Telling the untold stories of nature in trouble
It’s no secret that naturalists and biologists have traditionally been perhaps a little overeager to separate nature into ever smaller categories and subspecies. The Dama gazelle failed to dodge that bullet, and the species is now critically endangered, with only about 100-200 mature individuals left in the wild. Is new thinking is required to save the species?
There’s only one species of hyena, right? Hyenas are related to dogs, aren’t they? Aren't hyenas just scavengers? See how much you really know about hyenas.
A large and viciously beautiful falcon, the saker falcon, Falco cherrug, is endangered for precisely these reasons. The Saker’s extreme desirability has led them into nothing short of an ecological disaster.
Skates and rays are creatures I’m sure everyone has heard of – or are at least aware of the names - but may know very little about. I remember always seeing ‘rays’ at places such as the Loch Lomond SEA LIFE centre, but never actually paying attention to the fine details of what they are, how they live, what the different species are etc. With sharks often being centre of attention, other members of the Elasmobranch family are often overshadowed. But these creatures are rather interesting, and play important ecological roles!
The 7 species of sea turtles are well known globally. But did you know there are actually over 300 species of freshwater turtles and tortoises? In this post, we explore them, and the threats they face.
Cats. Most immediately think of fluffy, cute domestic companion animals. But, did you know there are 38 species of wild felids? Some, like the lion, cheetah, leopard, and tiger (the largest cat) are well known in households worldwide. But have you ever heard of the flat headed cat, the African golden cat, or the marbled cat?
Everybody has heard of the coral reefs which exist in tropical waters, such as the Great Barrier Reef, and we all know they support a vast diversity of ocean wildlife. However, did you know that corals also exist in the deep sea, in much, much colder waters? And that these are also under threat too?
Untold Nature 