Tag: Kerala

A team of odonatologists has discovered a new species of spreadwing damselfly, Lestes paloti, from the Western Ghats in Kerala. The discovery has been published in the International Journal of Odonatology, an internationally reputed peer-reviewed journal dedicated to research on dragonflies and damselflies. The discovery marks a significant addition to odonate taxonomy. Lestes paloti is the first new species...

Around noon on July 4, 2026, local residents found an Indian Ocean humpback dolphin (Sousa plumbea) and an Indo-Pacific finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides) dead at separate locations on the Kozhikode beach in Kerala. Alerted by the public, officials recovered the carcasses for a post-mortem examination. The necropsy of the roughly 200-kg dolphin, an endangered species...

Rows of Robusta coffee plants, pepper vines winding around trees and fruit-laden exotic plants lend a picture-postcard charm to Baby John’s 6.5-acre plantation at Ambalavayal in Wayanad, Kerala. But beneath the lush green canopy, the signs of a faltering monsoon are unmistakable. Pepper spikes have emerged but remain underdeveloped, coffee berries are developing unevenly, and...

While drones have emerged as an effective tool for wildlife monitoring and mitigating human-wildlife conflicts, experts caution that their growing use could inadvertently stress wildlife and infringe on people’s privacy. Although unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, in some cases fitted with payloads such as loudspeakers, are used in several Indian States to monitor wild animals...

A team of researchers has discovered a new genus and species of tiger moth from the southern Western Ghats. Published in the internationally renowned, peer-reviewed Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society, the new species has been named Antaram idukki. Belonging to the tiger moth subfamily Arctiinae (Erebidae), the species was discovered in Kerala’s Idukki district. Antaram idukki...

A highly contagious bacterial diarrhoeal disease called shigellosis (bacillary dysentery), caused by shigella, is being reported across the State now While all districts are reporting cases sporadically, these are turning into outbreaks in some locations affecting more people because of contaminated food/ water or due to poor hygiene practices. Cases are now being reported from...

V. Narayanan, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), on Saturday described the Artemis II mission of US’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as “a great effort” and expressed confidence that it will lead to future human landings on the moon. “I’m 100% sure that this mission will be a grand success, leading...

An intensive faunal survey in the Vazhachal wildlife division in Thrissur, Kerala, has documented 26 species previously unrecorded from the area, highlighting the rich biodiversity of the key corridor in the Western Ghats. The survey was conducted by the Kerala Forest department in association with the Travancore Nature History Society (TNHS) from February 26 to...

Researchers have discovered a new species of dragonfly from Kerala and named it Lyriothemis keralensis, recognising the State’s exceptional biodiversity. The species was recorded from Varapetty near Kothamangalam in Ernakulam district, where it inhabits vegetated pools and irrigation canals within well shaded pineapple and rubber plantations. The study was conducted by Dattaprasad Sawant of the...

A tiny crustacean discovered from the Kavaratti lagoon in the Lakshadweep islands has now been established as a new genus and a new species. The organism, which belongs to the family Laophontidae within the Copepoda class, is so minuscule that it can be properly studied only with a microscope. The crustacean has been named Indiaphonte...