Rusty-spotted cat ((Prionailurus rubiginosus) [Image Credits: David V Raju / CC BY-SA]

Researchers show how free-ranging dogs modify their behaviour and personalities based on our presence in urban areas.

Ever looked at those tiny, green, olive-like capers in your pasta and wondered where they come from? Capers, also called Capparis, is the largest genera in the Capparaceae plant family and consists of around 139 species spread across the tropics. Found in arid habitats, these plants are mostly shrubs, and their flower buds and fruits are widely used as a pickled condiment. In a recent study, researchers from Pune's Agharkar Research Institute (ARI) and China's Zhejiang University have explored the genetic traits of two varieties of capers—spinosa and herbacea. 

In a recent study, herpetologists have discovered three new species of geckos belonging to the genus Cnemaspis. These geckos are thought to be endemic to the rocky granite boulders found in the Mysore plateau region of Karnataka.

Salazar Slytherin – the parseltongue wizard who talks with snakes in J.K. Rowling’s fantasy Harry Potter is not just a mystical character name of the Potterverse anymore! Now, its found a place in India’s biodiversity as a newly discovered pit viper from Arunachal Pradesh has been named after this character. 

In nature, colours are everywhere! Insects, birds, and mammals—all of them have vibrant colours and patterns on their bodies, which not only make them look pretty but play a role in behaviour and survival. Some use their kaleidoscopic looks to attract mates and stand out from their background; others prefer a dull look to blend into their surroundings and hide from predators. In some insects, like a few damselflies, males and females are differently coloured. Since the males mostly initiate mating in these insects, this difference in colours helps them to find a mate. A new study has now explored how colours impact the mating behaviour of a species of damselfly, Agriocnemis pygmaea.

Vast swathes of forests in many countries are being converted into agricultural lands to meet the ever-increasing food demand. India has increased its croplands by 56% from 1880 to 2010 while losing a whopping 26 million hectares of forest land during the same period.

As winter sets in over Punjab, one can hear the humdrum of hundreds of machines harvesting rice across lakhs of hectares of paddy fields. In Maharashtra, villages in Vidarbha lug their snowy cotton harvest to the market. Years ago, these landscapes were a sprawling array of forests, grasslands, wetlands and multiple crops cultivated on a shifting basis.

A study published in the journal Scientific Reports probes the evolutionary relationship between cheetahs.

In a recent study published in the Behavioral Ecology journal, Dr Anand Krishnan from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, studied birds’ singing activity and changes in the community structure of singing birds, before and after the arrival of migrant birds. The findings serve as a framework for monitoring rapidly-changing urban habitats through vocal birds and their singing behaviour.