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Orange Bullfinch (Pyrrhula aurantiaca), family Fringillidae, order Passeriformes, northern India

photograph by Reyan Sofi

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Rusty-spotted Genet aka Panther Genet (Genetta maculata), family Viverridae, Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique

photograph by Piotr Naskrecki

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Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia), family Strigidae, order Strigiformes, AZ, USA

photograph by Marcel Fouch

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Lesser Nighthawk (Chordeiles acutipennis), mother and chicks, family Caprimulgidae, order Caprimulgiformes, Arizona, USA

photograph by Mark Koster

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Endangered Andean cat is imperiled by climate change and its solutions

The Andean cat is an endangered and elusive wildcat species found in the high Andes Mountain regions of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru.

The species is exceedingly rare across its entire range and researchers must endure high altitudes, reduced oxygen levels and adverse weather conditions to study and monitor widely scattered populations.

Climate change and our attempts to curb it both put this small cat at risk. As the world warms, the Andean cat’s cold mountain habitat shrinks ever smaller. Global warming is also driving up demand for lithium and other rare metals for electric vehicles, with extractive industries pushing ever deeper into alpine zones.

With low numbers and low density, addressing local threats is vital to protecting felid populations, making every single Andean cat important for species survival, researchers say. Innovative local community programs have contributed to conserving this small Latin American cat.

Read more here:

Endangered Andean cat is imperiled by climate change and its solutions

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A speckled brown snake (Pseudonaja guttata) in Kynuna, Queensland, Australia

by Stephen Zozaya

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Hello could I get fish native to the Amazon River plz? The Amazon rainforest is where I wanna live I love it sm. Thx & love the blog

Amazonian Fish:

I have a nice little collection for you...

Black Ghost Knifefish (Apteronotus albifrons), family Apteronotidae, found in freshwater habitats in much of South America

This nocturnal fish produces a weak electrical field that helps it locate prey and find its way around in the dark.

photograph by J. Richter

Brown Discus (Symphysodon aequifasciatus), family Cichlidae, found in the central and eastern Amazon River Basin of South America

photograph by Ivan Alexander Fahler

Red Discus (Symphysodon discus), family Cichlidae, order Cichliformes, found in blackwater habitats in the Amazon Basin of South America

May grow to a svl (snout vent length) of up to 20 cm.

Popular in the aquarium trade.

The young (called fry) feed on a mucous secretion from the parents skin, sometime called “Discus Milk”.

photograph by Erkut Akyildiz

Electric Eel (Electrophorus electricus), family Gymnotidae, order Gymnotiformes, found in freshwater habitats in northern South America

These predatory fish are able to stun prey using electric shocks of up to 860 volts.

They are not true eels, but are in the same order as neotropical knifefish.

photograph by Steven G. Johnson

Tiger Shovelnose Catfish (Pseudoplatystoma tigrinum), family Pimelodidae, order Siluriformes, found in the Amazon Basin of South America

photograph by Lerdsuwa

Emperor Tetra (Nematobrycon palmeri), T - male, b - female, family Acestrorhamphidae, order Characiformes, found in 2 river basins in western Colombia

The bottom photo shows a more purplish form, which has been bred for the aquarium industry.

photographs: Aggiefish & Okyms Aquatic

10 Fascinating Facts About the Arapaima, the Largest Freshwater Fish in South America

This keystone species of the Amazon River ecosystem are a fearsome predator with many names.

Reaching up to 10 feet (3 meters) long and weighing 440 pounds (200 kilograms), arapaima are the largest freshwater fish in South America—and an important species in the Amazon River ecosystem. Learn about these jungle giants before you encounter them at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. 1. They are top predators in their environment. 2. Arapaima breathe air. 3. They’re an ancient species...

Read more: Ten Fascinating Facts About the Arapaima, the Largest Freshwater Fish in South America | Smithsonian Voices

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I found this friend on the brim of my hat in Arkansas! I always feel a little bad for bumbling through some poor spider's hard work stretched across the middle of a hiking trail, but at least I get to meet some ladies with beautifully decorated abdomens.

Spider ID - AR, USA:

Henlo, yessss, this is a Triangle Orbweaver (Verrucosa arenata), family Araneidae.

Also called: Arrowhead Orbweaver or Triangle Spider

Verrucosa arenata - Wikipedia

Species Verrucosa arenata - Arrowhead Spider - BugGuide.Net

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I was in a cruise in the southern Caribbean and during one of our sailing days, we had these birds flying around our ship eating the flying fish that were leaping out of the way of the cruise ship, and i was curious if you could help identify them.

Bird ID - South Caribbean Sea:

Mewlo, yisss, this is one of my favorite sea birds, we get them occasionally on the TX coast as well.

This is the Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster), family Sulidae, order Suliformes.

Brown booby - Wikipedia

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Tooth-necked Longhorn Beetle (Psalidognathus friendii), family Cerambycidae, Colombia

photograph by khristimantis

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You had a post some time ago that said "boring looking" birds don't have as much known about them bc people care less about these birds and that sad fact has lived in my head since. So can I please see some plain ol' birds to learn about?

Here are some plain looking birds that I am actually rather fond of:

American Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus), family Aegithalidae, order Passeriformes, found in the Western US and Canada

photograph by Colin Franks 

Wrentit (Chamaea fasciata), family Paradoxornithidae, order Passeriformes, Western US

photographs: Matt Davis and Mike Charest

Clark’s Nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana), him eat a tasty pine nut, family Corvidae, order Passeriformes, northwestern U.S.

photographs by Doug Schurman & TIERFOTOAGENTUR

Oak Titmouse (Baeolophus inornatus), family Paridae, order Passeiformes, CA, USA

photograph by Chris Wolfgram & Paul Fenwick

Juniper Titmouse (Baeolophus ridgwayi), family Paridae, order Passeriformes, Western US

photographs: Jack Parlapiano & Albert Linkowski

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On World Humanitarian Day this Tuesday, aid agencies warned that global needs are rising sharply while funding declines, with Luxembourg among the few maintaining its support, as crises from Pakistan to Gaza deepen and humanitarian workers face mounting risks. This year, the United Nations had originally planned to provide humanitarian aid to 177 million people. That figure has since been revised down to 114 million. From Pakistan, where devastating floods have hit communities, to Somalia, where famine threatens lives, the need for humanitarian assistance is as urgent as ever and spans across more regions than perhaps ever before. At the same time, funding is shrinking. The United States, particularly under the administration of Donald Trump, drastically cut back its contributions, and many European countries have been following the same trend. Martin Lagneau, Director of Handicap International Luxembourg, observed that there is a growing disregard for international law. He explained that several states are questioning the very legitimacy of humanitarian aid operations and even the principle of helping others. According to him, the US government has openly challenged the relevance of aid, while European states tend to focus more on financial considerations, especially those linked to their defence commitments.

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Kneecap's Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh has returned to court in London to face a terror charge relating to his alleged public support of Hezbollah during a gig by the Belfast rap trio last year. Legal argument relating to the timing of when the charge was brought is expected to take up today’s proceedings, with Ó hAnnaidh speaking at the beginning of the hearing to confirm his name and date of birth. At the beginning of proceedings, Judge Paul Goldspring inquired with Ó Annaidh’s legal team about the extent to which the Irish language interpreter present in court would be required. His representative said that the interpreter would be required “when needed, but consistently”. At this point the judge said that the layout of the court was not ideal for this purpose. He suggested that Ó hAnnaidh move down from the dock to the main area of the courtroom to sit alongside the interpreter. The judge’s ruling on the legal argument will determine whether a plea is required and if a full trial is likely to go ahead.

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Begoña Gómez, wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, has been charged with alleged embezzlement linked to the hiring of her university advisor, who is also under investigation. Spanish Judge Juan Carlos Peinado is probing Gómez for possible influence peddling, business corruption, trademark misappropriation and intrusion during her time as co-director of two master’s degrees and a special chair at Madrid’s Complutense University, Euractiv's partner Servimedia reported. The case comes as the Sánchez administration, as well as Sánchez himself through his entourage, is currently under fire for several corruption scandals. Spanish media reports that Álvarez spent part of her publicly funded job helping Gómez with university work and activities involving private companies. The investigation centers on whether Álvarez “overstepped her authority by misappropriating public resources for private or strictly personal interests,” the Provincial Court of Madrid ruling reads.

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…monetary sovereignty. While it won’t rival the dollar globally, it could strengthen Europe’s financial autonomy. Cash isn’t going away just yet—but it’s losing ground fast. Across the euro area, more people are paying with cards, smartphones and apps, while physical money plays a shrinking role in daily life. For the European Central Bank (ECB), this digital shift poses a serious question: how do we preserve the role of public money in a world that’s going cashless? Their answer: the digital euro—a central bank digital currency designed to work like cash, but in digital form. “The main reason for issuing a digital euro is to preserve the benefits of cash in the digital era,” said Piero Cipollone, member of the ECB Executive Board, in a speech in July. “To do so, we need to complement physical cash with a digital form of cash.” What makes cash different? Cash is simple, private, and universally accepted. You don’t need a bank account, there are no hidden fees, and your payment history stays with you—not with your bank, a tech firm or a retailer. By contrast, most digital payments today involve private companies. Cards are easy to use, but they’re part of a commercial system. Every time you pay, the transaction goes through private networks that track your data, charge merchants fees, and can exclude people who are unbanked or less tech-savvy. Today, much of our everyday spending relies on systems run by non-European players—whether it's cards from US firms or payment apps owned by tech giants. "What’s particularly concerning in Europe is that the gap left by declining cash use is being filled by non-European payment solutions," Cipollone said. Unlike cards or apps linked to private banks, the digital euro would guarantee full privacy for offline payments, and a high degree of privacy for online transactions. A digital euro would be public infrastructure—free to use, widely accepted, and neutral.

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There'll still be a need for physical cash for when the digital euro system is not available due to an act of war/sabotage, power cut, hacking, or any number of things that could go wrong.

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The court in Amsterdam will hear the case regarding a rejected asylum request of a transgender woman who fled the United States on Wednesday afternoon. The 28-year-old American was not granted asylum because the Netherlands sees the U.S. as a safe country for all groups, said LGBT Asylum Support. According to the organization representing the asylum seeker, this is the first Dutch court case in this category. “The discussion will be about what the ruling is based on,” explained Sandro Kortekaas, chair of LGBT Asylum Support. “There is no official report on the current situation in the United States.” He believes one should be prepared as soon as possible. According to LGBT Asylum Support, transgender and queer people in the U.S. are facing “extremely deteriorating conditions.” The organization pointed towards a verdict made by a Canadian judge, who blocked the deportation of a non-binary American due to the policies of the current U.S. President, Donald Trump.

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