A new species of shark from studying fish by-catch
On 26 April 2008, a never-before-seen species of shark arrived on the fishing harbour in Kochi. It was accidentally caught while fishing for economically important sharks from the deep-sea waters.…
All creatures great and small: Best of Almost Famous species 2018
The year 2019 is here, and with it there is a general feeling of excitement, which we all feel when something is "new". Before the feeling gets old, let's take…
A blood-red, snake-like burrowing fish from Meghalaya
A blood-red, snake-like creature with an elongated body and sightless black spots for eyes, was spotted burrowing into the moist soil of a rainforest in Meghalaya. Amphibian biologist Rachunliu G.…
[Photo-feature] Meet the new species of dragon lizards from the Western Ghats
The Western Ghats have revealed two new genera of dragon lizards from the family Agamidae -- Monilesauras and Microauris. Using a combination of extensive field surveys, detailed taxonomic analyses and genetic…
Following the sound trail: pulling India’s cicadas out of oblivion
On a wet rainy day in 2014, Kiran Marathe was busy looking for loud, clamorous cicadas hiding in the bushes, in Verlem district in South Goa. Marathe, a young 20-something…
A tiny new fish discovered in a secluded stream in the Western Ghats
The Kabini river originates in the Western Ghats of northern Kerala. Cutting through the Ghats, it flows eastwards to join the Cauvery river in the neighbouring state of Karnataka. During…
Killer skin fungus mapped in all frog hotspots in India
Something wicked this way comes for amphibians in India? The chytrid fungus, which has spelt doom for amphibian populations across the globe, has been detected in frogs across all major…
Scientists describe new species of shieldtail snakes found in Anaikatti hills
About an hour’s drive away from Coimbatore, in the Anaikatti hills, scientists from the herpetology division of Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) have found a new…
International Day for Biological Diversity: A thumbnail-sized fern has Indian scientists divided over its identity
A Gujarat-based scientist duo from the Bapalal Vaidya Botanical Research Centre of the Veer Narmad South Gujarat University, have found a very small fern— just about the size of a…
A new subspecies of bamboo bat discovered in the Andamans
Researchers have identified an entirely new subspecies of bamboo bat - characterised by distinctive flattened skulls - from the Andaman archipelago, that differs from other members of its species in…
