Palaeontologists dig up a 20-million-year-old fossil leaf in Himachal, pointing to a new species | Research Matters Scientists have unearthed a remarkably well-preserved 20-million-year-old fossil leaf in the foothills of the Himalayas, revealing a new, now extinct plant species. The fossil belongs to Syzygium, a genus of flowering trees and plants with over 1,200 species today, including the modern clove plant.

Eocene to Solan Valley - the newly discovered fossil leaf

For a deep dive, check out:
researchmatters.in/news/palaeon...

#newspecies #biodiversity #wayanad #westernghats #scicomm #science #sciencecommunication #IndianScience #ScienceinIndia

Botanists discover a new grass-like sedge in Kerala's Wayanad | Research Matters Researchers have discovered a new plant species in the high mountains of the Western Ghats in India. Named Fimbristylis wayanadensis, this grass-like plant, known as a sedge, was identified during a recent expedition in the Wayanad district of Kerala. Fimbristylis wayanadensis, named to honour the place where it was first discovered, was found clinging to life in the transitional zones between rocky landscapes and high-altitude grasslands.

From the clouds of Wayanad: A new species - Fimbristylis wayanadensis identified

For a deep dive, check out:
researchmatters.in/news/botanis...

#newspecies #biodiversity #wayanad #westernghats #scicomm #science #sciencecommunication #IndianScience #ScienceinIndia

Schematic illustrating contrasting resource allocation strategies between CO2 assimilation and PSII heat tolerance. (A) CO2 assimilation is prioritized over PSII heat stability and (B) PSII heat stability is prioritized over CO2 assimilation. (C) Temperature response curves for CO2 assimilation and PSII quantum yield for two species exhibiting contrasting responses, as presented in Fig. 4C. The schematic highlights shifts in ATP and NADPH investment between PSII maintenance and Rubisco activation energy. The large curved arrow indicates the direction of resource allocation involving ATP, NADPH, and the energetic costs of D1 and turnover of other proteins. Red colour represents higher temperatures, whereas blue indicates lower temperatures

#Tropical #trees can't simultaneously raise photosynthetic heat optima AND PSII stability: resource trade-off! Inverse Topt, Anet-T5 link in #WesternGhats warns of #warming limits #PlantPhys #Climate #Photosynthesis #TropForRes
doi.org/10.1093/jxb/... 1/3

The Nilgiri Wood Pigeon, an endemic bird of the Western Ghats, is now facing serious threats due to climate change and habitat loss.
#NilgiriWoodPigeon #WesternGhats #ClimateChange #Biodiversity #WildlifeConservation #EndemicSpecies #EnvironmentProtection

Landscape image

Portrait image

Wet and wild

The Malabar Coast, a wet and wild region, receives heavy monsoon rains first in India, fueling rainforests and a unique coffee variety, Monsooned Malabar.

#IndiaCoastline #RainforestCoffee #WesternGhats

© Anantha Krishnan / 500px / Getty Images

Mountain range descending into a forest and lake in the foreground withe green islands in the lake

#Photography #Landscape #WesternGhats #Maharashtra #Nature

CPA Inde India Les villageois de Kanikadou dans les Ghattes TOP

www.cpaphil.com/prod...

#CPAIndia #India #IncredibleIndia #IndianVillages #Kanikadou #WesternGhats #VillageLife #RuralIndia #IndianCulture #CommunitySupport #GrassrootsImpact #SustainableLiving #HumanitarianWork

King Cobras Distribute By Railroad In India - Reptiles Magazine The dispersal of these venomous snakes into towns and villages in which the snake may be not known to inhabit could pose a threat to both snakes and humans.

Snakes on a train? Why yes. The Western Ghats king cobra is moving in Goa India, via train, study says. #westernghats #kingcobra #venomoussnake #venom #India #reptiles #reptilesmagazine #snakes reptilesmagazine.com/king-cobras-...

A Rare Amphibian Discovery in India
Scientists have discovered Gegeneophis valmiki, a rare subterranean amphibian, in the Western Ghats—one of India’s richest biodiversity hotspots.
#CurrentAffairs #Biodiversity #WesternGhats
#EnvironmentGK #ScienceUpdates #VidyakasamEducation

Environmental Visionary Madhav Gadgil Dies at 83

Trailblazing scientist Madhav Gadgil, born in 1942, succumbed to a short ailment in his Pune home on January 7, 2026. 

#MadhavGadgil #WesternGhats #Ecologist #SustainableIndia #ConservationHero #UNEP

Macaques playing with some of the vast litter found at Lions Point beauty spot near Lonavala, India #primates #macaques #litter #plastic #plasticwaste #monkeys #inida #westernghats #lonavala #lonavla #maharashtra #lionspoint #pollution #peopleandwildlife

New Species Of Uropeltid Snake Of The Genus Rhinophis Described - Reptiles Magazine The snake was found in the Siruvani Hills in the Central and Western Ghats mountains of India. It is in the family Uropeltidae.

This species has a blunt tail that is strengthened by keratin. Pretty cool. #shieldtailsnake #India #WesternGhats #NewSpecies reptilesmagazine.com/new-species-...

Stork-billed Kingfisher
(Pelargopsis capensis)
Goa, December 2024.
#ThePhotoHour #natgeoyourshot @mybirdcards.com @birdsoftheworld.bsky.social #westernghats #birdwatching #birdphotography #BBCWildlifePOTD #wildlifephotography #nature #birding #niffeature2025 #NikonIndia #kingfishers #HappyWeekend

Banner image: A stone quarry in Mangaluru, Karnataka. Representative image by Ravimum via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Picture of a stone quarry followed by the text: • A new study has found that after the 2016 ban on river sand mining in Kerala, stone quarries have expanded near protected areas in the Western Ghats to extract stone for M-sand production. • The researchers found that some quarries expanded five to tenfold or more during 2011 to 2021. About 17% of this increase took place in 2016. • Besides causing loss of biodiverse habitat, quarrying activity involves loud noises, dust, ground-shaking blasts which could potentially harm the region’s wildlife. • The study recommends that ecologically sensitive zones be designated strictly off-limits for new quarry approvals.

Image of a stone quarry in Malayattoor in Ernakulam district, Kerala. The state’s construction industry reacted to a 2016 ban on river sand mining in six of Kerala’s rivers by switching to manufactured sand (M-sand), artificially made from crushing hard rocks into fine particles. Representative image by Ranjithsiji via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).

A view of the Western Ghats. Based on data from Kerala’s state mining portal KOMPAS, the researchers identified 355 operational quarries of which 72 quarries fall within the 10-kilometre buffer zone around 20 protected areas in the Western Ghats. Image by Max Martin.

#Quarries devour #BufferForests of #WesternGhats after #SandMiningBan

Post ban— #miners started crushing QuarriedHardRock to produce ManufacturedSand, also known as #Msand

Quarrying activity with its loud noises, dust & #blasts is harming #biodiversity

📸Mongabay
india.mongabay.com/2025/11/quar...

In case you are interested in #skyislands, #frogs, #lizards, #snakes, #evolution, #mountains, and #westernghats, the talk I gave at explore2025 event organised by @rgsibg.bsky.social is available to watch.

Thanks @rgsibg.bsky.social for the opportunity.

www.rgs.org/events/talks...

(PDF) In‐Situ Diversification and Regional Attributes Shape Asymmetric Diversity of Miliusa (Annonaceae) in Tropical Asia PDF | Aim We examine biogeography and speciation patterns in Miliusa Lesch. ex A. DC. (~65 species) distributed in tropical Asia to understand the... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on...

Happy to share our work on Miliusa out in JoB!

"In‐Situ Diversification and Regional Attributes Shape Asymmetric Diversity of Miliusa (Annonaceae) in Tropical Asia"

www.researchgate.net/publication/...

#Miliusa #Annonaceae #WesternGhats

North Sahyadri Yellow-browed Bulbul (Acritillas indica icterica) for #sundayyellow.
Goa - Dec 2024.
#ThePhotoHour #natgeoyourshot #niffeature2025 #birdsoftheworld #BBCWildlifePOTD #birdwatching #BirdsSeenIn2024 #natgeoindia #westernghats #Nikon @mybirdcards.com @birdsoftheworld.bsky.social #nature

Male purple sunbird in the northern Western Ghats, India #india #lonavala #birds #sunbirds #purplesunbird #nature #westernghats #wildlife

🎃 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐔𝐓𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐖𝐀𝐘 𝐇𝐎𝐏𝐒! 🎃
With its bright orange skin & eerie glandular swellings, the Resplendent Bush Frog (𝘙𝘢𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘴) from the misty grasslands of the #WesternGhats looks straight out of a #Halloween horror — except it’s very real and, unfortunately, critically endangered.

Red-whiskered bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus) chicks awaiting a feed. Taken in the northern Western Ghats of India near Lonavala #bulbuls #nests #chicks #redwhiskeredbulbul #india #lonavala #westernghats #Pycnonotusjocosus #nature #maharashtra #wildlife

Dakhan Tailed Jay (Graphium agamemnon menides)
Goa - Dec 2024.

#TitliTuesday
#ThePhotoHour #macrohour #natgeoyourshot #niffeature2025 #westernghats #biodiversity #insectsofindia #Nikon #butterflylove #butterfliesofindia #butterflyphotography @savebutterflies.bsky.social @royentsoc.bsky.social

Gray-fronted Green Pigeon (Treron affinis) - male.
Bondla WLS outskirts, Goa, Dec 2024.
#ThePhotoHour #natgeoyourshot #birdsoftheworld #westernghats #happyweekend #BirdsSeenIn2024 #birdwatching #birding #birdphotography #niffeature2025 #BBCWildlifePOTD @mybirdcards.com @birdsoftheworld.bsky.social

Wide Winged Jewel (Cyclosia latipennis)
Goa - Dec 2024.

#TitliTuesday
#ThePhotoHour #macrohour #natgeoyourshot #mothphotography #mothsofindia #niffeature2025 #westernghats #biodiversity #insectsofindia #moths #teammoth #mothweek #mothsmatter @savebutterflies.bsky.social @royentsoc.bsky.social

Jungle crow in the Western Ghats of India #india #westernghats #crows #corvids #nature #junglecrow #indiawildlife #birds #wildlife #indiabirds #lonavala

Male purple sunbird in the northern Western Ghats, India #india #lonavala #birds #sunbirds #purplesunbird #nature #westernghats #wildlife

youtu.be/f3qfTO2MrXQ

#TopStation #Munnar #KeralaTourism #TamilNaduTourism #WesternGhats #MunnarDiaries #IncredibleIndia #HillStations #TravelIndia #NatureLovers #MountainViews #SunsetLovers #TravelPhotography #Wanderlustjomy

Female purple sunbird in the northern Western Ghats, India #india #lonavala #birds #sunbirds #purplesunbird #nature #westernghats #wildlife

Dark-fronted Babbler (Dumetia atriceps atriceps) - Goa, Dec 2024.

#ThePhotoHour #natgeoyourshot #niffeature2025 #biodiversity #westernghats #birdwatching #birdphotography #BBCWildlifePOTD #birdsoftheworld #birdphotography #birdsinhabitat @mybirdcards.com @birdrespecter.bsky.social #natgeoindia

Noctuid Moth sp Saroba pustulifera.
Goa - Dec 2024.
#mothmonday #ThePhotoHour #macrohour #natgeoyourshot #macrophotography #niffeature2025 #teammoth #mothsmatter #mothspecies #mothsofindia #biodiversity #entomology #westernghats #insectencounter @royentsoc.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Owl moths in the northern area of the Western Ghats in India #invertebrates #moths #owlmoth #westernghats #maharashtra #lonavala #nature #wildlife #secondaryforest