Baboons have something of a reputation as pests on the African continent. Part of this is driven by the crop-raiding exploits of some troops – an activity that is sure to stimulate conflict, but where the adaptive benefits for baboons are clear. On top of this, however, is a broader view that they are destructive, [...]

The recent news story of dung beetles using the milky way for orientation has shed a whole new (star)light on this amazing group of species (Dung Beetles guided by Milky Way – BBC News). More than fitting then that last week ZSL hosted a workshop of international experts to assess the extinction risk of 272 [...]

As a biologist, you might be asked this question many times in conferences or other circumstances. I was actually at a loss for words when I was first asked this very simple question, not knowing whether to say “I have no study species” or “I study all species, known or unknown”. Indeed, all species are [...]

After a total of 12 months in the Solomon Islands my PhD fieldwork is complete! The last stint was a rainy 8 months, but now safely back in the UK I am happy to say trench foot and washing in the river are behind me! For those that haven’t been following Wills and Kate’s tour [...]

When people hear the word ‘invertebrates’ their first reaction can be anything from: “I love them!” to: “huh – what’s that?” and most commonly: “insects: arghhhhh!!” It’s understandable that most people think of wasps, jellyfish or mosquitoes as “foe” and not “friend” but there’s a lot more to invertebrates than just an inconvenience at a [...]

This week, the IUCN published the updated Red List, an ever-increasing database of species’ extinction risk. The latest update included assessments for many freshwater molluscs and cuttlefish, that were created, in collaboration with international species experts, by the ZSL’s Indicators and Assessments Unit. Most people have probably heard about the plight of the giant panda [...]