endangered species

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On Russia's Caspian Coast, a Grisly Find

A Russian official said hypoxia was likely the cause

(Newser) - About 2,500 Caspian seals have been found dead on the Caspian Sea coast in southern Russia, officials said Sunday. Authorities in the Russian province of Dagestan initially said it was unclear why the mass die-off happened, but a top Russian environmental official on Monday said the cause of death...

US Adds Emperor Penguins to Threatened Species List

Designation is a 'call to action,' says director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service

(Newser) - Emperor penguins, the species seen in March of the Penguins, are marching toward extinction due to habitat loss caused by climate change, scientists warn. The birds, the biggest species of penguin, were listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act on Tuesday, the New York Times reports. The...

Turnaround for Fish Whose Case Made It to Supreme Court

The snail darter is no longer considered imperiled

(Newser) - The snail darter, a tiny Southeastern fish at the center of an epic battle over Endangered Species Act protection in the 1970s, is no longer considered imperiled, officials announced Tuesday. The fish held up construction of the Tellico Dam in Tennessee for more than two years as biologists and others...

Survey Has Surprisingly Good News on Tigers

Estimated number in the wild is up 40% from 2015

(Newser) - Wildlife groups are still very worried about the world's tigers, but the situation isn't quite as bleak as earlier thought, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature . The group says there are an estimated 3,726 to 5,578 wild tigers in the world, up 40%...

Mountain Gorillas of Rwanda Now Draw Big Bucks

From tourists who can afford $1.5K to spend an hour near them

(Newser) - The "gorillas in the mist" as Dian Fossey famously called them are doing far better now than when the world was introduced to them. CBS News checks in on the mountain gorillas of Rwanda, which numbered 254 when Fossey arrived in the country in 1967. There are now more...

Monarch Butterflies Go on Global 'Red List'

Numbers have plummeted in recent decades, due in part to loss of milkweed

(Newser) - North America's migratory monarch butterfly, the beloved orange-and-black insect capable of flying 2,500 miles across the continent, is officially an endangered species in the eyes of the leading global authority. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature added migratory monarchs to its Red List of Threatened Species...

Ugly Fish in More Danger of Extinction Than Beautiful Ones

Conservation bias based on physical attractiveness is a thing, researchers say

(Newser) - A new study in the PLOS Biology journal makes a rather academic-sounding proclamation in its headline: "The aesthetic value of reef fishes is globally mismatched to their conservation priorities." Translating that into more layman-friendly terms: We have to look out for the ugly fish, or they might die...

California Judge Makes Unusual Ruling on Bumblebees

Invertebrate insect can be classified as a fish for endangered species protections

(Newser) - In a case that gives new meaning to "fish out of water," a California appeals court judge has ruled that the bumblebee can be classified as a fish. Justice Ronald Robie of Sacramento's 3rd District Court of Appeal made his decision Tuesday, and it was done for...

Meet Anya and Irina, Welcome News for Their Species

Rare Amur leopard cubs are doing well at St. Louis Zoo

(Newser) - Two much-welcomed new arrivals are doing well at the St. Louis Zoo, and they have what St. Louis Public Radio describes as "computerized dating" to thank for their existence. Anya and Irina are rare Amur leopard cubs who were born last month to parents Dot and Samson. Only about...

For the First Time, a Major Analysis of Threat to Reptiles

21% of 10K reptile species reviewed are endangered

(Newser) - Even the king cobra is "vulnerable." More than 1 in 5 species of reptiles worldwide are threatened with extinction, according to a comprehensive new assessment of thousands of species published Wednesday in the journal Nature . Of 10,196 reptile species analyzed, 21% were classified as endangered, critically endangered,...

In Iran, 'Heartbreaking' Death for Endangered Resident

Arrests have been made after authorities say villagers in Iran tortured, killed brown bear

(Newser) - Authorities in Iran have made arrests after the "horrible" killing Sunday of an endangered brown bear by villagers in Ardabil province, per the BBC. State news agencies reported that villagers chased the bear, beat it, and trapped it with a tractor, fracturing the animal's leg and pelvis and...

Most Americans Don't Want a Real-Life Jurassic Park

Majority are against bringing dinosaurs back from extinction, if that were an option, per YouGov poll

(Newser) - If you've ever fantasized about a world in which T. rex once more roamed the Earth, you're in a small minority. YouGov recently surveyed 2,000 American adults on how they felt about helping save endangered species, or even bringing back extinct ones, and the majority answered that...

3 Endangered Sumatran Tigers Die in Traps

They represent almost 1% of the estimated population

(Newser) - Three endangered Sumatran tigers have been found dead, dealing a blow to a population thought to number around 400. Conservation officials discovered the bodies of a male and female tiger, whose legs were ensnared in a trap, in Aceh, at the northern tip of Indonesia's Sumatra island, on Sunday....

'Oh, Welcome Little Thing': Rare Birth Captured in Hawaii

There are only 1,400 Hawaiian monk seals in the world

(Newser) - Images of a Hawaiian monk seal being born on an Oahu beach have been captured on camera—a fact made more notable because it's an endangered species. An employee of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources shot video and photos of the pup emerging from the mother...

On Endangered Koalas, Scientists Hit on 'Way to Bring Them Back'

Freezing koala sperm would require fewer koalas in captivity, improve genetic diversity: report

(Newser) - Two months after Australia declared koalas as endangered across much of the country's east coast, researchers are hoping to stock up on frozen koala sperm. Scientists at the University of Newcastle in the southeastern state of New South Wales have proposed the creation of a lab to store that...

Taxidermy Elephant Was Just the Start of What Police Seized

'Private museum' includes over 400 specimens of protected, endangered species

(Newser) - After a months-long investigation, agents with Spain’s Civil Guard have seized an eye-popping collection of taxidermy animals. The Guardian reports the collection was uncovered Wednesday in a 500,000-square-foot warehouse and contains some 1,090 specimens, at least 400 of which are protected or endangered under international law. The...

This Rare Toad and Its Hot Oasis Are Endangered

Conservatists say a nearby geothermal energy project leaves the toads 'staring down the barrel of extinction'

(Newser) - To appreciate this issue, it helps to put Dixie Valley, Nevada, into geographical perspective: the area encompasses about one square mile amid 200,000 square miles of the arid Great Basin. The place is only remarkable because of its hot springs, which feed a patch of sweltering wetlands and the...

'Momentous Occasion' for One of the Rarest Animals on Earth

Indonesia's captive breeding program spawns new Sumatran rhino

(Newser) - Indonesia has just welcomed a bundle of joy in the form of one of the rarest mammals on Earth. A Sumatran rhino was born March 24 in a sanctuary to a mother that had suffered eight miscarriages since she was captured in the wild in 2005 as part of a...

Koalas Now Endangered After 'Shockingly Fast Decline'

Conservationists say they could end up extinct if habitat loss continues

(Newser) - One of Australia's most iconic animals is now an endangered species in much of its range. The country's federal government has declared the koala endangered in New South Wales, Queensland, and the Australian Capital Territory after a steep decline in numbers. The marsupial was declared vulnerable in those...

Someone Fatally Shot Endangered Hawaiian Seal in the Head

Monk seal was found dead in September

(Newser) - An endangered Hawaiian monk seal that was found dead on the island of Molokai in September was intentionally killed with a gun, federal officials said Tuesday. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials said in a statement that the young female seal suffered a gunshot would to its head, the AP...

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