik, Mohan, Madan, Pawan, Joybahadur and Motilal. All of them are male Indian elephants (Elephas maximus indicus) in musth (a condition of heightened aggression) who…

In the popular Aesop fable about a country mouse and its city mouse, the country mouse arrives at the city wanting to see for itself all the abundance and variety…

On July 2 this year, two olive ridley turtles were found entangled in fishing nets at Cavelossim, a village in south Goa. “I was there on duty at the time,”…

Ever wondered how tigers feel in response to hordes of vehicles ferrying tourists eager for the thrill of a perfect close-up encounter? Now, a study examining stress hormones in tiger…

Writer and naturalist Stephen Alter was out birdwatching in Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh recently, when he thought he heard the call of an owlet. When he followed that…

When forests are broken up by human activities, the impact on wildlife is manifold. Many species lose their habitat, sources of food and are forced to navigate increasingly risky landscapes…

“The most extreme thing about the ocean is its sheer, inconceivable size. In that enormous volume – the biggest habitat on earth – lives a kaleidoscope of animals, plants, microbes…

The monsoon floods that claimed over 100 human lives and displaced millions in India's eastern and northeastern states, has submerged Kaziranga National Park (KNP) in flood-hit Assam, killing close to…