Almost Famous Species News

Our Almost Famous Species series features lesser known species from India. It is created in the hope that familiarity will help generate concern and action for under-appreciated species. Through the series, we 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. 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 peninsula. The wide geographic extent, topographic features with multiple long mountain ranges and fertile river basins, and the monsoon winds give rise to a plethora of habitats that have been home to a variety of creatures. Yet, any mention of Indian wildlife always conjures up images of charismatic large mammals. We acknowledge that these are interesting; but we want to draw back the curtain on other species that are equally fascinating.

A pollinator vital to food and farming

Kaziranga hosts a healthy population of fishing cats, finds survey

Spiny-tailed lizards add insects to the menu

Dung beetles find an unlikely refuge on an urbanising barrier island system

The bird of prey that crosses continents

India’s rare swamp deer establishes a second home

Striped hyena gets stronger global protection

Small creatures, big adaptations

Nature’s clean-up crew

The ocean grazer tending seagrass fields

After decade long wait, great Indian bustard hatches in Gujarat

The long-snouted river specialist

The last surviving population of a red deer rises

A vibrant pink wetland visitor

A predator in the grasslands

The world’s longest venomous snake

Science delights in discovery of two new ant species

Prioritise turtle conservation over tourism say experts after budget announcement

India’s secretive salamanders are losing their breeding grounds

Artificial nesting structures may act as ecological traps for white-bellied sea eagles

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