Endangered Animals News

August 20, 2016

Removing Invasive Species Saves Island Animals

How Small Populations Fight Back

Three Quarters of Threatened Species Imperiled

Species at Risk from SE Asia Tree Plantations

Latest Headlines

updated 11:52am EDT

'Ecosystem Canaries' Provide Early Warning Signs of Catastrophic Changes to Ecosystems

Aug. 18, 2016 — 'Ecosystem canaries' can provide early warning signals of large, potentially catastrophic, changes or tipping points in ... read more

And One Root Said to the Other Root, 'Don't I Know You from Somewhere?'

Aug. 17, 2016 — Findings show that cycad plants, like other plant species, utilize kin recognition. When planted with non-relatives, Cycas micronesica exhibit competitive ... read more

Neonicotinoid Insecticides Linked to Wild Bee Decline Across England

Aug. 16, 2016 — Exposure to neonicotinoid seed treated oilseed rape crops has been linked to long-term population decline of wild bee species across the English countryside, according to ... read more

New Species of Extinct River Dolphin Discovered in Smithsonian Collection

Aug. 16, 2016 — A fossil that has been in the collection of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History since it was discovered in 1951 is today helping scientists piece together ... read more

Elbows of Extinct Marsupial Lion Suggest Unique Hunting Style

Aug. 16, 2016 — Scientists have proposed that the long extinct marsupial lion hunted in a very unique way - by using its teeth to hold prey before dispatching them with its huge ... read more

Ecosystems in the Southeastern US Are Vulnerable to Climate Change

Aug. 11, 2016 — At least several southeastern US ecosystems are highly vulnerable to the impacts of present and future climate change, according to two new reports. At-risk ecosystems occur in states ranging from ... read more

Plant Response to Carbon Dioxide Emissions Depends on Their Neighbors

Aug. 11, 2016 — Plants may have a hard time adapting to climate change if they move to new regions to keep up with changing habitats, according to ... read more

Historically Robust Natural Ecosystems Could Collapse Due to Climate Change, Human Activity

Aug. 11, 2016 — Global change will strike the oldest and most complex ecosystems of the world hardest, regardless of their past stability, warn experts in a new ... read more

Managing Climate Change Refugia to Protect Wildlife

Aug. 10, 2016 — Natural and cultural areas that will remain similar to what they are today -- despite climate change -- need to be identified, managed and conserved as 'refugia' for at-risk species, according to a ... read more

How Climate Change Will Hurt Humanity's Closest Cousins

Aug. 10, 2016 — The consequences of climate change are an increasing concern for humans around the world. How will we cope with rising sea levels and climbing temperatures? But it's not just ... read more

Vienna Zoo Hails Rare Birth of Tiny Giant Panda Twins

Rare Tarantulas Hatch in Captivity at Chester Zoo

These Tiny Island Foxes Just Bounced Back From Near Extinction

GPS Collars Protect Kenya's Lions

Many Endangered Species Face Long Waits for Protection

Aug. 10, 2016 — The Endangered Species Act was enacted by Congress in 1973 to protect species threatened with extinction. To receive protection, a species must first be listed as endangered or threatened. A two-year ... read more

Why Are New England's Wild Blue Mussels Disappearing?

Aug. 9, 2016 — The Gulf of Maine coastline, historically home to one of the richest shellfish populations in the US, is undergoing a dramatic change, with once-flourishing wild blue mussels all but disappearing, ... read more

Deer Evolution: Ancient DNA Reveals Novel Relationships

Aug. 9, 2016 — Researchers have sequenced mitochondrial DNA from museum specimens of rare species of deer. Analysis of partial nucleotide sequences has enabled the team to refine our picture of the evolutionary ... read more

The Six Steps to Extinction

Aug. 9, 2016 — Invasive plants are a problem around the world, but are they just a nuisance or are they killers? So far there are no documented cases of native plants becoming extinct purely because of an alien ... read more

Hi-Tech Test to Find Elusive Sawfish

Aug. 9, 2016 — Scientists can now reliably predict which bodies of water contain the endangered and elusive sawfish species -- by conducting a simple ... read more

Tiger Sharks Opt for Scavenging on Dead and Dying Sea Turtles as a Feeding Strategy

Aug. 8, 2016 — Researchers found behavioral evidence that tiger sharks prefer to opportunistically scavenge on dead or weakened green turtles rather than actively hunting healthy individuals despite more ... read more

Cat Scat: Research Examines Food Habits of Snow Leopards

Aug. 4, 2016 — A new study finds researchers may have been missing the mark on the diet of endangered snow leopards. The findings suggest the leopards have been consuming larger, not smaller, species, and ... read more

Lab-Reared Maggots May Save Darwin's Famous Finches

Aug. 4, 2016 — Researchers reveal how they used chicken blood to rear larvae of the fly Philornis downsi, an invasive species that parasitizes birds in the Galapagos Islands. The new method may be the first to ... read more

Foraging Strategies of Smallest Seals Revealed in First Ever Satellite Tracking Study

Aug. 3, 2016 — The first ever satellite tracking study of one the world's endangered seal species has revealed new information about their migration habits and hunting ... read more

'Red Gene' in Birds, Turtles Suggests Dinosaurs Had Bird-Like Color Vision

Aug. 2, 2016 — A gene for red colour vision that originated in the reptile lineage around 250 million years ago has resulted in the bright red bird feathers and 'painted' turtles we see today, and may be ... read more

Giant Forest Fires Exterminate Spotted Owls, Long-Term Study Finds

Aug. 2, 2016 — Could periodic forest thinning and prescribed burns intended to prevent dangerous "megafires" help conserve owls in the long run? Or are those benefits outweighed by their short-term harm ... read more

New Ant Species Paratopula Bauhinia (Golden Tree Ant) Discovered

Aug. 3, 2016 — A research group has described and named a new species of ant from Hong Kong, Paratopula bauhinia, or the rare "Golden Tree ... read more

Study: Bioenergy Decisions Involve Wildlife Habitat and Land Use Trade-Offs

Aug. 1, 2016 — New research finds that choosing how to meet bioenergy goals means making trade-offs about which wildlife species and ecosystems will be most impacted. The work focuses on the southeastern United ... read more

Life on the Edge: How Forest Fragmentation Is Impacting on Amphibian and Reptile Species

Aug. 1, 2016 — Experts call for new conservation guidelines after research shows 90% of tropical amphibian and reptile species are affected by the 'edge effect' and forest islands less than 500m in ... read more

First Whale Detected by Newly Deployed Acoustic Buoy in New York Bight

July 28, 2016 — A new acoustic buoy recently deployed to listen for some of the world's biggest animals in the New York Bight has detected its first whale species, and it's a really big ... read more

Effects of Past Tropical Deforestation Will Be Felt for Years to Come

July 28, 2016 — Even if people completely stopped converting tropical forests into farmland, the impacts of tropical deforestation would continue to be felt for many years to come. That's the conclusion of ... read more

Forests, Species on Four Continents Threatened by Palm Oil Expansion

July 27, 2016 — As palm oil production expands from Southeast Asia into the Americas and Africa, vulnerable tropical forests and species on four continents face increased risk of loss, a new study finds. The largest ... read more

Warnings of Imminent Extinction Crisis for Largest Wild Animal Species

July 27, 2016 — A team of conservation biologists is calling for a worldwide strategy to prevent the unthinkable: the extinction of the world's largest mammal ... read more

Should the Gray Wolf Keep Its Endangered Species Protection?

July 27, 2016 — A decision by the US Fish and Wildlife Service to remove the gray wolf from protection under the US Endangered Species Act may be made as early as this fall. Research presents strong evidence that ... read more

Frog Reproduction in Created Ponds May Be Affected by Disease and Food Availability

July 27, 2016 — Food availability and disease in created habitats may affect the reproductive output of reintroduced frogs, according to a new ... read more

Wednesday, August 10, 2016