A new mixture of cryoprotectives allows for an unprecedented high motility of frozen rhinoceros sperm after thawing, report scientists from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) in Berlin, Germany. These new cryoprotectives can increase the prospects of utilising assisted reproduction techniques for many endangered wildlife species. The study, based on three rhinoceros...
Eradicate rats to bolster coral reefs
Rat control should be considered an urgent conservation priority on many remote tropical islands to protect vulnerable coral reefs, according to an international team of scientists.
New research has confirmed that invasive rats decimate seabird populations, with previously unrecognised consequences for the extensive coral reefs that encircle and protect these islands.
Invasive predators such as rats --...
The first endemic Baltic Sea fish species received its name
The "Baltic flounder" Platichthys solemdali is the first fish species shown to be native only to the Baltic Sea, i.e. the first endemic fish described from the area and one of the only two known endemic species when considering any organism. The fact that a new vertebrate species is found and described from European waters,...
Ancient bones reveal 2 whale species lost from the Mediterranean Sea
Two thousand years ago the Mediterranean Sea was a haven for two species of whale which have since virtually disappeared from the North Atlantic, a new study analysing ancient bones suggests.
The discovery of the whale bones in the ruins of a Roman fish processing factory located at the strait of Gibraltar also hints at the...
Primates adjust grooming to their social environment
Working together and exchanging services for the benefit of everyone involved is crucial for humans and partly responsible for our success as a species. In order to achieve a goal, we need to choose the best possible cooperation partners. Yet who qualifies as the best possible partner depends on the task at hand, the abilities...
If you build it, the birds will come — if it meets their criteria
A study published in The Condor: Ornithological Applications presents a case study on how bird surveys can better inform conservation and vegetation restoration efforts. Previous conservation methods have emphasized plants as the key to recreating habitat preferred by a sensitive animal. However, this study shows that there's more to the coastal sagebrush habitat of California...