14 species of acrobatic amphibians found in Western Ghats, a region expected to be hit by changing rainfall patterns

Pune: A new frog species has been discovered in the biodiversity-rich Western Ghats, by scientists of the city-based MES Abasaheb Garware College and the Indian Institute of Science Education and R

Sixty species new to science, including a chocolate-coloured frog and a tiny dung beetle less than 3mm long, have been discovered by scientists in Suriname.

The habitats of many common plants and animals will shrink dramatically this century unless governments act quickly to cut rising greenhouse gas emissions, scientists said on Sunday after studying

Two new genera of frogs were discovered by a team of independent researchers, led by Anil Zachariah and Robin Kurian Abraham, during their recent exploration in the Western Ghats.

The discovery, published in the latest issue of International Taxonomic Journal Zootaxa , is a joint effort by the team which comprised B .R. Ansil; Arun Zachariah of the Wild Life Disease Research Lab in Wayanad; and Robert Alexander Pyron, Assistant professor, Department of Biological Sciences of the George Washington University, U.S.

The Department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries (University of Kerala) and Agency for Development of Aqua Culture, Kerala, have identified the use of small mesh encircling nets as one of the biggest threats to the biodiversity of Vellayani lake, the second largest fresh water body in the State.

A participatory fish census conducted by the institutions has found that many perennial streams, which supplied water to the lake, have dried up. Paddy fields and wetlands have been land filled. The research team also noticed an alarming depletion of frogs in the lake. Pesticide contamination of the lake and shrinking of its area were other major issues affecting the water body’s survival.

New research suggests the chemicals are playing a significant and previously unknown role in the global decline of amphibians

This handout picture released by Australian Museum on Tuesday shows Helen’s Flying Frog, a new species of flying frog in Nui Ong Nature Reserve, Binh Thuan Province.

A Helen’s Flying Frog perches on a branch in Nui Ong Nature Reserve in Vietnam's Binh Thuan Province in this May 23, 2009 handout picture provided by the Australian Museum.