In March, two people were caught attempting to smuggle 54 ploughshare tortoises (Astrochelys yniphora) into Thailand. Listed as Critically Endangered, the tortoises' wild population is down to approximately 400-500 animals in its native Madagascar, mea...
Tag Archives: reptiles
May 14, 2013 by Jeremy Hance | No comments
Five percent of ploughshare tortoise population perishes after botched smuggling attempt
March 29, 2013 by Mongabay.com | No comments
Madagascar’s chameleons came from African mainland
Madagascar's color-changing chameleons originated in Africa and crossed over to the island some 65 million years ago, concludes a study published this week in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
March 25, 2013 by Jeremy Hance | No comments
Over ten percent of a species’ total population found in smuggler’s bag
On Friday, March 15th Thai authorities arrested a 38-year-old man attempting to collect a bag containing 54 ploughshare tortoises (Astrochelys yniphora) and 21 radiated tortoises (Astrochelys radiata) in Suvarnabhumi International Airport. Found only i...
January 16, 2013 by Mongabay.com | No comments
Photo: Subterranean ‘Moby Dick’ mermaid lizard discovered in Madagascar
An international team of scientists have described a bizarre new species of worm-like lizard that lives underground. Strangely, they named it the 'Moby Dick' mermaid skink.
January 07, 2013 by Mongabay.com | No comments
Picture gallery of the day: Day geckos
Day geckos are the jewels of the gecko family.
February 15, 2012 by Jeremy Hance | No comments
Photo: World’s smallest chameleon discovered in Madagascar
Scientists have discovered four new species of super-tiny chameleons in Madagascar, according to a new paper in PLoS ONE. The smallest of the new species, Brookesia micra, is found only on the small island of Nosy Hara and has been
November 10, 2011 by Mongabay.com | No comments
Photos: 40% of Madagascar’s reptiles at risk of extinction
40 percent of Madagascar's terrestrial reptiles are threatened with extinction due to habitat loss and over-collection for the pet trade, reports the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in its latest update of the Red List of Threaten...
July 26, 2011 by Jeremy Hance | No comments
Animal picture of the day: baby Nile crocodile
One day this baby Nile crocodile could reach 20 feet (6 meters) long. Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus) range throughout sub-Saharan Africa and even make their home on the island of Madagascar.
June 19, 2011 by Jeremy Hance | No comments
Endangered Madagascar wildlife on sale in Thailand
Conservation group TRAFFIC uncovered nearly 600 Madagascar reptiles and amphibians on sale in Thai markets, including endangered species and those banned for sale by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (C...
May 23, 2011 by Jeremy Hance | No comments
Photos: the top ten new species discovered in 2010
If we had to characterize our understanding of life on Earth as either ignorant or knowledgeable, the former would be most correct. In 250 years of rigorous taxonomic work researchers have cataloged nearly two million species, however scientists estima...
