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Endangered Species

Researchers spotted an orange blob near a shark's head. It turned out to be an octopus along for a ride.

Watch an Octopus Hitch a Ride on a Shark—an Unusual Duo Dubbed the ‘Sharktopus’

Researchers in New Zealand captured the odd pairing on video, but they still don’t know how to explain the behavior

When the motorist stopped to take a closer look at the kittens, one of them ran under his truck.

Cool Finds

Cougar Cubs Spotted in Michigan for the First Time in More Than a Century

Two kittens, believed to be between 7 and 9 weeks old, were photographed by a motorist in the western Upper Peninsula

A squat lobster discovered near Easter Island, one of the many newly identified species by the Ocean Census

From a Guitar Shark to an Octocoral, Scientists Discover More Than 800 Marine Species

The Ocean Census hopes to discover thousands of new creatures before they go extinct

A hatchling Kemp's ridley sea turtle

Inside the Herculean Effort to Study and Save the World’s Smallest Sea Turtle

After years of steady gains, a decades-long conservation program dedicated to the Kemp’s ridley hits rough seas

The mice were genetically engineered to have mammoth-like traits, such as thick, fluffy hair.

Biotech Company Creates ‘Woolly Mouse’ as a Step in Its Quest to Resurrect Woolly Mammoths Through Gene Editing

Colossal Biosciences leaders say the fluffy, golden-haired mice help validate their technique to “de-extinct” species, but outside scientists remain skeptical

Migrating sandhill cranes stop to rest and refuel in the Midwest as they make the long journey northward to their breeding grounds.

More Than 1,500 Sandhill Cranes Killed by Bird Flu in Indiana, Raising Concerns Among Biologists

The tall, slender grey birds are making their annual spring migration to northern breeding grounds. Experts say the virus could become a larger problem if it gets passed to endangered whooping cranes

Plains-wanderers are difficult to spot because their feathers serve to help them blend in with Australia's grasslands.

Researchers Use A.I. to Find an Elusive and ‘Odd’ Australian Bird. It Hadn’t Been Recorded in the Area Since 1989

Once abundant throughout southeastern Australia, the critically endangered plains-wanderer is now on the brink of extinction

For reasons scientists still don’t totally understand, these beautiful and mystical birds went extinct on February 21, 1918.

On This Day in History

The Last Member of This Bird Species Died in Captivity on This Day in 1918

Incas died at the Cincinnati Zoo, leaving behind mysteries over his death, his final resting place and the factors that led to the extinction of the Carolina parakeet

A pangolin emerges from an underground tunnel at night at Save Vietnam’s Wildlife, a group that runs a pangolin conservation program inside the Cuc Phuong National Park in Vietnam.

Will the Traditional Chinese Medicine Industry End the Pangolin?

The creature is being trafficked across Africa and Asia to fuel a steady demand for their scales, an ingredient in unproven remedies

The 166-pound Florida panther is an adult male around ten years old.

Scientists Find the Heaviest Florida Panther on Record, a Giant Cat Tipping the Scales at 166 Pounds

Wildlife officials in Florida captured and collared the adult male feline during a routine population check in late January

Mexican long-nosed bats were detected in Arizona for the first time, using environmental DNA.

Scientists Confirm Endangered Bats Are Migrating in Arizona for the First Time, Using DNA Clues Found in the Environment

Researchers and citizen scientists took samples of environmental DNA from saliva on backyard hummingbird feeders and agave plants to identify Mexican long-nosed bats

The tire tracks, which cover more than two miles, were discovered in late December.

Driver Vandalizes Threatened Plants in Death Valley National Park

National Park Service officials haven’t identified the person or people who illegally drove more than two miles across Eureka Dunes, home to the federally protected Eureka dunegrass

This adult Rice's whale skull at the National Museum of Natural History is the only specimen of its kind.

Only 50 Rice’s Whales Are Left. Can We Do Enough to Protect Them Before It’s Too Late?

In 2021, researchers identified a new whale species and are now scrambling to save their natural habitat

Eastern gray kangaroo genetic material was used for the study, which produced embryos via IVF.

Scientists Produced the First Kangaroo Embryos Through IVF. They Could Be Key to Marsupial Conservation in Australia

With continued work in the future, the team hopes to promote live births of endangered marsupial species, including Tasmanian devils, koalas and northern hairy-nosed wombats

Laminella venusta is a state land snail endemic to Molokai.

How a Hawaiian High School Student Inspired Nine New State Animals

Researchers hope the designation of several species of land snails, or kāhuli, will lead to conservation

Male giant panda Bao Li plays on a wooden climbing structure. Beginning on January 24, visitors to the National Zoo can finally see Bao Li and Qing Bao in person.

Pandamonium

The National Zoo’s Giant Pandas Are Finally Making Their Public Debut

Bao Li and Qing Bao, both 3 years old, are the latest black-and-white bears to call the nation’s capital home

The endangered Woodville Karst cave crayfish (Procambarus orcinus)

Freshwater Animals Are More Fragile Than Thought, With Nearly a Quarter Threatened With Extinction, Study Finds

Species in Lake Victoria, Lake Titicaca, Sri Lanka’s Wet Zone and the Western Ghats of India are particularly vulnerable to the effects of agriculture, human infrastructure and climate change, per the paper

Though small, the snail darter has played an outsize role in American law, conservation and biology.

A Tiny, ‘Endangered’ Fish Delayed a Dam’s Construction in the 1970s. Now, Scientists Say the Snail Darter Isn’t So Rare After All

A lawsuit to protect the snail darter from the Tellico Dam in Tennessee offered the first real test of the 1973 Endangered Species Act. But a new study disputes the fish’s status as a distinct species

A baby pygmy marmoset, under the care of an older member of its cooperative family group, perches on a bough in a gallery forest on the banks of the Aguarico River in eastern Ecuador.

They’re Adorable. And Endangered. Meet the World’s Smallest Monkey: the Pygmy Marmoset

The cute creatures are chatty, family oriented—and facing a shrinking habitat in the remote forests of Ecuador

A baby pygmy hippo was born at Virginia's Metro Richmond Zoo in December in another viral birth for the endangered species.

A Virginia Zoo Now Has Its Own Moo Deng—See the ‘Adorable’ Baby Pygmy Hippo Born in December

The young female made her public debut this week, and the Metro Richmond Zoo is asking fans to vote on her name—a choice between Poppy and Hammie Mae

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