Latest Zoological Society of London Stories

Inspired by the World's Oceans and Supported by the Net-Works(TM) Initiative, Net Effect Launches at NeoCon CHICAGO, June 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Carpet tile manufacturer Interface is no stranger to thinking outside the box. It has journeyed beyond the typical design boundaries of carpet squares and planks. And, it's now breaking through, as well, to new levels of environmental and social responsibility, sustainability and the next wave in product design. A new modular carpet...

redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports - Your Universe Online Apparently humans aren’t the only ones who enjoy a brain teaser every now and again, as newly published research has revealed solving puzzles also seems to be a source of gratification for chimpanzees. The study, which was published by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and appears in the American Journal of Primatology, demonstrated six chimpanzees that were given a challenge which involved moving objects through a maze of...

Brett Smith for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online A new report from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) warns that not only are a large number of reptile species in danger of becoming extinct, there is also a severe lack of data on the conservation status of many reptiles around the world. According to the report, about one in five reptiles is currently endangered, and 12 percent are classified as ‘critically endangered.’ The research team, which included scientists from the...

Nest diet has big impact on attractiveness of hihi birds Published today by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and University of Cambridge, the study reveals that male hihi birds develop more colorful and attractive breeding feathers if they receive a nest diet rich in carotenoids – natural pigments found mainly in fruit and vegetables. Scientists looked at the effects of newborn nutrition on male plumage in the rare New Zealand hihi (Notiomystis concta) over the course of a year....

Lawrence LeBlond for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online A new report by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) states that human development and global temperature rise is threatening one of the world’s most precious forest systems. The Bengali Forest is disappearing at a record pace and taking along with it, species that may be found nowhere else on Earth. Rapid deterioration of the mangrove forests in the Sundarbans has resulted in as much as 650 feet of coast disappearing in a...

Mammals are in for a stormy ride as cyclones and droughts caused by climate change could threaten populations Mammals could be at a greater risk of extinction due to predicted increases in extreme weather conditions, states a paper published today by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). Scientists have mapped out land mammal populations, and overlapped this with information of where droughts and cyclones are most likely to occur. This allowed them to identify species at high risk of...

Wildlife Conservation Society A recent report says illegal hunting of wildlife in South African Development Community (SADC) states can lead to the eradication of many species across extensive areas and even complete ecological collapse. Africa's iconic large carnivores, such as cheetah, lion, leopard, and wild dog, are particularly vulnerable to this practice, either because they are caught in the bycatch from unselective methods such as snaring, or due to loss of prey. The report...

Lawrence LeBlond for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online A technique used to study people’s consumer choices was utilized by a team of researchers from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) to study similar foraging decisions made by baboons in the wild. The technique, known as discrete choice modeling, has had limited usage in the animal kingdom, and the results of this new study are impressive. This modeling technique showed researchers how baboons not only consider social and...

Brett Smith for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online Are the important causes of biodiversity and conservation devolving into more and more of a popularity contest? More than 8,000 scientists from the world’s preeminent conservation organization, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), have established for the first time, 100 of the most threatened animals, plants and fungi on the planet. However, they said many of these species may become extinct because they are not...

redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports - Your Universe Online Twenty percent of the invertebrate species across the globe -- spineless creatures ranging from earthworms to bees to butterflies to lobsters and beyond -- are facing the possible risk of extinction unless more is done to protect them, say researchers from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). As part of their 87-page study, ZSL scientists joined forces with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to review...