Wildlife

Natural Buffer

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the natural wonders of the world. But many of its reef-building corals have been devoured by plagues of toxic crown-of-thorns (COTS) starfish. Scientists fighting to save the Great Barrier Reef have discovered a new secret weapon - a tiny red crab. The red decorator crab - or ‘Schizophrys aspera’ - has a voracious appetite for the juvenile starfish, research from the University of Queensland has shown.

Extinct Lion Spotted in Chad's Sena Oura National Park

A lion has been spotted in a Chad’s Sena Oura National Park - the first sighting in almost 20 years. Researchers previously believed the animals to be extinct in the area, which is close to Chad’s border with Cameroon. The sighting - the first since 2004 - is an early sign that big cat populations in the area could be increasing.