Atretochoana eiselti is the largest known caecilian, attaining a length of 75 cm (30 inches), or more than twice the size of the next-largest known species. This individual was photographed after it was spotted while draining a portion of the Madeira River — a major tributary of the Amazon — for a controversial hydroelectric project. Photo by Matt Roper
The most popular environmental news article on mongabay.com during 2012 was a post about the so-called “penis snake” discovered in a Brazilian river. The article, which explained that the creature was actually an amphibian and that its habitat was being destroyed by a hydroelectric dam, was viewed 238,000 times.
Following the ‘penis snake’, was the “discovery” — a.k.a. the formal scientific description — of the lesula (Cercopithecus lomamiensis). That post had 225,000 reads.
The discovery of the ‘Velociraptor’ spider in an Oregon cave (125,000 page views) rounded out the top three most visited mongabay news articles.
In descending order, the rest of the top 10 most popular articles of 2012: the discovery of a new owl species in the Philippines; a study that recreated bee colony collapse with pesticide-laced corn syrup; a summary of trends in global forest cover; a 2005 story about an invasive python that exploded in the Everglades after eating a native alligator; a report about a giant crocodile in the Philippines; a study about the collapse in African lion populations; and a 2009 feature about how to save the Amazon.
Overall mongabay.com published nearly 1,200 news articles in English in 2010. The news section of the site averaged 275,000 visitors per month.
Thank you to the roughly 24 million people who visited various sections of mongabay.com this year. Best wishes for 2013!
225,000+
- ‘Penis snake’ discovered in Brazil is actually a rare species of amphibian (Written by Rhett Butler in 2012)
- Remarkable new monkey discovered in remote Congo rainforest (Jeremy Hance 2012)
100,000+
- Velociraptor spider discovered in Oregon cave (Jeremy Hance 2012)
75,000+
- New owl species discovered in the Philippines (Butler 2012)
- Researchers recreate bee collapse with pesticide-laced corn syrup (Hance 2012)
50,000+
25,000+
- Python explodes after swallowing 6-foot alligator in Florida Everglades (Butler 2005)
- Authorities capture the biggest crocodile ever recorded (Butler 2011)
- Lion population falls 68 percent in 50 years (Hance 2012)
- How to save the Amazon rainforest (Butler 2009)
- Isolated indigenous people and tourists collide in Peru park (Hance 2011)
- Future threats to the Amazon rainforest (Butler 2008)
- Visiting the rainforest – a practical guide (Butler 2005)
20,000+
- New species of bioluminescent cockroach possibly already extinct by volcanic eruption (Michael Rudolph 2012)
- The top new species discoveries in 2012 (Butler 2012)
- The year in review for rainforests (Butler 2011)
15,000+
- Scientists discover beautiful new insect species after stumbling upon photos on Flickr (Butler 2012)
- Where’s my mama?: campaign targets cruel slow loris pet trade (Hance 2012)
- The rarest rhino’s last stand (Butler 2012)
- Model airplane used to monitor rainforests – conservation drones take flight (Butler 2012)
- The camera trap revolution: how a simple device is shaping research and conservation worldwide (Hance 2012)
- Photos of the top 10 most threatened amphibians (Hance 2008)
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