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Conservation

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Hear From a Wildlife Photographer’s Dramatic Glimpse Into the Dwindling World of the Cascade Red Fox

Gretchen Kay Stuart has chronicled the work of a small team of biologists who are trying to keep a little known and breathtakingly beautiful endangered species from disappearing

The Mekong giant catfish is an endangered freshwater species.

Freshwater Fish Migrations Are Disappearing Across the Planet, Finds U.N. Report

The assessment identified over 300 species of fish that urgently need international conservation effort

Purple martins are long-distance migrants that nest in human-provided boxes across North America.

Purple Martins Rely on Human ‘Landlords’ to Provide Nest Boxes Each Spring. Can That Dynamic Last?

The large swallows have nested alongside human settlements for centuries. Now, the birds’ breeding success depends on caretakers who are beginning to age out of the role

Modern fish traps require pilings that are driven into the riverbed and netting that reaches across part of a river.

Fish Traps Have Been Banned on the Columbia River for Nearly a Century. Could Bringing Them Back Help Save Salmon?

A new experiment is testing the commercial success of fish traps in Washington and Oregon. Even as some conservationists embrace the technique, its return has reopened old wounds among local fishers

A regent honeyeater at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia, which is one of the study sites where the critically endangered birds are being bred

This Critically Endangered Bird’s Song Was About to Disappear. Scientists Saved It by Recruiting Some Wild Vocal Tutors

Wild-born male regent honeyeaters passed their cultural knowledge to young captive-born birds

European hedgehog numbers are shrinking.

European Hedgehogs’ Hearing Might Be Attuned to Ultrasonic Sounds. The Discovery Could Help Scientists Save the Declining Species

Sound-based deterrents could help keep the animals away from fast-moving cars and dangerous landscaping equipment

The dining room of Martin House

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Vision for the Martin House Included Everything Inside It. See How Experts Recovered Furniture, Artworks and Decorative Glass

A new exhibition at the home in Buffalo spotlights curators’ decades-long efforts to track down the original furnishings and other items, some of which the architect had designed himself

Common eastern bumblebee queens use underwater breathing and anaerobic metabolism to survive when submerged.

Bumblebee Queens Breathe Underwater to Survive Drowning, Revealing How They Can Live Submerged for a Week

After scientists accidentally discovered that the common eastern bumblebee can withstand flood conditions, they wanted to investigate what makes that super-ability possible

Between 500 and 1,000 koalas were estimated to live in Victoria, Australia, in the 1920s.

These Koalas Bounced Back From the Brink of Local Extinction Extremely Fast. Surprisingly, So Did Their Genetic Resilience

Conservationists saved the fuzzy creatures in Victoria, Australia. Now, the animals are showing remarkable signs of genetic recovery

The new “American Bison” Forever stamp is slated to debut in May.

See the New U.S. Postage Stamp Honoring the Bison, America’s National Mammal

The stamp features a modern image by Montana-based wildlife photographer Tom Murphy alongside a historic bison stamp design from 1923

Jaguars in Porto Jofre, Brazil, support a lucrative tourism industry, leading conservationists to argue that the big cats are most valuable when they’re alive.

In the World’s Best Place to See Wild Jaguars, Residents Are Using the Big Cat’s Appeal to Reach Conservation Goals

Brazil’s Pantanal region has the highest jaguar density on Earth, drawing camera-toting visitors to its riverbanks. Despite overtourism concerns, one enclave may offer a model for how to protect the charismatic apex predator

Panamanian golden frog in nature

Panamanian Golden Frogs Disappeared From the Wild Due to a Deadly Fungus. Now, Scientists Are Returning Them to Nature

Smithsonian researchers in Panama have begun to reintroduce native golden frogs to the wild in special enclosures

Tiger Kingdom facilities are popular tourist attractions in Thailand.

Seventy-Two Captive Tigers in Thailand Die From Dangerous Infections, Sparking Concerns Over Animal Welfare

An animal foundation asks why the big cats weren’t vaccinated against a well-known virus

Researchers have produced hundreds of Galápagos tortoises genetically related to the extinct Floreana Island subspecies, thanks to a surprising discovery and captive breeding program.

Giant Tortoises Vanished From the Galápagos’ Floreana Island More Than 150 Years Ago. Now, Conservationists Have Brought Them Back

Researchers released captive-bred tortoises carrying the ancestry of the extinct local species

Screenshot from the footage of a sleeper shark seen in Antarctica's waters

See the First Known Footage of an Elusive Southern Sleeper Shark Swimming in Antarctica’s Near-Freezing Waters

It might be the southernmost encounter with a shark ever documented

The greater Bermuda land snail

Scientists Once Thought This Snail Was Extinct. But a Surprising Discovery and Decade-Long Conservation Effort Revived the Species

Conservationists have bred and released more than 100,000 greater Bermuda land snails

The 244-pound fish was the 27th halibut caught this season.

Ice Fishermen Catch Record-Breaking 244-Pound Atlantic Halibut After Hours-Long Struggle

Six men spent more than two hours tugging the massive flatfish from a frozen fjord in Quebec as part of a research project studying halibut populations in the region

A polar bear cub walks along the ice in Svalbard, Norway.

See 24 Astounding Images From the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Contest—and Vote for Your Favorite

The public will choose the winner of the People’s Choice award in a vote that runs from February 4 to March 18

The female calf was born on February 2 at 1:15 A.M. Eastern Standard Time.

An Asian Elephant Was Born at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo for the First Time in Almost 25 Years. Now, You Can Help Pick Her Name

The calf was born to 12-year-old Nhi Linh, a first-time mother, and 44-year-old Spike. The pair bred as part of a program working to conserve the endangered species

Seven mummified cheetahs and the remains of dozens more were found in caves in northern Saudi Arabia.

Cool Finds

Mummified Cheetahs Discovered in Caves Could Help Saudi Arabia Bring the Wild Cat Back to Its Historical Range

Researchers thought that just one subspecies of cheetah lived in Saudi Arabia long ago. But an unexpected discovery seems to broaden the gene pool

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