Tag: Europe

Singvögel im Museum
Museum bird specimens as scientific reference objects—and as a mirror of historical collecting practices. (© Doreen Fräßdorf, Naturkundemuseum Berlin, 2025)

The invisible half of biodiversity — How male-biased collections skew research and species conservation

We will probably never find out what the females of Schomburgk’s deer (Rucervus schomburgki) looked like. In historical drawings, travel reports, and museum collections, only remains of males are found—with their unique, many-branched antlers. Females likely carried none, and apparently collectors in the 19th century considered them too inconspicuous to

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Earthworms as indicators of healthy soil
Earthworms are considered indicators of healthy soils because they promote soil structure, nutrient cycles, and microbial activity – and at the same time are sensitive to stressors such as pesticides. (© Donald Hobern from Copenhagen, Denmark, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Study: Pesticide residues found in more than two-thirds of European soils – not only in agricultural landscapes

When pesticides are discussed, the focus is usually on bees, birds, or residues in food. Less attention is paid to the place where many of their effects begin: the soil. Yet it forms the basis of our food supply and is home to billions of organisms. An international study, published

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Wind power – a threat to birds, bats, and insects?
A bird in an agricultural landscape in front of wind turbines: Local risks are weighed against global climate and biodiversity effects. ( © Canva Pro)

Between wildlife conservation and climate protection: Does wind power harm birds, bats and insects?

Wind turbines are a key pillar of the energy transition. They generate electricity without burning fossil fuels and therefore help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and curb climate change. During operation they produce neither CO₂ emissions nor air pollutants, require little water, and today rank among the most cost-effective forms of electricity

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Auerochse / Ur
This painting is a copy of the original, which was acquired from a dealer in Augsburg in the 19th century. The original likely dates back to the 16th century. It is unclear whether it depicts an aurochs, a cross between cattle and an aurochs, or an aurochs-like cattle breed. (© Charles Hamilton Smith, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

The Return of the Aurochs as the Tauros: From Extinction Back to the Pastures

For nearly 400 years, the aurochs, or urus, the wild ancestor of all modern domesticated cattle, has been considered extinct. However, it may soon reappear in the form of the Tauros, its selectively bred successor, in the UK. According to a report by BBC Countryfile, there are plans to reintroduce

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Zwergflusspferde und Zwergelefanten auf Zypern durch Menschen vor 14.000 Jahren ausgerottet
The dwarf elephant species Palaeoloxodon cypriotes, found only on Cyprus, weighed about 500 kilograms, while the dwarf hippo Phanourios minor (pictured) reached only 130 kilograms. (© GeorgeLyras at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

New Study: Dwarf Hippopotamuses and Elephants in Cyprus Driven to Extinction by a Few Thousand People

New research reveals that dwarf elephants (Palaeoloxodon cypriotes) and dwarf hippopotamuses (Phanourios minor) on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus were driven to extinction after the arrival of Paleolithic humans around 14,000 years ago. A small population of possibly just 3,000 people was enough to wipe out these animals within a

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Neu entdeckte Tiere 2023: Krokodilsmolch Tylototriton ngoclinhensis
The species name ngoclinhensis refers to the type locality of the newly discovered Ngoc Linh crocodile newt (Tylototriton ngoclinhensis): Ngoc Linh Mountain in Vietnam’s Central Highlands. (© Phung TM, Pham CT, Nguyen TQ, Ninh HT, Nguyen HQ, Bernardes M, Le ST, Ziegler T, Nguyen TT (2023) Southbound – the southernmost record of Tylototriton (Amphibia, Caudata, Salamandridae) from the Central Highlands of Vietnam represents a new species. ZooKeys 1168: 193-218.)

Newly discovered animals 2023

It is said that between 11,000 and 58,000 animal and plant species irreversibly go extinct each year, but there is also good news: around 18,000 new species are described and named by taxonomists each year; this number includes extinct or fossilized organisms, as well as bacteria and viruses. Even in

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Aurochs
Life reconstruction of an aurochs bull found in Braunschweig. The skeleton served as a direct reference for the proportions and horns. Body shape and colour are based on current knowledge about the wild cattle. (© Jaap Rouwenhorst (photograph) DFoidl (GIMP modifications), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Aurochs

How a wild animal became a domestic animal The aurochs or ur is considered the first wild cattle domesticated by humans, to guarantee a steady supply of meat and milk and to have draft and working animals available. Domestication is always associated with physical changes as well: over time, the

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kilch
Kilch and deepwater char (one animal at bottom left) by Emil Walter from his book Our Freshwater Fish from 1913. (© Walter, Emil, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Lake Constance whitefish

Lake Constance whitefish inhabited the lake’s deep zones The freshwater fish Lake Constance whitefish was once native to the deep parts of Lake Constance. The olive-green or brown fish could reach a length of around 29 centimetres and weighed about 125 grams. Initially, the physician and naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin

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