Photos news from mongabay.com

Vampire and bird frogs: discovering new amphibians in Southeast Asia's threatened forests

2012-02-06T18:25:00Z

In 2009 researchers discovered 19,232 species new to science, most of these were plants and insects, but 148 were amphibians. Even as amphibians face unprecedented challenges—habitat loss, pollution, overharvesting, climate change, and a lethal disease called chytridiomycosis that has pushed a number of species to extinction—new amphibians are still being uncovered at surprising rates. One of the major hotspots for finding new amphibians is the dwindling tropical forests of Southeast Asia.

Photos of the day: satellite tagging a 12-foot saltwater crocodile

2012-02-06T15:59:00Z

Researchers in the Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo have successfully satellite-tagged a 3.6 meter (11.8 feet) saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) in an effort to study human-wildlife conflict with the world's largest reptile. As massive, powerful reptiles they are quite capable of injuring and killing adult humans.

Photos of the day: a celebration of wetlands (for World Wetlands Day)

2012-02-02T23:21:00Z

Forget the groundhogs, February 2nd is also World Wetland Day, commemorating the historic convention of wetlands in Ramsar, Iran in 1971. The Ramsar Treaty was an international agreement meant to address the loss and degradation of wetlands worldwide.

Photo of the day: super-abundance of life found in Amazon park

2012-02-02T18:22:00Z

Surveying a little-explored park in the Peruvian Amazon has paid off in dividends: researchers with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) have cataloged 365 species that had not yet been recorded in Bahuaja Sonene National Park. The never-before recorded species included two bats, thirty birds, and over two hundred butterflies and moths.

Saving the world's biggest river otter

2012-01-30T20:12:00Z

Charismatic, vocal, unpredictable, domestic, and playful are all adjectives that aptly describe the giant river otter (Pteronura brasiliensis), one of the Amazon's most spectacular big mammals. As its name suggest, this otter is the longest member of the weasel family: from tip of the nose to tail's end the otter can measure 6 feet (1.8 meters) long. Living in closely-knit family groups, sporting a complex range of behavior, and displaying almost human-like capricious moods, the giant river otter has captured a number of researchers and conservationists' hearts, including Dutch conservationist Jessica Groenendijk.

Picture of the day: the world's largest bromeliad

2012-01-30T18:20:00Z

Found in the Andes of Peru and Bolivia, the world's biggest bromeliad Puya raimondii is imperiled by climate change and human disturbances.

Photo of the Day: Critically Endangered brown spider monkey discovered in park

2012-01-26T18:08:00Z

Researchers with The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Colombia’s National Parks Unit have located at least two individuals of brown-spider monkey (Ateles hybridus) in Colombia's Selva de Florencia National Park. The discovery is important because its the only known population of this particular subspecies (Ateles hybridus brunneus) in a protected area.

Picture of the day: nearly-extinct turtle released into the wild in Cambodia

2012-01-18T18:54:00Z

Only around 200 southern river terrapins (Batagur affinis) survive in the wild, but today at least the species got some good news. A female terrapin was released back into the Sre Ambel River with much fanfare after being caught by a local fishermen in Cambodia.

Photos: program devoted to world's strangest, most neglected animals celebrates five years

2012-01-16T18:40:00Z

What do Attenborough's echidna, the bumblebee bat, and the purple frog have in common? They have all received conservation attention from a unique program by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) called EDGE. Five years old this week, the program focuses on the world's most unique and imperiled animal species or, as they put it, the most Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species. In the past five years the program has achieved notable successes from confirming the existence of long unseen species (Attenborough's echidna) to taking the first photos and video of a number of targeted animals (the purple frog).

Cute animal picture of the day: pygmy killer whale saved after stranding

2012-01-12T18:39:00Z

On Tuesday a female pygmy killer whale (Feresa attenuata) was found stranded on Tanjung Aru beach, in the Malaysian state of Sabah on the island of Borneo. After being moved to a swimming enclosure at a local resort for recuperation, the whale was released back into the wild with aid from the Sabah Wildlife Department, marine biologist Lindsay Porter, the local NGO LEAP, and WWF Malaysia.

Borneo's most elusive feline photographed at unexpected elevation

2012-01-11T21:16:00Z

Although known to science for 138 years, almost nothing is actually known about the bay cat (Pardofelis badia). This reddish-brown wild feline, endemic to the island of Borneo, has entirely eluded researchers and conservationists. The first photo of the cat wasn't taken until 1998 and the first video was shot just two years ago, but basic information remains lacking. A new camera trap study, however, in the Kelabit Highlands of the Malaysian state of Sarawak has added to the little knowledge we have by photographing a bay cat at never before seen altitudes.

Animal picture of the day: the pitch-black robin

2012-01-09T18:27:00Z

A species of robin with a black head, aptly named the blackthroat (Luscinia obscura), had rarely been seen since its first description in 1891 until last year when researchers located some of the species' breeding grounds. They documented fourteen singing males in the Quingling mountains of its native China.

Animal picture of the day: dueling green iguanas

2012-01-03T01:25:00Z

Found throughout Central and South America and parts of the Caribbean, the green iguana (Iguana iguana) is a large, mostly herbivorous lizard.

Our top nature pictures of 2011

2011-12-27T02:35:00Z

My reporting for mongabay.com took me to six continents in 2011 and I managed to take photos on many of the trips. Overall I added more than 10,000 new photos to the travel section of the site. Below are some of my favorite pictures from 2011. Thank you for reading mongabay.com in 2011 and I wish you the best for 2012!

Photos: Red-and-green animals for Christmas

2011-12-24T16:42:00Z

For the holidays, a set of red-and-green animals.

Giant monkey frog pic takes prize in photo contest

2011-12-23T05:28:00Z

Gowri Varanashi has won mongabay.com's amphibian photo contest with her picture of a Giant Monkey Frog (Phyllomedusa bicolor) taken along the Tambopata river in the Peruvian Amazon.

Animal picture of the day: pronghorn in the snow

2011-12-22T20:04:00Z

Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) are the only surviving animal in the Antilocapridae family, and contrary to popular belief they are not antelopes.

Animal picture of the day: rare photo of mother jaguar and cubs

2011-12-21T19:27:00Z

A mother jaguar, named Kaaiyana by scientists, and cubs were recently photographed in Kaa Iya National Park in Bolivia. "Kaaiyana’s tolerance of observers is a testimony to the absence of hunters in this area, and her success as a mother means there is plenty of food for her and her cubs to eat," said John Polisar, coordinator of Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) Jaguar Conservation Program. WCS released the photos.

Camera trap videos capture stunning wildlife in Thailand

2011-12-20T19:58:00Z

A year's worth of camera trap videos (see photos and video below) are proving that scaled-up anti-poaching efforts in Thailand's Western Forest Complex are working. Capturing rare glimpses of endangered, elusive animals—from clouded leopards (Neofelis nebulosa) to banteng (Bos javanicus), a rarely seen wild cattle—the videos highlight the conservation importance of the Western Forest Complex, which includes 17 protected areas in Thailand and Myanmar.

Photo essay: Lion-tailed macaques of India's Western Ghats rainforest

2011-12-19T19:15:00Z

The rainforests of Western Ghats are home to some of the most wonderful creatures which are found only in these forests and no where else on the earth. The Lion-tailed Macaque Macaca silenus is the symbol of this endemic diversity of this biodiversity hotspot. Less than 2500 of these survive today making it one of the most endangered primates in the world. In 2008, a healthy population of 32 groups of these macaques were found in central Karnataka giving hope to the future of these Knights of the Western Ghats

New species of frog sings like a bird

2011-12-12T22:49:00Z

If you're trudging through the high-altitude rainforests of northern Vietnam and you hear bird song, you might want to check the trees for frogs. Yes, that's right: frogs. A new species of tree frog has been discovered in Vietnam that researchers say has a uniquely complex call that makes it sound more like a bird than a typical frog. Discovered in Pu Hoat Proposed Nature Reserve, the new species, dubbed Quang's tree frog (Gracixalus quangi), dwells in the forests at an altitude 600-1,300 meters (nearly 2,000-4,265 feet).

Picture of penguins is a prize-winner

2011-12-10T21:55:00Z

Carl Safina's picture of King Penguins coming ashore at Salisbury Plain on South Georgia Island was the first winner of mongabay.com's series of photo contests hosted on Facebook.

On the edge of extinction, giant ibis discovered in new region of Cambodia

2011-12-06T21:11:00Z

The world's largest ibis, and one of the world's most endangered birds, has received some good news. A giant ibis (Thaumatibis giganteawas) has been photographed in the Kampong Som Valley in Koh Kong Province in Cambodia, the first record from this province in nearly a hundred years. Adults can grow to reach nearly 3.5 feet (106 centimeters) long.

Photos: biologists surprised by world's biggest leopard in Afghanistan

2011-12-05T22:51:00Z

When biologists with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) reviewed recent photos from camera traps in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan they were shocked to find a snarling image of the world's largest leopard: the Persian leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor). Listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List, the subspecies was thought long-vanished from the Hindu Kush. Photos from the camera traps—automated cameras that use an infrared trigger to catch wildlife—also showed lynx (Lynx lynx), wild cat (Felis silvestris), Eurasian wolf (Canis lupus lupus), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), and stone marten (Martes foina).

Little to show for tens of millions spent on tiger conservation, says new National Geographic story.

2011-12-05T01:03:00Z

This month's National Geographic features the work of photographer Steve Winter, who spent months on the trail of one of earth's most majestic and endangered beasts 𔃐 the tiger. Winter worked extensively in some of tigers' last strongholds in India, Thailand and Indonesia, capturing rare moments in the daily lives of wild tigers.

Photos: two dozen new beetles discovered in Papua New Guinea hotspot

2011-11-23T21:23:00Z

Over the past two decades, at least 24 new beetles species have been discovered in a remote mountainous rainforest region of Papua New Guinea by Swedish entomologists Ulf Nylander. Described in the new book Biodiversity, Biogeography and Nature Conservation in Wallacea and New Guinea, the new beetles found in the Aseki Province are all ecologically linked to rotting wood.

Picture of the day: Ocean in Focus photo contest winner

2011-11-22T21:46:00Z

A photo of a shark with a rusting hook in its maw is the grand prize winner of the Ocean in Focus photo contest, which seeks to raise awareness for conservation issues in the oceans.

Animal picture of the day: tracking the world's smallest elephant

2011-11-15T18:52:00Z

Researchers have fitted three Bornean elephants with satellite collars to track them across the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, in the Malaysian state of Sabah, Borneo. The effort means currently five elephants are being tracked. The tracking is a part of a collaborative effort by the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD), the NGO HUTAN, and the Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC).

Picture of the day: quiet river in the woods

2011-11-13T20:04:00Z

A river and forest in Gooseberry Falls State Park in the US state of Minnesota. The forest here is made up primarily of evergreens, aspen, and birch.

Featured video: camera traps catch Andean cats and others in Argentina

2011-11-07T21:28:00Z

Camera traps set up in the Jujuy Province of Argentina have captured rare images of the elusive and playful Andean cat and Pampas cat, along with other South American wildlife, including vizcachas, culpeo foxes, and skunks.

Animal picture of the day: crowned lemur and baby

2011-11-06T20:51:00Z

Like all of the world's hundred-plus lemur species, the crowned lemur (Eulemur coronatus) is only found on the island of Madagascar. They inhabit the northern tip of the island.

Picture of the day: cookies and cream moth?

2011-11-01T19:59:00Z

This moth species from Panama has not yet been identified by mongabay.com. Moths makes up the bulk of the insect-family Lepidoptera, which also includes butterflies.

Unsung heroes: the life of a wildlife ranger in the Congo

2011-11-01T16:25:00Z

The effort to save wildlife from destruction worldwide has many heroes. Some receive accolades for their work, but others live in obscurity, doing good—sometimes even dangerous—work everyday with little recognition. These are not scientists or big-name conservationists, but wildlife rangers, NGO staff members, and low level officials. One of these conservation heroes is Bunda Bokitsi, chief guard of the Etate Patrol Post for Salonga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In a nation known for a prolonged civil war, desperate poverty, and corruption—as well as an astounding natural heritage—Bunda Bokitsi works everyday to secure Salonga National Park from poachers, bushmeat hunters, and trappers.

Picture of the day: world's scariest species

2011-10-31T16:48:00Z

What's the world's scariest species? Runner-up would likely be the mosquito species that transmit malaria. Nearly a million people die from malaria annually, making up some 2.23 percent of deaths worldwide.

Photos: Halloween creepy-crawlies of the natural world

2011-10-31T02:18:00Z

Everyone loves the beautiful animals, the playful orangutans, the rolly-polly pandas, the regal tigers, the wise elephants, the awe-inspiring whales, the silly penguins—and it shows. Aside from gracing calendars and starring in movies, these species receive millions in conservation funds and have no shortage of researchers devoted to them. But what about the ugly, crawly, shiver-inducing species? What about those animals that crawl instead of bound,that are slimy instead of furry, that inhabit the deep dark place of the world.

Photos: camera traps reveal oil's unexpected impact on Arctic birds

2011-10-26T19:31:00Z

A study in the Alaskan Arctic, employing camera traps, has shown that oil drilling impacts migrating birds in an unexpected way. The study found that populations of opportunistic predators, which prey on bird eggs or fledglings, may increase in oil drilling areas, putting extra pressure on nesting birds. Predators like fox, ravens, and gulls take advantage of industry infrastructure for nests and dens, moving into areas that may otherwise be inhospitable. In addition, garbage provides sustenance for larger populations of the opportunists.

Picture of the day: bromeliads in a cloud forest

2011-10-25T17:46:00Z

These bromeliads of the cloud forests of the Andes are epiphytes. While they grow on other plants, in these cases trees, they are not parasitic.

Cute animal picture of the day: endangered baby Asiatic lions

2011-10-20T18:07:00Z

In the wild, the Asiatic lion subspecies (Panthera leo persica) survives only in India's Gir Forest National Park in the north-western state of Gujarat with a population of just over 400 individuals. Around 90 survive in zoos. The subspecies is listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List. Given its tiny population and the fact that it survives in a single location, the Asiatic lion continues to be threatened by in-breeding, disease, fires, and illegal mining. As well, conflict with villagers continues, and lions have been poached and poisoned in the past.

Photos: pelicans covered in BP oil wins top wildlife photo prize

2011-10-20T15:56:00Z

Fittingly, the winner of the 2011 Veolia Wildlife Environment Photographer of the Year award captured the shock of last year's BP Deepwater Horizon spill in the US with a single image of oiled pelicans huddled in a rescue center. Spanish photographer, Daniel Beltra, was documenting the environmental impacts of the spill with Greenpeace, for whom he has worked for 15 years. The photo was taken in a temporary rescue facility in Fort Jackson, Louisiana.

Picture of the day: jaguars take self-portraits in Bolivia

2011-10-19T19:06:00Z

A study by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in Bolivia's Madidi National Park has produced 19 jaguar 'self-portraits' via digital cameras that snap photos of wildlife when they cross an infrared beam, known as camera traps. This is the most jaguars catalogued by camera trap study yet in Bolivia. "The preliminary results of this new expedition underscore the importance of the Madidi landscape to jaguars and other charismatic rainforest species," said Dr. Julie Kunen, Director of WCS’s Latin America and Caribbean Program, in a press release.

Illuminating Africa's most obscure cat

2011-10-18T19:57:00Z

Africa is known as the continent of big cats: cheetahs, leopards, and of course, the king of them all, lions. Even servals and caracals are relatively well-known by the public. Still, few people realize that Africa is home to a number of smaller wild cat species, such as the black-footed cat and the African wild cat. But the least known feline on the continent is actually a cryptic predator that inhabits the rainforest of the Congo and West Africa. "The African golden cat has dominated my thoughts and energy for over a year and a half now. When carrying out a study like this one, you find yourself trying to think like your study animal," Laila Bahaa-el-din, University of Kwazulu Natal graduate student, told mongabay.com in a recent interview.

Animal picture of the day: jackal on the beach

2011-10-17T00:23:00Z

The black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas) is the world's oldest canine according to fossils, beating out wolves and coyotes.

Little-known animal picture of the day: salmon-bellied snake

2011-10-11T21:03:00Z

The salmon-bellied snake (Mastigodryas melanolomus) is found in Central American forests, savannas, and even agricultural areas. It preys on lizards, frogs, and rodents.

Little-known animal picture of the day: Thomas's leaf monkey

2011-10-06T20:48:00Z

With unmistakable coloring and a philosophical, at times almost melancholy expression, the Thomas's leaf monkey (Presbytis thomasi) is one of Asia's little-known primates. Thomas's leaf monkey (also known as Thomas's langur) is found only on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. The monkeys roam forests eating fruits and flowers, and sometimes snails, mushrooms, and coconut stalks.

Animal picture of the day: hyacinth macaw

2011-10-05T02:21:00Z

Hyacinth macaws (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) are the world's largest macaw. They are found in Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay and prefer swamps and wooded savannah over rainforest habitats.

Cute animal picture of the day: baby hippo takes first swim

2011-10-03T15:36:00Z

Common hippos (Hippopotamus amphibius) survive throughout sub-Saharan Africa, though they once roamed as far as Egypt along the Nile River.

Cute animal picture of the day: ginger-haired baby monkey

2011-09-29T19:56:00Z

One of the world's most endangered primates recently gave birth to an orange-haired baby at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) Zoo in London. It's the mother Francois langur (Trachypithecus francoisi)'s first birth. The fire-orange hair of the baby is typical of this species and will only last around six months.

Animal picture of the day: chestnut breasted coronet

2011-09-29T01:05:00Z

The chestnut-breasted coronet (Boissonneaua matthewsii) is native to the Andean forests of Peru, Ecuador, Colombia.

Animal picture of the day: world's tiniest rhino for World Rhino Day

2011-09-22T17:38:00Z

The Sumatran rhino is the world's smallest species of rhino, but the Bornean rhino—a subspecies of the Sumatra—is even tinier.

Cute animal picture of the day: baby Bolivian gray titi monkey

2011-09-07T15:21:00Z

The Bolivian gray titi monkey (Callicebus donacophilus) is found in a small area of the Amazon in Bolivia and Brazil.