More than 800 animal and plant species have gone extinct in the past five centuries with nearly 17,000 now threatened with extinction, the International Union for Conservation of Nature reported on Thursday.
Climate change is not now the main threat to biodiversity but that could change, the report said. picked by bingo 5 months ago

Scientists have discovered a new species of lizard in the lush Western Ghats mountain range in the Indian state of Maharashtra.

The small reptile is a form of gecko and was found by taxonomist Varad Giri in the Kolhapur district. It has been named Cnemasspis kolhapurensis. picked by AutumnLotus 4 months ago

A brilliant green tree frog with huge black eyes, jumping spiders and a striped gecko are among more than 50 new animal species scientists have discovered in a remote, mountainous region of Papua New Guinea. picked by AutumnLotus 8 months ago

A dinosaur skeleton found 24 years ago in Montana has finally been identified as a new species that links North American dinosaurs with Asian dinosaurs. The dinosaur would have weighed 30 to 40 pounds, walked on two feet and stood about three feet tall. The fossil came from sediment that's about 80 million years old. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Stone Age humans in fact wiped out many animal species in places as varied as the mountains of New Zealand and the plains of North America. Now scientists are proposing a new arena of ancient depredation: the coast. picked by stinkobinko 3 months ago

A new species of giant carnivorous plant has been discovered in the highlands of the central Philippines. picked by nateebiinature 4 months ago

A brand new species of bacteria has been found by scientists among the hundreds which thrive in our mouths. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

People who research the love lives of alligators recently discovered the giant reptiles tend to be faithful partners. Big-hearted, honest to God, lovers. They'd still bite your chap off, though, given half a chance. picked by iamamaniac 3 weeks ago

For more than a quarter of a century, it had been nothing more than a clump of spiky leaves. Then the plant suddenly burst through the centre and grew and grew and grew, shooting up 25ft in a matter of weeks and bursting into yellow-green flowers. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

A report released Sunday recorded 17,650 species living below 656 feet, the point where sunlight ceases. The findings were the latest update on a 10-year census of marine life. The researchers have found about 5,600 new species on top of the 230,000 known. They hope to add several thousand more by October 2010, when the census will be done. picked by MandolinOrange 1 week ago

Researchers have found in Vietnam what they believe to be the world’s largest cave.
At 262-by-262 feet (80-by-80 meters) in most places, the Son Doong cave beats out the previous world-record holder, Deer Cave in the Malaysian section of the island of Borneo.
(disappointed there are so few pictures - but click on link on the right to see them) picked by Bingo 4 months ago

Earthwatch scientists in South Africa have discovered 18 new species of invertebrate including spiders, snails, millipedes, earthworms, centipedes and true bugs. picked by AutumnLotus 3 months ago

A plant that pretends to be ill has been found growing in the rainforests of Ecuador.

The plants feigns sickness to stop it being attacked by insect pests known as mining moths, which would otherwise eat its healthy leaves. picked by AutumnLotus 6 months ago

This site has lots of information on thousands of different species of animal. This sites great. Who knew there was a Brown-headed cowbird. lol picked by pjanaway 2 years ago

Even in its native Argentina, the fire ant wins in head-to-head competition with other ant species more than three-quarters of the time.
ARS scientists have been studying how different ant species fare against the fire ant as part of an effort to learn more about the behavior of this pest—an invasive species in its non-native United States. picked by Bingo 5 months ago

As the smallest known frog species in the world's second largest mountain range, this new amphibian is easy to miss.

But scientists searching the Andes mountains' upper Cosqipata Valley in southern Peru, near Cusco, spotted the coin-size creature--a member of the Noblella genus--in the leaf litter of a cloud forest between 9,925 and 10,466 feet (3,025 and 3,190 meters). picked by iamamaniac 8 months ago

Animals are amongst the most interesting and beautiful creatures on earth, and so it's of no surprise that each species in entirely different than the next. picked by bingo 6 months ago

District 9's crustacean aliens may be the first extraterrestrials to experience South Africa's apartheid, but they're hardly the first species to feel the sting of oppression. We list science fiction's other downtrodden, enslaved, and dehumanized (so to speak) species. picked by Bornbad 4 months ago

An international team of scientists has discovered an extinct rodent species, based on fossil tooth remains found in Alborache, Valencia. Eomyops noeliae, from the Eomyidae family, represents the oldest find within this genus in the world. picked by AutumnLotus 4 months ago

It may be more than 570million years old and look like a knobbly rope, but scientist believe they have discovered the first animal on earth ever to have sex. The fossilised remains of this new species of organism was unearthed in Australia where the tube-like creatures lived in abundant flocks. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago