Author: Andrew Rogers

A new study has found that about 90% of marine aquarium fish sold in the US are taken directly from the wild. Researchers analysed 734 species and discovered most were caught from reefs in the western Pacific and Indian oceans. The global aquarium fish trade is worth over US$2bn and sells around 55 million marine animals each year. Lead author Dr Bing Lin said the trade’s “murky” supply chains hide the true origins of many fish. Forty-five species listed as threatened or declining, including the Banggai cardinalfish and clarion angelfish, were found for sale. “Many endangered species slip through trade…

The record-breaking marine heatwave of 2023 was no anomaly, new research shows — and such events may now happen every year. Temperatures off the UK and Irish coasts soared nearly 3C above average for over two weeks, devastating marine life. A study by the University of Exeter, the Met Office, and Cefas found a 10% annual chance of a heatwave of similar scale. In the Celtic Sea, the risk has jumped from 4% in 1993 to nearly 14% today; in the North Sea, from 1% to almost 10%. “These heatwaves are a problem now – not just a future risk,”…

Typhoon Matmo hit southern China on Sunday, forcing 350,000 people to flee their homes. The storm brought 94mph winds and over 50mm of rain in six hours across Guangdong and Hainan. Flights and ferries were cancelled, and China issued its highest red alert as flooding fears grew. Matmo is now weakening over Vietnam but still threatens heavy rain and landslides. Meanwhile, Hurricane Priscilla formed off Mexico’s Pacific coast with 75mph winds, bringing dangerous swells and up to 200mm of rain. In the Arabian Sea, Cyclone Shakhti triggered alerts for India’s west coast, where rough seas and heavy rain are expected.

Giraffes’ spots help them stay cool and hidden in the African heat. “It’s nature’s air-conditioning,” says Sheena Harvey. Each patch has a large blood vessel surrounded by tiny capillaries. These widen to release heat like radiator panels. The giraffe isn’t fully covered in these vessels because the patches also act as camouflage in dappled bushland. “The mottled pattern works perfectly for both cooling and concealment,” Harvey explains. The dark color of the spots remains less certain. They’re rich in melanin, which likely prevents sunburn on short-haired skin. Short hair lets heat escape easily, helping the giraffe survive under the fierce…

The continued destruction of Western Australia’s northern jarrah forests for bauxite mining could push the endangered Baudin’s black cockatoo to extinction, conservationists have warned. “Baudin’s or bauxite – we can’t have both,” said Mark Henryon of BirdLife Western Australia, who has long campaigned for stronger protection of the species, describing it as the state’s “forgotten” black cockatoo. The Baudin’s, known for its white cheeks and distinctive squeaky call, uses its long, narrow bill to extract seeds from marri nuts without breaking them – a delicacy now growing scarce. Once widespread, the species has declined by 90% in 40 years, and…

Berlin’s thriving goshawk population could serve as the model for a bold new conservation effort in the UK. Dr Paul O’Donoghue of Rewilding UK plans to release 15 northern goshawks each into Chester and London, aiming to establish them as apex predators in urban environments. The species, once hunted nearly to extinction in Britain, has flourished in European capitals like Berlin, Amsterdam and Prague, where the birds nest in parks, hunt pigeons in the streets and adapt to city life alongside people. O’Donoghue believes the raptors could help control mesopredators such as crows and magpies in Britain’s cities, indirectly boosting…

Researchers will attempt to rear swallowtail butterflies from eggs frozen in liquid nitrogen, in a pioneering project that could help protect species at risk of extinction. The trial will involve freezing eggs of captive-bred European swallowtails at –196C, then thawing them to see if they can develop successfully into butterflies. Their survival will be compared with that of unfrozen eggs. If successful, the method could be used to preserve the eggs of the British swallowtail (Papilio machaon britannicus), a unique subspecies now confined to the low-lying Norfolk Broads. Rising sea levels threaten its last habitat, and 2024 marked its worst…

Canada has rejected a request from Marineland in Niagara Falls to export 30 beluga whales to China, citing concerns the animals would face further mistreatment in captivity. Marineland, which has one of the world’s largest captive whale populations, has long faced criticism over conditions at its facility. Since 2019, 20 whales – including 19 belugas and one killer whale – have died there. The park, which did not open this summer, has said it intends to remove the remaining animals but has not responded to recent requests for comment. Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in China had confirmed interest in acquiring the…

The UK’s common toad population has dropped sharply, with new research showing numbers have almost halved in less than 40 years. An analysis led by the University of Cambridge found a 41% decline in toads recorded by volunteer “toad patrols” between 1985 and 2021. Similar monitoring in Switzerland revealed a one-third fall since 1973. Researchers say the reasons were not directly studied, but likely include road traffic, pond loss, urbanisation, and declines in invertebrates such as beetles, slugs and earthworms that toads rely on for food. Toad patrols count and move amphibians during their annual breeding migrations in spring, providing…

Wildlife volunteers are celebrating the success of a project to reintroduce smooth snakes to Pebblebed Heaths in east Devon. The non-venomous species, once scarce across the UK due to habitat loss, was reintroduced in 2009 with 17 snakes relocated from Dorset and Hampshire. Since then, numbers have steadily grown, with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) reporting 39 sightings last year and confirming a self-sustaining colony. Volunteers Liz and Roger Hamling have been monitoring the reptiles for 15 years. They use refuges — sheets of corrugated iron laid on the ground — where smooth snakes shelter and…