Meet the ancient bird that had toes longer than its lower legs. Researchers have discovered a bird foot from 99 million years ago preserved in amber that had a hyper-elongated third toe. The study, published in the journal Current Biology on July 11, suggests that this bird might have used its toes to hook food out of tree trucks. This […]

Non-native iguanas are multiplying so rapidly in south Florida that a state wildlife agency is now encouraging people to kill them. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said people should exterminate the lizards on their properties as well as on 22 areas of public land. It did not say how civilians should try to kill them. “Homeowners do not […]

Australian gulls are carrying superbugs resistant to antibiotics, raising fears that disease-causing bacteria may spread from the birds to humans, livestock and pets. A team of scientists led by researchers at Perth’s Murdoch University found more than 20% of silver gulls nationwide were carrying pathogenic bacteria, such as E coli, that are resistant to drugs. E coli can cause urinary […]

Plans to ease a ban on the trading in tiger and rhinoceros parts have been postponed by the Chinese government. While the trade of the endangered animals was banned by the country in 1993, in October the government announced it would allow the parts to be used for medical, scientific and cultural purposes. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said the […]

The number of endangered rhinos in Tanzania has risen by 1,000 per cent after a government crackdown on organised gangs guilty of industrial-scale poaching, officials claim. And elephant populations have risen by nearly half in five years, thanks to a blitz on illegal ivory hunters, the president’s office said. Four years ago the country, which has been described as “ground […]