Research Reveals a Strategic Bond Between Zebras and Giraffes
According to ScienceNews, zebras and giraffes form “a symbiotic bond that boosts both species’ chances of survival,” moving together through areas filled with lions and other threats that can compromise their survival. A report scheduled to be published in the April issue of American Naturalist chronicles how ecologists Romain Dejeante, Marion Valeix, and Simon Chamaillé-Jammes at the Center for Functional and Evolutionary Ecology in France conducted a study that focused on the movement and feeding patterns of six plains zebras.
They attached cameras to these zebras (the footage is extraordinary, by the way) and, after studying the video footage of them roaming around a 130-year-old nature reserve in South Africa, found that “zebras spent around a quarter of their daytime hours in the company of other species. More notably, only with giraffes did zebras synchronize their movements and feeding patterns on the go, often grazing while traveling alongside their long-necked companions.” The zebra-giraffe alliance benefits both species, the researchers say, because giraffes can see predators approaching well before zebras do, while zebras offer safety in numbers for giraffes, making them a less likely target among their most formidable predators.
Hummingbirds Found Residing in a “Hive” in the Mountains of Ecuador
We’re so used to hearing about bees living in hives but . . . hummingbirds? An article published by New York Times shares how an ornithologist and birding guide named Gustavo Cañas-Valle came upon a cave full of hummingbirds in Ecuador’s High Andes. Cañas-Valle was shocked to see these birds nesting and roosting together.
The New York Times article states, “Mr. Cañas-Valle’s discovery, described in the journal Ornithology in November, may be the first documented example of hummingbirds that nested and roosted communally. It is also notable that he found the birds engaging in both these behaviors in the same space — something that even highly social species from other bird families tend not to do.” Juan Luis Bouzat, an evolutionary geneticist at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, acknowledged how this discovery raises questions about “the role environmental factors can play in driving group living and in promoting the evolution of certain social traits.”
The Peregrine Fund Celebrates a Decade of Monitoring the Madagascar Pochard
The Peregrine Fund, whose mission is to “conserve birds of prey worldwide,” has been monitoring the Madagascar Pochard for ten years. This is a celebratory achievement, considering that when this particular duck species was recorded in 2006, it hadn’t been spotted in 15 years.
“Since then, the species has been carefully monitored by Madagascar biologists. The rediscovery of the species, along with other ecologically important findings in the area, led to the protection of the region, now the Bemanevika Protected Area,” their website shares.
Trashie Launches the Tech Take Back Box for Tech Recycling
Trashie is known for its Take Back Bag—a bag designed to be filled with old clothes, shoes, purses, undergarments, and other textiles and sent to Trashie for proper recycling. Each Take Back Bag diverts up to 15 pounds of trash from the landfill and, in 2024 alone, Trashie sold nearly 700,000! In an effort to expand their impact, Trashie recently launched the Tech Take Back Box, which allows consumers to purchase a box that can be filled with unwanted gadgets such as phones, tablets, laptops, cables, and more.
According to Trashie’s website, up to 85% of e-waste is tossed into the trash “due to a lack of awareness about recycling programs, limited access to proper facilities, and concerns about data security.” Trashie takes great care in recycling tech products, taking an in-house approach that “guarantees that data is securely handled and destroyed on-site, providing peace of mind while maximizing the recovery of valuable materials,” making their Tech Take Back Box an appealing option when it comes time to bid farewell to electronics in homes and offices that are gathering dust.
Indigenous Peoples Hard at Work Restoring an Old-Growth Forest
World Wildlife Magazine, a publication by World Wildlife Fund, has published an article in their Spring 2025 issue about the work being done to restore the Totonicapán Forest in Guatemala.
WWF’s Russell E. Train Education for Nature (EFN) Program is a proud sponsor of the EcoLogic Development Fund, which is working alongside their Maya K’iche partners to restore this important old-growth forest, which is home to ocelots, armadillos, and freshwater springs.
Unfortunately, the forest’s health has been compromised due to illegal logging, plant disease, and fires. The aforementioned article notes how the Indigenous Maya K’iche people rely on this forest as part of their daily living, and they’ve been working with the EcoLogic Development Fund since 2021 to ensure its restoration. The incredible photos included in the piece show volunteers making fertilizer, planting seedlings, and working together. So far, a little more than 600 acres have been restored—proof that tools, resources, and teamwork go a long way in making a difference.
