Almost Famous species: the wild side of 2020 from forest to backyard
Stretching from the Nicobar Islands very close to the equator to the Western Himalaya in the north, India covers about 30 degrees of latitude, with a long coastline on its…
Mongabay series: Almost Famous Species
Our Almost Famous Species series is a take off from Mongabay.com's Almost Famous Animals series, both created "in the hope that familiarity will help generate concern and action for these under-appreciated species". Through the series, we'd like to introduce to you India's gamut of invertebrates, birds and marine flora and fauna, which perhaps don't get as much attention as our more popular big cats and elephants.
New tree-spider crab species with purple patches described from Kerala’s mangroves
In a serendipitous discovery, researchers have described a tiny, cryptic species of tree-spider crab found climbing the mangrove trees of Kasargod district in the southern state of Kerala. Covered in…
Oh My Gaur! Living alongside the Indian bison that’s moving out of forests
It’s not uncommon in India to see cattle grazing in farms and backyards, ruminating by the road, or even causing a minor inconvenience to vehicles. Replace cattle with herds of…
Gharials bounce back in Punjab but the real test is breeding
Over half a century after they were considered extinct in Punjab, the critically endangered long-snouted gharials have bounced back to life in the northern state, thanks to a reintroduction programme,…
Life and struggles of the sloth bear in human-dominated areas
Sloth bears are the world's only bears built to eat ants. They love their occasional meat tidbits of course but thrive mostly on ants, insects, fruits and wild berries. Their…
Lesser florican on verge of extinction in Madhya Pradesh, a ray of hope in Rajasthan
Described as "elegantly comical" by the late ornithologist Ravi Sankaran, the lesser florican, a bird of open grasslands, has been consistently dwindling in numbers in Madhya Pradesh, with farmers switching…
Mysterious new bioluminescent mushroom glows in the forests of Meghalaya
During the monsoon season, a team of scientists from India and China embarked on a fungal foray in Assam. Over the course of two weeks, they were amazed by the…
Saving the world’s largest mountain goat in Jammu and Kashmir
Once thought to be extinct in India, the markhor (Capra falconeri) – the world’s largest mountain goat – was found at two sites in Jammu and Kashmir after the Wildlife…
Architectural secrets of termite mounds
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…
[Commentary] Tilapia: How an invasive fish came to dominate our ecology, food and psyche
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…
