No honey, no hives, but solitary bees have important lives
One morning in April 2020, early in the lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, I leaned over the terrace parapet of my home in Bengaluru, scanning the spreading branches of a…
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.
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…
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…
Special series
Wetland champions
- The story of Jakkur lake sets an example for inclusive rejuvenation projects
- Welcome to Tsomgo lake: Please don’t litter
- Managing waste to save the wetlands of Himachal Pradesh
Environment and health
- How did a once water-rich village in Goa become entirely dependent on tankers?
- [Explainer] Understanding the science behind avian influenza
- Lack of alternatives force women back to work in stone mines, which are health hazards
Iconic india landscapes
- Chilika lake records rise in migratory bird numbers, sees new species too
- [Commentary] Counting bulbuls to conserve the Deccan hillocks and scrub forests
- [Commentary] Isolated pockets of unique wildlife populations of Gujarat need immediate attention
Beyond protected areas
- Odisha plans to satellite-tag pangolins to study them better
- [Video] A mugger crocodile on shared space, fear and future
- Avian flu in India brings forth environmental, animal and human health linkages
