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The colossal squid was captured on camera at a depth of 600m off the South Sandwich Islands in the Atlantic Ocean

Watch: Colossal squid filmed in ocean for first time

A colossal squid has been filmed alive in the wild for the first time, 100 years after the species was discovered.

The pygmy chameleon blends in with the leaf litter and lower vegetation of its montane forest habitat in Tanzania

Chameleon, whale shark on conservationists' watchlist

A paper clip-sized chameleon and the enormous whale shark are among the threatened species being monitored by conservationists.

World • 07 Jan

Open season on deer hunting has been extended

Cull plan 'absolutely flawed' - Irish Deer Society

The Irish Deer Society has said the plan for an extension on open season on deer hunting to reduce herd numbers is "absolutely flawed".

Ireland • 06 Mar 24

Onlookers at Belfast's Albert Bridge view a starling murmuration

Starling murmurations return to Belfast city skyline

Starling murmurations have returned to the Belfast skyline after environmentalists persuaded the authorities to make a few simple tweaks.

Ulster • 08 Jan 24

Ulster Wildlife said barn owls were badly affected in 2021, when a wet spring and hot summer resulted in a poor breeding season

Barn owl bumper year in NI as 24 chicks fledge nests

Conservationists are celebrating a bumper year for barn owls in Northern Ireland.

Ulster • 01 Mar 23

A Roseate Tern emerges from its nest box on Rockabill island (Photo: Brian Burke)

Nest boxes help terns thrive on Rockabill island

Nest boxes deployed on a small island off the coast of Dublin are greatly helping Europe's largest colony of Roseate Terns, new research shows.

Ireland • 23 Aug 22

For members of the Mud Island Community Garden in the North Strand area of Dublin, the garden is an important social space

Call for more allotments amid focus on urban growing

Ireland's community growers have called for a doubling in the number of allotments and community gardens to 5,000 by 2025.

Ireland • 18 Apr 22

The animals are known to use gentle petting with strongly bonded allies

Male dolphins whistle to maintain relationships

Male bottlenose dolphins save physical contact for those they feel closest to, but for other weaker – yet still important – relationships they connect through whistling, a study has found.

News Lens • 25 Mar 22

Cathelijne de Wit is a member of Wicklow Forest Bathing Guides - a group which came together following a pilot ecotourism training programme last year.

Back to nature: Forest bathing blossoming in Co Wicklow

While record numbers have taken up sea swimming during the pandemic, another form of 'bathing' is also growing in popularity in Co Wicklow - and no swimsuits are required.

Ireland • 22 Jan 22

Puffins are among the little birds that head south each year to more hospitable but isolated islands

Seabirds starve in stormy 'washing machine' waves

Thousands of seabirds that wash up on Atlantic coasts every year could have been starved to death by cyclones that whip up "washing machine" waves, a new study says, with experts warning the phenomenon could worsen with climate change.

Climate Change • 15 Sep 21

A fox cub is treated at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Ireland hospital in Co Meath

Wildlife hospital urges caution over animal 'rescues'

Two months after it opened, staff at Ireland's first hospital dedicated to sick and injured wildlife are appealing to the public to think twice before rescuing baby birds and animals.

Ireland • 23 Apr 21

Dire wolves were larger and heavier than the modern grey wolf (pictured)

Dire wolves far apart from other canines - study

Prehistoric dire wolves made famous by the TV series Game of Thrones prowled the Earth for thousands of years before being wiped out at the end of the Ice Age.

News Lens • 13 Jan 21

Researchers previously thought only domesticated animals try to ask for help with a problem

Kangaroos can learn to communicate with humans - study

Kangaroos can learn to communicate with humans similar to how domesticated dogs do, by using their gaze to "point" and ask for help, according to new research.

World • 16 Dec 20

During a single dive, sperm whales can spend nearly an hour at depths in excess of 300m, with only short periods at the surface (file pic)

Study finds 380 sperm whales off Irish west coast

There are around 380 sperm whales off the west coast of Ireland, according to research conducted by Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology.

Ireland • 10 Dec 20

The Galapagos penguin is one of the smallest species of penguins in the world, measuring up to 35cms

Galapagos sees record rise in penguins and cormorants

The population of Galapagos penguins and flightless cormorants, two species endemic to the islands, has seen a record increase, study results released yesterday showed.

World • 24 Oct 20

The UN warned that man-made activity had already severely degraded three quarters of land on Earth

World missing all targets to save nature - UN

Countries are set to miss all of the targets they set themselves a decade ago to preserve nature and save Earth's vital biodiversity, the United Nations has said.

World • 15 Sep 20

World's 2nd largest species caught on camera off Cork

The second largest species on earth was caught on camera off the Cork coast last weekend, under clear skies and calm waters.

News Lens • 14 Aug 20

The 100th humpback whale identified in Irish waters off the coast of Kerry (Pic: Nick Massett)

Humpbacks have a whale of a time in Irish waters

The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) says the humpback whale has reached and passed an "important and remarkable milestone" off the Irish coast.

Ireland • 27 Jul 20

The Brown Booby was spotted on the beach at Greystones

Brown Booby, rare bird found on Wicklow beach, dies

What is believed to be Ireland's first Brown Booby, the rare tropical seabird that was first spotted on the beach at Greystones, Co Wicklow last Monday, has died after four days in intensive care.

Ireland • 18 Jul 20

Feargal Ó Cuinneagáin walks through his species-rich meadow

Farming to bring corncrake back from near extinction

A vet is farming land in Co Mayo with the aim of helping the dwindling corncrake population survive in Ireland.

Ireland • 17 Jul 20

The 2019 numbers of the Painted Lady were almost 600% up on the 2008 figure (Image: Liam Lysaght)

2019: The year of the Painted Lady

2019 was the year of the Painted Lady, according to the authors of an annual national butterfly survey that has found overall populations of the insects are up 10% in the last five years in Ireland.

Ireland • 04 Jun 20

Studies in the UK estimate losses of up to 50% of hedgehogs in rural areas

Researchers take on prickly subject with hedgehog study

A new survey of Ireland's hedgehogs is under way, led by researchers at NUI Galway and the National Biodiversity Data Centre.

Biodiversity • 02 Jun 20

The Hen Harrier has experienced sharp decline in recent decades

Hen Harrier breeding soars with help of farmers

Farmers are to share in a €450,000 bonus for their efforts in protecting the Hen Harrier following a very successful breeding season last year.

Ireland • 21 May 20

The nine tigers that survived the illegal transport from Italy to Russia spent a few weeks recovering at a Polish zoo

Russia-bound tigers rescued in Poland head for new home

Five of nine tigers that survived a gruelling journey across Europe have set off for their new home at a Spanish animal refuge after weeks of recovery at a Polish zoo.

World • 02 Dec 19

Mara's passage through the airport gave rise to much excitement among staff and early morning travellers

Turtle washed up during Storm Lorenzo takes flight home

A loggerhead sea turtle that washed ashore here ahead of Storm Lorenzo last month is finally on her way home to warmer waters.

Ireland • 04 Nov 19

Nature