Wild winters: How animals survive the cold
Winters are a trying time for wildlife. With freezing temperatures, scarce food sources and difficulty in camouflaging, it isn’t easy to get by. Different animals use different strategies to survive and make it through these harsh conditions. Here are a few tricks that help some creatures weather even the coldest of winters. Moving on: Migration Without … Continued
We asked a moose expert what the heck is actually going on in this reader’s video
When Amanda Waggoner noticed two moose acting interestingly in her backyard, she did what any self-respecting disciple of the digital age would do: she filmed the encounter and shared it with us (below), stating: ‘[I] don’t know for sure if it’s a mama weaning… but sure does remind me of motherhood.’ Our curiosity captured, we … Continued
10 deadly deserts that'll leave you gasping for a drink
With winter’s arrival, thoughts of never-ending sunshine and warm sand beneath your feet probably sound idyllic. In reality, many of the places on Earth that fit this description are far from the tropical paradises you’re imagining. Deserts are some of the most dangerous terrains on the planet; seemingly endless landscapes with extreme weather conditions and … Continued
The most beautiful trees on Earth
Trees are often overlooked in favour of more charismatic mega fauna (normally critters with fur and four legs). But just as there are endangered animals in need of conservation, many tree species are under threat too. Here’s 10 of the most iconic trees from around the world, to remind us that these magnificent species need our love and … Continued
10 of the biggest man-made changes to the natural world
For centuries explorers and pioneers saw the natural world as inexhaustible. From fish stocks to forests, it was thought that no human activity could possibly impact nature on any significant scale. Unfortunately, we now know this is wrong. We can, and have, made vast changes to our world. Here is just a taste of what … Continued
The strange tale of the American woodpecker that came back to life, at least for a little while
As North America’s mighty Mississippi River meanders southward to its terminus in the Gulf of Mexico, it creates a range of spectacular wetland habitats unlike anywhere else on Earth. Bayous, swamps, and bottomland hardwood forests thrive on the fertile alluvial soils of the Mississippi floodplains, which are saturated by regular to near-permanent flooding. These primeval … Continued
Obamacare Mk.II: US President sanctions world's largest ever ecologically protected zone
President Obama has just celebrated the centenary of the US National Park Service (NPS) by massively expanding a national marine monument in Hawaii, where he was born. The newly super-sized Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument now sprawls across 582,578 square miles of blue ocean around the uninhabited northwestern islands of Hawaii, making it officially the planet’s … Continued
Wilderness loving adventurer surfs around erupting volcano
Adventurer, environmentalist and wildlife advocate Alison Teal has just become the first person to surf and swim around the base of an erupting volcano. In extraordinary scenes captured by underwater photographer Perrin James, Teal rode her pink surfboard up to Hawaii’s Kīlauea Volcano as it spewed glowing red molten rock into the ocean, and then … Continued
What would YOU do if the government seized your land?
What would you do if a giant energy corporation decided to build a controversial oil pipeline right across your land? For David Daniel, a Texas landowner and environmentalist whose property was chosen as a construction site for TransCanada’s country-spanning Keystone XL pipeline, there was no question about the right course of action. He had to … Continued
Creature currency: Nature’s most beloved beasts, as illustrated on the humble banknote
Currency. Every society (more or less) uses it, but have you ever stopped to stare at the amazing array of creatures that are detailed on the back of those crumpled pieces of paper (and now, plastic) we stuff into our pockets and wallets each week? From the Philippines’ pikoy, to Bermuda’s bluebird, onto the splendid … Continued
10 of America’s weirdest animals
Thanks to the work of Louis Theroux and other fearless documentarians, we know that America is home to the occasional eccentric human. But what about the world of animals? Surely there are some stateside critters with equally unusual ways of life? You bet. There are all kinds of bizarre animals living in the deserts, rivers and prairies … Continued
The elk, the wolf, and the hunter—Exploring the turbulent juncture between hunting and conservation
As far as we’re aware, no one’s ever been quoted saying conservation is an easy science. But in the United States balancing the needs of these ecosystem’s two top types of hunter—humans and freshly rehabilitated or reintroduced native predators—is an ethical minefield. Alongside the usual uncertainties that arise when working with living things, are the … Continued
Child's apology note helps spread message of nature preservation
Kids say the darnedest things, and we often overlook the importance of their words. However, the staff at the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks were so touched by the note they received from a young visitor, they just had to share the child’s message. In the note, which has gained traction on the park’s … Continued
These unbelievable photos capture the staggering natural landscapes of Utah
America has more than its fair share of famous landscapes. From the sun-drenched coastlines and clifftops of California to the vibrant autumnal forests and shimmering lakes of New England, the US is a country filled with natural wonders. However, of all the amazing landscapes to explore in America, Utah’s might be the most spectacular. This … Continued
Leo's Wild Oscars Speech
The Academy Awards have been mired in controversy this year, but here at Love Nature we were delighted to see a long-awaited gong going to a guy who has consistently used his fame as a platform to promote some causes very close to our heart. Leonardo DiCaprio pocketed the best actor Oscar for his role … Continued
American tigers for sale
Want to know a frightening fact? There may be more captive tigers in the United States than left in the Asian wild. And these American tigers aren’t being born and bred in accredited zoos or academic settings, they’re backyard big cats. You read the headline right—thousands of tigers and lions are being privately held on … Continued
Exploring the extreme resourcefulness of animals that live at the 'dry limit of life'
As far as we know, water is fundamental to all life on this planet. But there are places on Earth that receive as little as 0.76 mm of rainfall a year and have no open freshwater sources. To live in these extremely arid environments, evolution has favoured those able to adjust to life with little water, … Continued
Running around with baby bison
As the largest land animals in North America, a charging bison can be a terrifying sight. As a baby, watching a bison run around might remind you of a puppy at play.
Meet the goat who ran away from slaughter and won his freedom
This is Braveheart—the famous @Lowellgoat who spent a month last year on the lam in New England’s brutal winter wilderness, now living it up at a farm animal sanctuary. The legend of the @Lowellgoat, aka Braveheart, began last Boxing Day on a small Massachusetts farm: Oliveira’s Piggery in Tewksbury. The Piggery supplies the region’s Muslim community—and anybody … Continued
Restoring the great American prairie
Imagine if you could go back in time and roam the pristine American prairies, see how they were a few hundred years back when Louis and Clark first passed through, teeming with thousands of bison and elk, packs of wolves, colonies of prairie dogs, black-footed ferrets, and cougars and grizzlies galore. Well someday soon you … Continued
American NIH to cease chimpanzee research
Chimps are incredibly like us humans—a connection that has cost the species big time. At one point there were thousands of chimps being used globally as human-replacements in research studies, though today most of these animals are long retired. But according to the American group PETA, 900 or more chimps are still held in labs … Continued
No cause for alarm: This is just a half-mile long spiderweb
The ground lay covered in a beautiful coat of gentlest white, glittering serenely in dawn’s early light. But this isn’t frost. This is North Memphis, Tennessee, and the city—rather than being in a state of deep freeze—is actually covered in a spiderweb a half-mile long. When the gigantic spiderweb—and ‘millions’ of spiders—was first spotted, residents … Continued
Coywolf dominates northeastern North America but fails to be formally recognised
In the 1930s and 40s, a rather unusual looking breed of wild dog began to pop up across the northeastern United States. Smaller than a wolf but much larger than a coyote, the crossbreed was classified in the late 1960s as an eastern coyote or coydog, a cross between a coyote and a dog. Though … Continued
Over the past 10 years this deadly fungus has nearly wiped out North America's bats
Evolution is an arms race, with animals and plants trying to stay a step ahead of their parasites and pathogens. Although diseases often spread without killing many of their hosts (think the common cold for humans), sometimes, a new ingredient can massively change the balance. This is exactly what happened to bats in North America, … Continued
North America’s forgotten megafauna
Mention megafauna and your imagination probably leaps to Africa with its vast herds of elephant, lumbering rhino and majestic giraffe. But if you thought Africa was the only place where magnificent mammals had evolved then you’d be wrong. Barely a moment ago in geological time giants roamed North America too, as well as many other … Continued
It’s a virgin birth! Female snake produces offspring without help from a male, for the second year running
In a bizarre mash-up of biblical narratives, a female serpent in southeast Missouri gave ‘virgin birth’ to live offspring, all without any interaction from a member of the opposite sex. The yellow-bellied water-snake at Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Centre has been alone and devoid of male companionship for around eight years. Nevertheless this is the … Continued