Baby Giraffes Hide in Bushes from Natural Predators but Have a Mixed Relationship With People

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giraffes

ARUSHA, Tanzania–Masai giraffes are the world’s tallest herbivores and beloved by people around the globe, but were recently classified as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). New research published in Oecologia showed how food, predators, and people all influence giraffe social behavior. In particular, the international team of researchers … Read more

New study reveals how human settlements and rainfall affect giraffe space use

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giraffes

ARUSHA, Tanzania, 22 February 2019 – Giraffes are huge browsing animals that live in African savanna ecosystems where they must find everything they need to survive and reproduce in landscapes increasingly impacted by human activities. People are converting natural savannas to towns and farms, and cutting trees for fuelwood and charcoal industries, all of which … Read more

Wild Nature Institute, Penn State, and Microsoft Azure Work Together to Find the Giraffe in the Bushes

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Giraffe torso photos used to identify more than 3000 individual giraffes as part of the world's largest giraffe study.

Giraffe are the tallest animal on earth, so naturally scientists have turned to big data solutions for giraffe conservation.  Researchers from Penn State and Wild Nature Institute are conducting one of the biggest large mammal studies ever undertaken by studying births, deaths, and movements of more than 3,000 giraffes across a 4,000 square kilometre landscape … Read more

Logging for Biomass Energy Blasted by 120 Civil Society and Scientific Organizations from 30 Countries

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Biomass energy from forests is a delusion. Don't let your forest be next. Stop clearcuts for kilowatts.

International statement calls for an end to monetary and policy support for biomass energy from logging forests A large international group of civil society and scientific organisations representing hundreds of thousands of people around the world has released a statement expressing concern over the use of forest biomass for energy. The groups say that biomass … Read more

Northern Fur Seal New and Recolonized Breeding Sites Have Population Growth Rates Among the Fastest of Any Fur Seal

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Northern Fur Seals at South Farallon Islands, California.

Understanding the colonization or recolonization of breeding sites used by colonially breeding animals is fundamental to metapopulation theory and has practical applications in conservation biology. Historically, pinniped species (seals and sea lions) were heavily exploited worldwide, resulting in some breeding colonies becoming extirpated. As populations recover, some abandoned sites may be recolonized or new sites can … Read more

Seeing Spots: New Study Reveals the Giraffe Babies Inherit Spot Patterns from Their Mothers and Certain Spot Traits Improve Newborn Survival

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50-year-old Hypothesis Confirmed with Modern Techniques The beautiful coat patterns of giraffes are individually unique and don’t change with age, but their origins and purpose were a mystery. A new study found wild giraffe spot pattern traits were heritable, passed down from mother to offspring, and certain spot traits improved survival of newborns. Quantifying heritability … Read more