animal population

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Wildlife Populations Worldwide Have Dropped 69% in 50 Years

So says a new report by World Wildlife Fund, Zoological Society of London

(Newser) - Humans' aggressive deforestation, plundering of the Earth for its natural resources, and contamination of the planet's air and water is not only putting our own species in a precarious position—it's managed to help wipe out more than two-thirds of the world's wildlife population in not even...

Team Counts on Birds to Sing Their Population

Recordings + math equations = accurate numbers

(Newser) - The intensity of birdsong can be used to accurately calculate bird populations, scientists have discovered. Researchers are using recordings from microphones placed in woods to count birds using mathematical equations. The method is expected to revolutionize the monitoring of other species. Counting animals is extremely time consuming, and many species,...

Gay Animals Key to Species' Survival: Study

'Same-sex behavior' seen all over animal kingdom

(Newser) - Homosexual behavior is almost everywhere among animals—penguins, dolphins, even fruit flies. And same-sex bonds may be a key adaptation that helps species survive, the Daily Telegraph reports. One-third of a Hawaiian albatross population is raised by two moms because there are so few males, researchers observed. That adaptation has...

New England Starfish Boom Baffles Experts

Shellfish predators' population worries fishermen

(Newser) - New England beaches are swarming with starfish this spring, and nobody’s sure why, the Boston Globe reports. The spike may be connected to shellfish population; it could be due to a drop in spider crabs, which prey on starfish; it could be tied to water temperature or wind patterns....

Australia to Kill 6K Kangaroos
 Australia to Kill 6K Kangaroos 
May 8, 2009 9:08 AM CDT

Australia to Kill 6K Kangaroos

Burgeoning population is harming rare plants; protests planned

(Newser) - Australia's army has started shooting 6,000 kangaroos to thin the animal population on an army training ground near the capital, an official said today, outraging conservationists who have vowed to protest. The killings are intended to protect endangered plants and insects that share the grassy habitat with the kangaroos....

5 Stories