Earth Touch Blog

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – Tailed jay butterfly May 6 2008

The tailed jay butterfly (Graphium agamemnon), also known as the green spotted triangle, tailed green jay or green triangle, is a tropical species of the swallowtail family. It is widely found in Australia, India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – bonnet macaque Apr 15 2008

Bonnet macaques (Macaca radiata) are a type of monkey native to India. They eat fruits, nuts, seeds, flowers, and invertebrates.

This photo was taken by our Earth-Touch Flickr group member Subharghya Das, in Karnataka, India.

Wildlife news from around the world

Darwin and the jungle fowl gene Apr 14 2008

Evolution theorist Charles Darwin believed the domesticated chicken descended from the red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus) only, but new research shows there’s more to the story.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – Indian grey mongoose Apr 1 2008

The Indian grey mongoose (Herpestes edwardsi) is found in southern India and parts of the Middle East and south-eastern China. These animals, which can grow to about 0.6m (2ft) long, live socially in small family groups.

Did you know?

Did you know? Differences between Indian and African elephants Mar 5 2008

There are many ways that Indian and African elephants are different from one another, even though they are related.

Wildlife news from around the world

River dolphin count completed Jan 29 2008

BBC Wildlife magazine reports that the recent completion of a survey of pink (Inia geoffrensis and Inia boliviensis) and grey (Sotalia fluviatilis) river dolphins in South America’s Orinoco and Amazon Basins was “a triumph for freshwater dolphin conservation”.

Wildlife news from around the world

Whale missing link found Jan 3 2008

A fossil found in a mountainous region of India may be the ancestor of whales, dolphins and porpoises.

It was known that these marine mammals had a land-based ancestor, but this link in the fossil record was missing.

Did you know?

Did You Know? Indian humpback dolphins Nov 23 2007

The Indian humpback dolphin (Sousa plumbea) can be spotted in waters along the eastern coast of South Africa and northern Mozambique in small schools of up to 25 animals.

Wildlife news from around the world

India to recruit ex-army personnel to protect tigers Nov 6 2007

The Indian government will step up the protection of tigers in the country by employing retired army personnel to guard sanctuaries where they live, the BBC, AFP and others have reported.

The government announced the move after a census conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India found there were fewer than 1500 of the iconic animals left in the country – less than half of the 3642 estimated after the last major survey, conducted in 2002.

Wildlife news from around the world

Artificially inseminated blackbuck gives birth to fawn Aug 30 2007

Male blackbuck Photo: Courtesy Wikipedia

A rare blackbuck, the fastest of the Indian antelopes, gave birth to a fawn in Hyderabad, India, last week, after being artificially inseminated.