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Endangered Species

A mother and her calf, dehorned for safety in their new home.

Sixteen Black Rhinos Successfully Relocated to eSwatini

The critically endangered animals had been living in South Africa, where poaching threats are high

Condor 409, pictured here, is the mother of the 1000th condor born since a breeding program was launched to save the critically endangered species.

The California Condor Nearly Went Extinct. Now, the 1000th Chick of a Recovery Program Has Hatched.

“When we confirmed it…it was just this feeling of overwhelming joy,” one wildlife expert said

Biswamoyopterus gaoligongensis

Cool Finds

New Species of Giant Flying Squirrel Discovered in China

Weighing 3 to 4 pounds, the Mount Gaoligong flying squirrel was recently found in Yunnan province

Lead author Emily Fobert says, “The presence of light is clearly interfering with an environmental cue that initiates hatching in clownfish"

Cool Finds

Thanks to Light Pollution, We’re Losing Nemo

In trials, light-exposed eggs hatched normally as soon as scientists removed an overhead LED designed to simulate artificial light conditions

Minke whale on a whaling ship in a Hokkaido port on July 1, 2019.

Trending Today

Japan Resumes Commercial Whaling in Its Home Waters

As of yesterday, the whaling fleet had caught 2 minke whales and set a quota of 227 animals for the rest of 2019

Seaweed, it's what's for dinner.

A Remote Scottish Island Needs Help Protecting Its Seaweed-Eating Sheep

North Ronaldsay is looking to hire a warden to rebuild the dike that has long kept its sheep on the coastline

A 14-inch goldfish caught downstream of a wastewater treatment plant in the Black Rock Canal of New York’s Niagara River

Giant Goldfish Shows Why You Should Never Flush Fish Down the Toilet

Invasive goldfish threaten the livelihood of native species, growing unchecked by predators and monopolizing habitats’ limited resources

Poachers’ Poison Kills 530 Endangered Vultures in Botswana

Circling vultures bring attention to poachers, so the scavengers were likely poisoned by illegal hunters hoping to evade detection

Minnesota Will Pay Residents to Grow Bee-Friendly Lawns

Leaving lawns untreated and allowing flowering plants to grow can help support the endangered rusty patched bumblebee

Cool Finds

A 10-Mile-Wide Ladybug Swarm Buzzed Over San Diego

At first, meteorologists thought the shadow on the radar was a storm. But this cloud didn’t bring rain

Trending Today

NOAA Is Investigating 70 Gray Whale Deaths Along the West Coast

The whales seem to have died from starvation and washed up on shore from California to Alaska

Experts believe as few as 20 unrelated Sumatran rhinos could hold enough genetic diversity to save their species from extinction

Malaysia’s Last Male Sumatran Rhinoceros Has Died

There are fewer than 80 Sumatran rhinos living in the wild

An elephant at Moremi Game Reserve in Maun, Botswana.

Five Things to Know About Botswana’s Decision to Lift Ban on Hunting Elephants

The move has been criticized by conservationists but lauded by locals who say wild elephants are ruining their livelihoods

Cool Finds

Australia Has Several New Dragon Lizard Species—and One May Already Be Extinct

A new study shows the endangered grassland earless dragon is actually four separate reptile species—and one hasn’t been seen since 1969

France outlawed ortolan hunting in 1999, but the ban was rarely enforced until 2007 and remains unevenly implemented

Ortolans, Songbirds Enjoyed as French Delicacy, Are Being Eaten Into Extinction

Hunters illegally catch some 30,000 of the 300,000 ortolans that pass through southwestern France every migration season

Monk parrots are among the species that successfully breed in the wild.

Escaped Pet Parrots Are Doing Great in the Wild

A new study has found that 25 non-native parrots species are breeding in 23 American states

Over the next 80 years, one-third of panda territory will become too hot to support bamboo growth

China’s National Panda Park Will Be Three Times the Size of Yellowstone

The vast space will connect China’s fragmented panda populations, enabling the land giants to better find mates and diversify their species’ gene pool

That so  totally rocks, dude.

New Research

Green Sea Turtles Are Bouncing Back Around U.S. Pacific Islands

Surveys show the species increasing 8 percent near Hawaii and 4 percent elsewhere, though hawksbill turtles aren’t faring as well

If listed under the Endangered Species Act, giraffes would become eligible for federal funding aimed at conservation, and limits would be placed on the import of the animal's body parts

The United States May List Giraffes as an Endangered Species

Last week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced plans to conduct in-depth review of the popular animal’s threat status

Cool Finds

North Carolina’s Famed Shipwrecks Are Now Home to a Shark Conservation Research Study

Unwitting citizen-scientists discovered evidence that vulnerable species return to the same ships, which could help in their recovery

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