Last of the belugas from Russia’s ‘whale jail’ released
The last of the nearly 100 whales held captive in what’s been termed a “whale jail” in Russia’s Far East have finally been freed back into the ocean — although…
Articles by Shreya Dasgupta
Shreya Dasgupta is a science and environmental writer based in Bangalore, India. She has written for BBC Earth, New Scientist, Ensia, Smithsonian.com, The Scientist, The Guardian (Environment Blog), Nature India, The Caravan, and others. Shreya has been writing for Mongabay since 2013, and joined as a full-time staff writer in September 2015. She reports on forests, wildlife, oceans and climate change.
Mussel species that invaded Southeast Asian waters now appears in India
While out on routine coastal surveys this past summer, a group of researchers noticed something odd. There were huge clusters of small, black mussels clinging on to wood stumps, plastic…
India’s Ganga River dolphins are being shouted down by noisy boats
India’s Ganga is a noisy river. There’s the churning of sediment, the hums, grunts and growls of fishes and turtles. There are the cacophonous stretches of cities and industries breathing…
Emperor penguins could disappear by 2100 if nations don’t cap emissions
If the climate continues to change at its current pace, most emperor penguins could become extinct by the end of this century, a new study predicts. However, if countries meet…
Facebook and Instagram posts help locate pygmy seahorses in Taiwan
Pygmy seahorses are fascinating animals. These tiny, colorful seahorses measure less than an inch (2.7 centimeters) and match their body colors and textures to those of the vibrant corals they…
‘Fantastic grandmothers’ snorkel, help uncover large sea snake population
A group of seven women in their 60s and 70s, who call themselves “the fantastic grandmothers,” have helped uncover a surprisingly large population of venomous sea snakes in the waters…
New species of shrimp-like creature found in a whale shark’s mouth
In 2017, Japanese scientists found hundreds of shrimp-like creatures in an unusual place: on the gill rakers of a female whale shark, the world’s largest fish, living in a fish…
Can camera traps diagnose the severity of a mystery giraffe skin disease?
Giraffes have many problems to deal with. There’s habitat loss and poaching. Then there’s a mysterious skin disease that’s been recorded in 13 giraffe populations in seven African countries. The…
New species of orange-red praying mantis mimics a wasp
In 2013, a team of researchers surveying insects in a research station on the banks of the Amazon River in northern Peru set up a light trap. The large, brightly…
Amazon’s male white bellbird has the loudest recorded call
When the male white bellbird sings, it’s not just loud: it’s ear-splittingly loud. In fact, the call of this Amazonian bird is the loudest recorded call among all bird species…
New maps show where giraffes live — mostly outside protected areas
You know a giraffe when you see one. But where in Africa can you see one? Unlike lions and rhinos, the world’s tallest animal is grossly understudied, with very little…
DRC’s Okapi Wildlife Reserve gets new management partner in WCS
The Okapi Wildlife Reserve in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), created to protect the secretive okapi (Okapia johnstoni), will now be run under a new management partnership agreement between…
Failure in conservation projects: Everyone experiences it, few record it
We’ve all had duds. We’ve worked on projects far longer than we would have liked to and failed. We’ve agonized over missteps. We’ve learned from roadblocks — sometimes we’ve not.…
Extreme snowfall led to reproductive collapse in some Arctic wildlife in 2018
Plants and animals in the Arctic are adapted to harsh climatic conditions. But extreme weather events triggered by human-caused climate change are wreaking havoc on Arctic wildlife, a new study…
Rare songbird recovers, moves off endangered species list
The recovery of a rare bird species that was close to extinction five decades ago is now being heralded as a conservation success story. The Kirtland’s warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii), also…
Panthera: At least 500 jaguars lost their lives or habitat in Amazon fires
The fires ravaging the Amazon forest in Brazil and Bolivia this year have burned key habitats of at least 500 adult, resident jaguars as of Sept. 17, rendering them dead…
Nine new Fijian bees described, some restricted to a single mountaintop
From the island country of Fiji in southern Pacific Ocean, researchers have described nine new, and four previously known, species of bees, their colors ranging from black to golden-green and…
‘Full-blown crisis’: North America has lost nearly 3 billion birds since 1970
Bird populations are crashing in North America. And it's not just the rare and threatened species that are disappearing — even the common, seemingly widespread backyard birds like sparrows, warblers…
Newly described Chinese giant salamander may be world’s largest amphibian
The Chinese giant salamander, which reaches lengths of more than 5 feet (1.6 meters), enjoys the title of being the world’s largest living species of amphibian. However, the critically endangered…
Popular pesticide linked to weight loss and delayed migration in songbird
A popular group of pesticides linked to huge declines in bees around the globe could be adversely affecting migratory birds making pit stops on farmlands, according to new research. In the…
Special series
Endangered environmentalists
- Philippine officials not spared as attacks on environmental defenders persist
- ‘Guardian of the Forest’ ambushed and murdered in Brazilian Amazon
- ‘Weird’ police probe rules Indonesian activist died in drink-driving crash
Indonesias forest guardians
- Reforesting a village in Indonesia, one batch of gourmet beans at a time
- Restoring Sumatra’s Leuser Ecosystem, one small farm at a time
- Indigenous Iban community defends rainforests, but awaits lands rights recognition
Amazon infrastructure
- Yanomami Amazon reserve invaded by 20,000 miners; Bolsonaro fails to act
- Amazon infrastructure puts 68% of indigenous lands / protected areas at risk: report
- Amazon fish kill at Sinop spotlights risk from 80+ Tapajós basin dams
Asian rhinos
- Indonesia plans IVF for recently captured Sumatran rhino
- Malaysian attempt at Sumatran rhino IVF fails on low quality of sperm
- At India’s Assam Zoo, decades of experience lead to rhino-breeding success
