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Well, I am rather fond of hamsters…so I’m pretty happy with the news that the European Court of Justice has stepped in to ensure the survival of this beautiful critter. The black-bellied hamster is found in Alsace, France and has been a protected species in the country since 1993. But despite efforts, the 1200 burrows found in 2000 decreased dramatically to just 180 in 2007. The French government is now working with agencies to create a more favourable habitat for the hamsters.
Photo : Frederick Florin/AFP/Getty Images

Lion are more likely to attack you just after a full moon scientists have found. Using the data from 500 lion attacks, they found that most attacks occurred when the moon is waning, just after full moon. As lions use the cover of darkness to hunt, this lack of moonlight aids their chances of attack. Scientists also found attacks were more likely to occur in the rainy season when the clouds obscured the moonlight, also helping the lions.

With all the sad recent news of two police dogs being found dead in a locked car on the hottest day of the year, the RSPCA have some excellent advice on how to look after your pet in this hot weather. Even in moderately warm weather, around 22 degrees, the temperature inside a locked car can quickly reach 47 degrees within an hour. If you see a dog locked in a car, people are advised to ring 999.

After the success of last year’s competition, this year there are ten more threatened British species who need a name. They all have scientific names…but don’t have a less tongue-twister common name which might help endear them to the public in their fight against becoming endangered.
Last year brought us such wildlife as the Queen’s executioner beetle and the sea piglet shrimp. Go to the Guardian’s website for the ten species and see if you can give a name to these beautiful species!
Photo : Libor Hudík/Natural England

While some have been basking in the recent heatwave…the wildfires it caused could have disastrous effects for many ground-nesting birds including this beautiful twite.
A species of finch, this bird only has around 100 breeding pairs in the seed-rich hay meadows of the Highlands.

These Caribbean monkeys have been studied as they steal alcoholic drinks from people on the beach…and show just how similar they are to humans!
They found the monkeys divided into groups; social drinkers, regular drinkers, binge drinkers and teetotalers which seems to suggest that alcoholism isn’t just a human trait. Research suggests alcoholism may be genetic but as it is currently only narrowed down to around 300 genes, it may still be a long time before we discover specific genes.

It’s been a busy month for the people of Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic. They’ve been trying to rescue a rockhopper penguin colony caught in a thick oil slick. Only 260 people live on the island…and almost all of them have been helping out in a desperate attempt to save the thousands of endangered animals. The incredible determination of the locals means even the island’s swimming pool was drained to provide a place to assess whether the penguins were ready to be released yet.
Photo : Kent Kobersteen/Getty

This cheeky little fella is a beautiful baby wombat just born in Ballarat wildlife park, Victoria, Australia. These marsupials grow up to a metre in length and build complex burrow systems. Their unique backwards-facing pouch means they don’t get dirt into it when they dig.
Photo : Newspix/Rex Features

Well, I’ve been trying to find the worm Sir David Attenborough was talking about yesterday that only lives in the tears of hippos! But it’s proving elusive and instead I found this great quiz to see how well you know your animals. Try out the Guardian’s Eye Spy and see how many species you can guess just from seeing their eye.

This is Lady, the 26 year old osprey who’s been exciting twitchers in Perthshire as she awaits the return of her mate for the breeding season. Although ospreys mate for life, she’s already outlived several mates at her ripe old age as the average lifespan for the species is only eight years.
Lady’s diet consists mainly of medium sized fish and she’s been living off the Loch’s supply of perch and trout