Ricardo Rocha
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ricardonature.bsky.social
Ricardo Rocha
@ricardonature.bsky.social

Assoc. Prof. in Conservation Science @biology.ox.ac.uk
Advocate for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion.
2020 National Geographic Explorer.
๐Ÿฆ‡๐Ÿ๏ธ๐ŸฆŽ๐Ÿˆโ€โฌ› // @iccs.bsky.social

https://iccs.org.uk/author/ricardo-rocha/

Environmental science 48%
Biology 16%

Reposted by Ricardo Rocha

Urban bats avoid street lights when commuting between their roosts and foraging grounds idw-online.de/de/news862413 #ALAN #Wildlife

The domestic cat may be a far more recent arrival to Europe than previously thought, a new Science study. finds. The results offer new insight into one of humanityโ€™s most enigmatic animal companions and identify North Africa as the cradle of the modern housecat.

Learn more: https://scim.ag/44kov1S

Reposted by Ricardo Rocha

๐Ÿฆ‡Interested in a bat-related PhD? ๐Ÿ‘‡

Using genomics to understand bat population declines under global environmental change with @orlyrazgour.bsky.social , @bfraser.bsky.social and BCT, based at the University of Exeter.

Application deadline 8 January 2026: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Applying genomic approaches to understand bat population declines. NERC GW4+ DTP PhD studentship for September 2026 Entry at University of Exeter on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - Applying genomic approaches to understand bat population declines. NERC GW4+ DTP PhD studentship for September 2026 Entry at University of Exeter, listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com

Reposted by Ricardo Rocha

๐Ÿฆ‡ Following an enthusiastic reception at the National Bat Conference, Paola Reason is back with an extended online talk on 2 December (2:00 - 3:15pm) to share her reflections on 30 years of bat work and consultancy.

Book today: www.bats.org.uk/events/voice...

Reposted by Ricardo Rocha

@natreswales.bsky.social published the first Species in Peril report.

It outlines species at risk in Wales which includes six mammal species, five of which are bat species: greater horseshoe bat, Bechsteinโ€™s bat, Leislerโ€™s bat, barbastelle and serotine.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...?
The species at risk of extinction in Wales named in first of its kind report
Species in Peril identifies thousands of at-risk species in Wales based on geographical restriction.
www.bbc.co.uk

Reposted by Ricardo Rocha

Fascinating story about evidence that #H5N1 #birdflu infected vampire bats in South America, raising the prospect of a potential new & dangerous host for the virus. Some good news: The virus didn't appear to spread well among the bats. By @martinenserink.bsky.social. www.science.org/content/arti...
Vampire bats may have contracted H5N1 bird flu in Peru, raising worries about further spread
Bats could form a bridge between marine and terrestrial mammals, scientists say
www.science.org

"What research does exist on island-restricted #reptiles tends to focus on large, more widespread species, while smaller, more recently described and high-altitude species remain largely unstudied, the review (conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...) found." @iccs.bsky.social
Islandโ€restricted reptiles are more threatened but less studied than their mainland counterparts
Reptiles are highly diverse on islands, yet there is no comprehensive overview of island-restricted reptiles (IRRs) regarding their distribution, threat status, and research efforts. Our assessment r...
conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Reposted by Glenn H. Shepard

About 30% of island-restricted reptiles are currently threatened with extinction (vs 12% of mainland reptile species). Yet, just 6.7% of the published research from 1960-2021 is devoted to island species @mongabay.com

@biology.ox.ac.uk @jesusoxford.bsky.social

news.mongabay.com/short-articl...
Island-confined reptiles face high extinction risk, but low research interest
Reptile species found only on islands are significantly more vulnerable to extinction than their mainland counterparts, yet remain vastly overlooked by researchers, according to a recent study. โ€œRepti...
news.mongabay.com

Reposted by Ricardo Rocha

Estarรฃo em debate questรตes como o comรฉrcio ilegal de chitas, o comรฉrcio de cรกgados e tartarugas de รกgua doce ou a conservaรงรฃo de abutres, elefantes, leรตes africanos, leopardos e rinocerontes.
Conferรชncia mundial sobre vida selvagem comeรงa em Samarcanda com ocapis, iguanas e tubarรตes na agenda
Estarรฃo em debate questรตes como o comรฉrcio ilegal de chitas, o comรฉrcio de cรกgados e tartarugas de รกgua doce ou a conservaรงรฃo de abutres, elefantes, leรตes africanos, leopardos e rinocerontes.
www.publico.pt

Reposted by Ricardo Rocha

Pangolins, the scaly anteaters that are the most trafficked wild mammals in the world, face a host of challenges throughout their range, including South Asia.

The IUCN Pangolin Specialist Group is working on a global action plan to conserve the species, with subgroups working on regional plans.
Protecting pangolins IRL, not just on paper: Interview with conservationist Kumar Paudel
KATHMANDU โ€” Of the eight known species of pangolins found in Asia and Africa, three are listed as critically endangered on the Red List thatโ€™s maintained by the IUCN, the global wildlife conservationโ€ฆ
news.mongabay.com

Reposted by Ricardo Rocha

New study by Williamson et al. (2025) finds that boat use during an acoustic telemetry study for European eel didnโ€™t disturb sensitive waterbirds in a UK Special Protection Area-thanks to low speeds + strong mitigation. ๐Ÿ›ฅ๏ธ
doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70181
#ConservationScience
Safeguarding long-term research in ecology and evolution www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Q&A with Stรฉphane Blanc, research director at CNRS, about the Long-term Studies in Ecology and Evolution programme and its priorities for supporting long-term monitoring and research

Free to read: rdcu.be/eQltU
Safeguarding long-term research in ecology and evolution - Nature Ecology & Evolution
Long-term research projects are essential for predicting the ecological and evolutionary responses of species to global change, yet their continuity is often threatened by uncertainties over funding. ...
www.nature.com

Reposted by Ricardo Rocha

When you think of bats, you probably donโ€™t think of pollination - but bats are crucial pollinators, and the key to creating a certain drink! ๐Ÿธ

See an (adorable) bat covered in pollen and learn why a world without bats would be a world without tequila in this weekโ€™s Surprising Science. ๐Ÿฆ‡

Reposted by Ricardo Rocha

#Bats in Churches research reveals ancient buildings as vital wildlife refuges. Crucially, the research also found that 90% of church communities feel positively about their resident bats. โ›ช๐Ÿฆ‡ #naturepositive

www.bats.org.uk/news/2025/10...

Reposted by Ricardo Rocha

There are 1500 described species of bat in the world with more being added all the time. Each species is unique in its requirements and the role they play in the ecosystem. In the UK we have 18 resident species www.bats.org.uk/about-bats/w...
I just got an email from a former mentee telling me that one dinner conversation changed how he writes papersโ™ฅ๏ธ

I told him: โ€œjust write the paper, get it outโ€”the next one will be better, and the next even better.โ€

Perfectionism is a trap (and a way to procrastinate...:))

When beavers build dams and reshape streams, they generate habitats for #bats and other species:

phys.org/news/2025-11...

A new study from Switzerland showed at activity at beaverโ€dammed stream sections was 2.3 times higher than at comparable stream sections without beaver influence.

Six new species of tube-nosed #bats (genus Murina) in the Philippines. The Philippines already had ~79 known bat species - now six more are added, underlining how much biodiversity still remains undocumented. scitechdaily.com/scientists-d...

Reposted by Ricardo Rocha

From trade offs to synergies: Aligning climate and biodiversity policies.

Reps from Oxford Biology joined experts from government, academia and NGOs at COP30 at this side event.

With Greenpeace, SOS Atlantic Forest foundation, WWF and @oxfordgeography.bsky.social.

๐Ÿ“ธ L.Jardim & A.Vasconcelos

Reposted by Ricardo Rocha

New OA ๐Ÿฆ‡ research ๐Ÿ“„

Testing a bat fatality detection system at wind turbines

journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
Testing a bat fatality detection system at wind turbines
To understand conditions associated with bat fatalities at wind turbines for informing reduction strategies, researchers began using thermal camera video monitoring with a field of view (FOV) focused ...
journals.plos.org

Our new study shows that island populations of grey long-eared #bats have distinct DNA haplotypes compared to mainland populations, reflecting long-term isolation & independent evolutionary trajectories: link.springer.com/article/10.1... @iccs.bsky.social @jesusoxford.bsky.social @biology.ox.ac.uk

๐ŸฆŽ Quase 30% dos rรฉpteis insulares estรฃo ameaรงados - mais do dobro da mรฉdia global.
E muitos correm risco antes mesmo de serem estudados.
Sem investigaรงรฃo podemos perder espรฉcies รบnicas para sempre.
๐Ÿ‘‰ wilder.pt/historias/repteis-das-ilhas-correm-mais-risco-de-extincao-mesmo-antes-de-serem-estudados
Rรฉpteis das ilhas correm mais risco de extinรงรฃo, mesmo antes de serem estudados - Wilder
Um novo estudo liderado pela Universidade de Oxford concluiu que 30% das espรฉcies de rรฉpteis confinadas em ilhas estรฃo hoje ameaรงadas, mas estes animais recebem muito menos atenรงรฃo dos cientistas do q...
wilder.pt

Reposted by Ricardo Rocha

NEW: An Oxford-led study has found that reptiles confined to islands face double jeopardy - theyโ€™re more likely to go extinct than mainland species, yet remain largely overlooked by researchers.

Read more โฌ‡๏ธ
Island reptiles face extinction before they are even studied, warns
A new study led by the University of Oxford has revealed that reptiles confinedย to islands are facing a double jeopardy. Despite being more likely to go extinct than mainland species, they remain
www.ox.ac.uk
Did you know that #islandโ€restricted #reptiles are more threatened but less studied than their mainland counterparts?๐ŸฆŽ Interested in learning why?๐Ÿง Find out in Nunes et al's #recentlypublished article!
doi.org/10.1111/csp2...
Islandโ€restricted reptiles are more threatened but less studied than their mainland counterparts
Reptiles are highly diverse on islands, yet there is no comprehensive overview of island-restricted reptiles (IRRs) regarding their distribution, threat status, and research efforts. Our assessment r...
doi.org

Reposted by Ricardo Rocha

Reptiles confined to islands are facing a double jeopardy ๐ŸฆŽ

New research from @ricardonature.bsky.social shows that 30% of island reptiles are threatened with extinction (compared to 12.1% of reptiles overall) - but only 6.7% of reptile-focused research since 1960 has studied them ๐Ÿ‘‡
bit.ly/3LqQo1F
Island reptiles face extinction before they are even studied
bit.ly

Reposted by Travis Longcore

In 2010-2013, conservation teams on #Chichijima - 1 of the main islands in the #Ogasawara chain - captured & removed 131 feral cats. The goal was to reduce predation pressure on an endangered pigeon. The results were immediate: adult pigeon numbers rose from 111 to 966 www.nature.com/articles/s42...