Critically endangered species and ones banned from international trade are among the hundreds of types birds, reptiles and mammals that researchers identified at 142 animal cafes.
Tag Archives: Endangered and Extinct Species
Sunflower Sea Stars Are Set to Get Protection Under the Endangered Species Act
Sunflower sea stars, hit by a “climate-fueled pandemic,” play a key role in keeping marine ecosystems balanced.
How Widespread Are These Toxic Chemicals? They’re Everywhere.
Researchers created a map showing where PFAS compounds, linked to cancer in humans, have been detected in wildlife. It spans the globe.
Horseshoe Crabs Are in Trouble. How Much Longer Can We Rely on Their Blood to Test Our Drugs?
An alternative test is urgently needed to protect horseshoe crabs and the birds that depend on their eggs.
How Climate Change Is Spreading Malaria in Africa
The mosquitoes that transmit the disease dramatically increased their range over the last century as temperatures warmed, scientists reported.
The Biggest Penguin That Ever Existed Was a ‘Monster Bird’
Fossils found in New Zealand highlight an era after the dinosaurs when giant flightless birds prowled the seas for prey.
These Extinct Elephants Were Neanderthals’ ‘Biggest Calorie Bombs’
A study of butchered bones from 125,000 years ago offers what researchers call “the first clear-cut evidence of elephant-hunting in human evolution.”
They Outlasted the Dinosaurs. Can They Survive Us?
Sturgeon are disappearing from North American rivers where they thrived for millions of years. And the quest to save them is exposing the limits of the Endangered Species Act.
How Rare Island Bunnies Do a Parasitic Plant’s Bidding
The world’s only wild black-furred rabbit has a very important job — distributing seeds for a parasitic plant.
Why This Trilobite Had Neptune’s Trident for a Nose
A new paper suggests an ancient creature’s odd anatomical feature may be the earliest known example of specialized sexual combat in the animal kingdom.
Ecuador Tried to Curb Drilling and Protect the Amazon. The Opposite Happened.
A novel idea to leave the country’s vast oil reserves in the ground fizzled for lack of international support. Now, struggling under painful debt, the government wants to expand drilling in the rainforest.
Global Warming May Make You Miss These Parasites When They’re Gone
Warming temperatures in one part of the world seem to have driven down the parasite population, suggesting another unexpected way that climate change harms ecosystems.
What’s In (and Not In) the $1.7 Trillion Spending Bill
A big boost for the military, more aid for Ukraine, a preference for the lobster industry over whales and an overhaul of the Electoral Count Act are among the provisions in the 4,155-page bill lawmakers expect to pass this week.
Countries Adopt a Sweeping Agreement to Protect Nature
Delegates meeting in Canada, aiming to halt a dangerous decline in biodiversity, agreed on a deal to place 30 percent of the planet under protection.
No One Wants to Say ‘Put Down That Burger.’ But We Really Should.
If current eating and farming trends continue, the world will clear at least one and a quarter more Indias worth of land by 2050.
Those Adorable Endangered Creatures Are Not the Point
We treat conservation as an altruistic pursuit — a special interest championed by a passionate few — but it’s also a selfish cause.
Can Australia Save a Rare Reptile by Moving It to a Cooler Place?
An experiment to preserve the western swamp tortoise is the latest flash point in a debate over how far humans should go to protect nature as the world warms.
A Penguin-Like Shape May Have Helped This Dinosaur Dive
The duck-size animal’s body was streamlined for pursuing prey underwater, researchers say. Other paleontologists say more work is needed to confirm the finding.
The Return of the Jaguar in the Yucatán Peninsula
Thanks to Mexican conservation efforts, the jaguar is making a comeback in the Yucatán Peninsula. A traveler ventures into its habitat in the tropical jungles surrounding an ancient Maya city.
A Planned Restart of a Crab Harvest Pits Conservation Against Industry
After a decade-long ban, the potential revival of crab harvesting in the Delaware Bay poses a threat to shorebirds, naturalists say.
A South Pacific Penguin Dumps One of Its Potential Chicks
On the Antipodes Islands in the South Pacific, researchers observed a strange parenting move in erect-crested penguins — laying an egg that’s doomed to die.
The 2022 Living Planet Index Is Out. Here’s How to Understand It.
The latest update to an important assessment found that populations had declined by an average of 69 percent since 1970. But that might not mean what you think.
Lights Out, America! (Songbirds Are Counting on Us.)
Up to a billion birds die in window strikes every year. But the best way to make the migration seasons safer overall is also the easiest.
After 75 Years, Cheetahs Return to India in a Grand Experiment
Scientists aim to determine whether a predator population can be restored in a place where it was hunted into extinction.
How Far Should We Go to Save a Species?
As scientists push the frontiers of conservation technology, some of their initiatives raise ethical questions.
To Save Whales, Don’t Eat Lobster, Watchdog Group Says
The group says that the shellfish, long considered a more responsible choice, cannot be considered a guilt-free meal anymore.
The Dugong ‘Sea Cow’ Has Vanished from China’s Waters, Study Says
The study said the dugong, a vegetarian mammal that ranges across Asia and Africa, has essentially vanished from the country’s coastline.
Harriet Hageman, Poised to Defeat Liz Cheney, Has Anti-Environment History
Harriet Hageman, who is challenging Representative Liz Cheney, worked for decades as a lawyer opposing environmentalists and federal regulations of resources in Wyoming.
Pigs to the Rescue: An Invasive Species Helped Save Australia’s Crocodiles
Invasive species can damage the ecosystems they wind up in. But in parts of the world, endangered predators make hearty meals out of them.
Modern and Ancient Crickets May Sing the Same Song
With a one-of-a-kind museum specimen, researchers recreated the chirp of ancient cricket relatives that droned alongside the dinosaurs.
The Outdoor Cat: Neighborhood Mascot or Menace?
To some, letting cats roam is unthinkable. To others, so is keeping them inside.
At the Serpentine, a Show of Nature’s Healing Power
The climate crisis is inspiring — and requiring — new perspectives in thinking for the London gallery, starting with “Back to Earth.”
Monarch Butterflies Are Placed on IUCN Red List
Researchers cited climate change and habitat loss. But they also said the public can help give the insects a boost.
Australia’s Environment in Crisis, Report Says
Climate change, habitat loss, invasive species, pollution and mining have contributed to a drastic decline in the populations of some wildlife species.
Did Nature Heal During the Pandemic ‘Anthropause’?
Covid precautions created a global slowdown in human activity — and an opportunity to learn more about the complex ways we affect other species.
Biodiversity Crisis Affects Billions Who Rely on Wild Species, Researchers Say
The latest global assessment of the decline in plant and animal life found some bright spots but recommended significant changes to hunting and other practices to address the risks.
A Canine Companion So Nice It (Maybe) Evolved Twice
Two different ancient wolf populations contributed DNA to modern dogs, according to a new study.
To Catch a Snake: Largest Python Found in Everglades Signals a Threat
The Burmese python caught by a team of trackers breaks a record and shows the invasive species surviving in Florida’s ecosystem despite efforts to remove those snakes.
Let’s Pass the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act
An “unthinkable level of bipartisan support” may just lead to a win for species in peril.
Climate Groups Use Endangered Species Act to Try to Stop Drilling
Environmentalists say the government failed to study the threats to endangered species from climate change before issuing oil and gas drilling permits.
New Zealand’s Biodiversity Crisis Prompts Extreme Measures
A few years ago, the nation vowed to rid itself of most imported predators. But now some people are asking if that goal is feasible, or worth what it will cost.
Megalodon Extinction May Have Been Driven by Hungry Great White Sharks
The largest shark that ever lived may have vanished in part because the comparatively smaller great white had a taste for the same prey.
Dinosaurs Started Out Hot, Then Some of Them Turned Cold
Scientists directly measured the metabolic rate of extinct animals, which revealed that some giant dinosaurs became coldblooded.
Watch a Giant Stingray’s Safe Return to Its River Home
The Mekong River is home to enormous and endangered aquatic life. A 400-pound fish’s release shows how some conservation efforts in Cambodia are paying off.
In Romania’s Transylvanian Alps, See Bison on Safari
In Europe, “rewilding” is aiding the reintroduction of key animal species, including bison, which visitors can track in the forests and meadows of western Romania.
Scientists Uncover a Shady Web of Online Spider Sales
More than 1,200 species of arachnids are part of a largely unregulated global marketplace, according to a new study.
A Boxed Set for the Birds Hopes to Save Them, Too
A star-studded, 242-track trove of songs and poems inspired by birdsong is the latest project in a series of releases raising awareness about its own threatened sources.
Mushrooms Took a Deadly Toxin From a Mysterious Source
Instead of evolving to produce poison, some distantly related fungi became toxic through a process called horizontal gene transfer, scientists say.
In Warming World Oceans Risk Mass Extinctions, Model Shows
A new study finds that if fossil fuel emissions continue apace, the oceans could experience a mass extinction by 2300. There is still time to avoid it.
20 Percent of Reptiles Risk Extinction, From King Cobras to Geckos
The first global analysis of its kind found that logging and farming are taking away reptile habitat at an unsustainable pace, exacerbating a worldwide decline in biodiversity.