endangered species

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Butterfly May Have Just Taken 'Elevator to Extinction'

Last Sacramento Mountains checkerspot caterpillar in captivity dies

(Newser) - One very small death in Albuquerque may signal a much bigger problem. The last known Sacramento Mountains checkerspot caterpillar in captivity has been declared dead, leaving scientists unsure whether the rare butterfly still survives anywhere in the wild, reports the New York Times . The caterpillar, raised at ABQ BioPark in...

Tourist Charged With Throwing Rock at Endangered Seal

He missed the seal, but couldn't duck the feds

(Newser) - A tourist who drew widespread condemnation in Hawaii after a witness recorded him chucking a coconut-sized rock at "Lani," a beloved, endangered Hawaiian monk seal off a Maui beach, was arrested Wednesday by federal agents. Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, 38, of Covington, Washington, is charged with harassing a protected...

After Moment of Hesitation, Primate Takes Big Leap of Faith

Sumatran orangutan is first ever to use artificial canopy bridge to cross a public road

(Newser) - A Sumatran orangutan has been filmed for the first time using a human-made canopy bridge to cross a public road on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, conservationists said Monday. Rapid development has been shrinking the jungle habitat of the critically endangered species, and fatal conflicts with people have been increasing....

No One's Sure What's Causing This 'Environmental Catastrophe'

Mystery die-off is threatening freshwater mussels in North America

(Newser) - Freshwater mussels have been dying out in North America, and the people who study them still don't know why. The continent once hosted 300 freshwater mussel species—many living for decades, some more than a century—anchored in riverbeds and helping to filter vast amounts of water, per Scientific ...

Rare 'Cloud Jaguar' Spotted in Honduras

First sighting in highlands since 2016 raises hopes for regional 'jaguar corridor'

(Newser) - A big cat just made a low-key but important appearance in the Honduran highlands. A camera trap in the cloud forests of the Merendón Mountains snapped photos of a robust male jaguar on Feb. 6—the first time in a decade the species has been documented in that area,...

Judge OKs Lithium Mine in Backyard of Rare Wildflower

Nevada mine clears major hurdle despite conservationists' worries for Tiehm's buckwheat

(Newser) - A federal judge in Nevada has ruled against conservationists who wanted to stop a lithium-boron mine they said would harm an endangered wildflower. The ruling marks a major legal victory for the 11-square-mile Rhyolite Ridge Lithium/Boron Mine Project in Esmeralda County, located between Reno and Las Vegas, reports the AP...

New Zealand's Weird Flightless Parrot Is in Mood for Romance

A bumper berry harvest has the endangered kakapo feeling a little frisky

(Newser) - The world's only flightless parrot species was once thought to be doomed by design. The kakapo is too heavy, too slow and, frankly, too delicious to survive around predators, and takes a shamelessly relaxed approach to reproduction. But the AP reports that the nocturnal and reclusive New Zealand native...

Feds Pull Protections for Rare Prairie Chicken

Environmentalists say Trump administration may have doomed dancing bird

(Newser) - A ground-dwelling bird known for elaborate mating dances on the southern Great Plains will no longer be federally protected after the Trump administration agreed with arguments by three states and the beef and petroleum industries that the species was listed improperly. Thursday's delisting by the US Fish and Wildlife...

The World Should Be Watching China's River Conservation

Endangered species rebound, biomass doubles under Yangtze fishing ban

(Newser) - China's longest river, once a symbol of environmental decline, is starting to bounce back after the government did something drastic: it stopped most fishing. A 10-year fishing ban across the Yangtze, imposed in 2021 after decades of piecemeal restrictions, has led to a sharp increase in fish populations and...

Researchers 'in Shock' at Bird Spotted Off California Coast

Waved albatross is usually hanging out in the Galapagos, not the Golden State

(Newser) - Scientists on a research vessel off the Central California coast spotted a waved albatross, marking just the second recorded sighting of the bird north of Central America. The yellow-billed bird with black button eyes, which can have an 8-foot wingspan and spends much of its life flying over the ocean,...

A Rare Whale Is Having a Moment, but It May Not Suffice

North Atlantic right whale's population is inching up, but more young are needed to fend off extinction

(Newser) - One of the world's rarest whale species is having more babies this year than in some recent seasons, but experts say many more young are needed to help stave off the possibility of extinction. The North Atlantic right whale's population numbers an estimated 384 animals and is slowly...

'Disheartening' News for Mediterranean's Great Whites

Species there is inching closer to extinction, thanks to illegal North African shark trade

(Newser) - Great white sharks have become so scarce in the Mediterranean that researchers now warn the regional population is edging toward extinction, with illegal fishing playing a central role. A team led by Virginia Tech scientist Francesco Ferretti, working with UK-based charity Blue Marine Foundation, reports that at least 40 great...

Trump May Let SpaceX Expand Into Wildlife Refuge

Critics warn Texas land swap could harm endangered species and a Civil War battlefield

(Newser) - The Trump administration is weighing a land swap that would hand SpaceX a sizable chunk of protected Texas coastline in the name of expansion and innovation. According to internal documents reviewed by the New York Times , federal officials are considering transferring 775 acres from the Lower Rio Grande Valley National...

World's Rarest Ape Lives Near a Gold Mine. That's a Problem

Conservationists say expansion work puts critically endangered Tapanuli orangutan at risk

(Newser) - A little-known ape could be the collateral damage of a very well-known metal. In northern Sumatra's Batang Toru rainforest, new access roads are being laid toward the Tor Ulu Ala pit, a part of Indonesia's Martabe gold mine. Conservation group Mighty Earth says one road has already come...

Sardines Vanished, and 60K Penguins Starved to Death

Sardine numbers plummet off Africa, with a devastating ripple effect on continent's only penguin species

(Newser) - Efforts are intensifying to save Africa's only penguin species after a new study documented the starvation deaths of more than 60,000 birds due to a sharp drop in sardine numbers. Researchers found that more than 95% of the African penguins in two key breeding colonies on the Dassen...

Arizona Has a Spotty New Visitor
Arizona Has a
Spotty New Visitor
Dec 5, 2025 8:53 AM CST

Arizona Has a Spotty New Visitor

New jaguar points to progress in the endangered species' recovery

(Newser) - The spots gave it away. Just like a human fingerprint, the rosette pattern on each jaguar is unique so researchers knew they had a new animal on their hands after reviewing images captured by a remote camera in southern Arizona. The University of Arizona Wild Cat Research and Conservation Center...

Fire Scorches 1K Joshua Trees in 'Avoidable Tragedy'

Blaze burned for 8 days during shutdown

(Newser) - During the recent federal government shutdown, a fire in Joshua Tree National Park scorched more than a thousand of the park's iconic trees, raising concerns about their future as climate change and park staffing shortages take their toll. The 72-acre blaze, which started when a visitor set toilet paper...

Trump Moves to Roll Back Endangered Species Act

Blanket protections for threatened species would end under the proposal

(Newser) - The Trump administration on Wednesday unveiled a plan to scale back the Endangered Species Act with four proposed rule changes, including one that would make it harder to list species due to threats like climate change. The proposed rules , announced by the Interior Department, are part of a broader push...

A Few Problematic Wolves Emerge in California

Officials had to euthanize 4 wolves after 'unprecedented level' of livestock deaths

(Newser) - Gray wolves have died at the hands of California officials for the first time in more than a century. Wildlife officials in October euthanized members of one of the state's 10 wolf packs after a surge in livestock attacks—a move that highlights the ongoing tension between wolf recovery...

One of World's Rarest Whales Gets a Bit of Good News

The North Atlantic right whale population is growing

(Newser) - One of the rarest whales on the planet has continued an encouraging trend of population growth in the wake of new efforts to protect the giant animals, according to scientists who study them. The North Atlantic right whale now numbers an estimated 384 animals, up eight whales from the previous...

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