Two different ancient wolf populations contributed DNA to modern dogs, according to a new study.
Tag Archives: Endangered and Extinct Species
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.
Why Our Hope for the Planet Is Not Yet Extinct
New life is everywhere, renewing itself among us, reminding us not to give up.
Kangaroos in India? Experts See Evidence of a Smuggling Trade
The animals are the latest exotic fauna to be smuggled into the country, possibly to be used as pets. Draft legislation would close loopholes in the roaring wildlife trade.
Even the Cactus May Not Be Safe From Climate Change
More than half of species could face greater extinction risk by midcentury, a new study found, as rising heat and dryness test the prickly plants’ limits.
Birds That Build Nests With Domes May Be Doomed
A nest with a roof may provide some birds with more protection. But bird species that build simpler nests may be more adaptable to changing conditions.
How Nature Becomes a Casualty of War
Research on past conflicts suggests that the war in Ukraine could have a profound environmental impact.
Trying Everything, Even Lettuce, to Save Florida’s Beloved Manatees
Pollution has killed the sea grass that manatees feed on, and they are starving to death in large numbers. Extraordinary intervention may not be enough to protect them.
These Birds Aren’t Lost. They’re Adapting.
Bird-watchers love to see vagrants, or birds that have traveled far outside their range. But scientists say they have a lot to teach us in a world facing ecological change.
Tiny Toad Could Upend Nevada Geothermal Power Plant Project
The only place in the world where the species is found is on 760 acres of wetlands about 100 miles east of Reno, Nev., near a renewable energy project.
U.S. Allows Hunters to Import Some Elephant Trophies From African Countries
After settling a lawsuit filed during the Trump administration, the Fish and Wildlife Service granted six permits to bring elephant parts into the country. It may approve more in the coming months.
In Wisconsin: Stowing Mowers, Pleasing Bees
Can the No Mow May movement help transform the traditional American lawn — a manicured carpet of grass — into something more ecologically beneficial?
Japan Saved Red-Crowned Cranes. Can They Survive Without Humans?
Conservators vastly increased the numbers of red-crowned cranes, a symbol of loyalty and longevity in Japanese culture. That’s just a start.
Demand for This Toad’s Psychedelic Venom Is Booming. Some Warn That’s Bad for the Toad.
In a sign of unintended consequences of the psychedelic resurgence, scientists say that the Sonoran desert toad is at risk of population collapse.
Tree Planting Is Booming. Here’s How That Could Help, or Harm, the Planet.
Reforestation can fight climate change, uplift communities and restore biodiversity. When done badly, though, it can speed extinctions and make nature less resilient.
He Spent Decades Protecting Buffalo. A Microscopic Invader Threatens That Work.
Fred DuBray’s bison herd in South Dakota has been ravaged by Mycoplasma bovis, a bacteria that has decimated herds across the Plains and the West.
Wolves, and Misinformation About Them, Make a California Comeback
For the past 10 years, wolves have been steadily returning to the state after being wiped out a century ago. But not everyone is rolling out the welcome mat.
How Maori Stepped In to Save a Towering Tree Crucial to Their Identity
Tāne Mahuta, an ancient tree named after the god of forests in Māori mythology, is threatened by the slow creep of an incurable disease.
Does This Amazon Rock Art Depict Extinct Ice Age Mammals?
The animals painted in ocher in Colombia may include giant ground sloths and other creatures that vanished from the Americas. But some researchers say the art has a more recent origin.
5 Takeaways From the U.N. Report on Climate Hazards
Global warming is affecting every part of the planet. Humans should have started preparing yesterday.
Climate Change’s Effects Outpacing Ability to Adapt, I.P.C.C. Warns
Countries aren’t doing nearly enough to protect against the disasters to come as the planet keeps heating up, a major new scientific report concludes.
In Search of Panama’s Elusive Spider Monkeys
Environmental initiatives in the Azuero Peninsula offer hope for the future of a critically endangered subspecies.
Researchers See ‘Future of an Entire Species’ in Ultrasound Technique
To bring abalone back from the edge of extinction, scientists need to find improved ways of coaxing the snails into reproducing.
The Dinosaur Age May Have Ended in Springtime
A new study examining fossils of fish suggests animals were wiped out by a massive meteor at a time when they were just emerging from hibernation and having offspring.
An Invasive Insect Threatens Delmarva Westlands
The emerald ash border threatens ash trees that anchor a unique world on the Delmarva Peninsula.
50 Years Later, Some Question Value of U.S.-China ‘Panda Diplomacy’
In 1972, China sent two pandas to the United States as a gesture of good will. In recent years, experts say the animals have taken on a new role: softening China’s authoritarian image.
Australia Declares Koalas an Endangered Species
Years of drought, fires and habitat loss have drastically reduced the population of the iconic marsupial.
Wolves Will Regain Federal Protection
A federal judge has overturned the Trump-era decision that removed the predators from the Endangered Species List.
Town Called Itself a Big Cat Habitat to Block Housing, Then Reversed Course
A Silicon Valley town declared itself a mountain lion habitat to forestall duplexes on small lots. Facing ridicule and the threat of legal action, officials backed down.
If Rover Can Make It Here, Perhaps Bald Eagles Can Make It Anywhere
A white-headed raptor has been preying on smaller birds in Central Park. It’s come a long way since conservationists affixed aluminum bands to its legs four years ago.
Dissolving in Toxic Oceans: How an Ancient Extinction Happened
Scientists say rocks on the English coast contain clues of the processes that drove the end-Triassic event that killed as much as a quarter of all life on Earth.
Redwood Forest in California Is Returned to Native Tribes
Ownership of more than 500 acres of a forest in Mendocino County was returned to 10 sovereign tribes who will serve as guardians to “protect and heal” the land.
Should a Person Go to Jail for Cutting Down a Tree?
Protecting them in public areas is a no-brainer. Protecting them on private land is a far greater challenge.
Sprawling Coral Reef Resembling Roses Is Discovered Off Tahiti
The reef, which is just under two miles long and is in “pristine” condition, was found by a team of divers mapping the ocean floor for UNESCO.
Wolves Are Being Slaughtered in the West
Wolves have thrived since returning to the Northern Rockies. Now they face relentless assault by hunters and trappers.
Chasing the Night Parrot: The ‘Ghost Bird’ of Australia’s Outback
An elusive, nocturnal parrot disappeared for more than a century. An unlikely rediscovery led to ornithological scandal — and then hope.
The Ghost Wolves of Galveston Island
A population of strange canids in Texas could hold the key to reviving the highly endangered red wolf.
Richard Leakey, Kenyan Fossil Hunter and Conservationist, Dies at 77
His discoveries of ancient human skulls and skeletons, including the famed “Turkana Boy,” helped cement Africa’s standing as the cradle of humanity.