endangered species

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Giant Galapagos Tortoises Back From 'Brink of Extinction'

'Miraculous' recovery for population that was down to 15 in 1960s

(Newser) - A welcome piece of news for an endangered species: Giant tortoises' population on the Galapagos island of Española is now "very secure," researchers say. "The global population was down to just 15 tortoises by the 1960s. Now there are some 1,000 tortoises breeding on their...

Rhino Species Down to Last 6
 Rhino Species Down to Last 6 
Oct 20, 2014 5:03 AM CDT

Rhino Species Down to Last 6

One of last 2 breeding male northern white rhinos dead

(Newser) - The critically endangered northern white rhino has taken another step toward sharing the fate of the dodo—or the western black rhino . The first of the species to be born in captivity has been found dead at a wildlife conservancy in Kenya, leaving the world with just six of the...

This Could Be World's Most Endangered Animal

Newly identified Gulf whale species lives in single canyon

(Newser) - A new species of whale has been identified in an underwater canyon in the Gulf of Mexico, but scientists fear they won't have long to get to know it: There are only about 50 of the unique species of Bryde's whale left in waters off the Florida Panhandle,...

World Lost Half Its Wildlife in 40 Years

WWF finds decline is even worse than it thought

(Newser) - The World Wildlife Fund has improved its methods of measuring the world's wildlife populations—and discovered that the situation is even worse than previously thought. In its Living Planet report , the numbers are stark: Populations of vertebrate species—including mammals, birds, fish, and reptiles—fell by a staggering average...

Panda Faked Pregnancy for Extra Bamboo

Research center calls off birth broadcast

(Newser) - A panda research center in China called off what would have been the first-ever live broadcast of a panda birth after determining that panda Ai Hin wasn't pregnant—just crafty. Pregnant pandas at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding get special treatment, and while "phantom pregnancies"...

Anti-Wildfire Project Tabled Over Rare Frogs

Forest Service project may hurt endangered species

(Newser) - US officials are balancing forest-fire risk against the need to preserve an endangered species near Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevadas, the Tahoe Daily Tribune reports. Per a stipulation signed by a judge last week, the US Forest Service will delay its tree-thinning project there until it consults with the...

Endangered Florida Habitat Getting a Walmart

Dwindling rockland is home to many rare species

(Newser) - A South Florida forest that's home to a trove of endangered and almost-endangered plant and animal species, including the bald eagle, indigo snake, and Florida bonneted bat, is about to be invaded by a far less rare creature: Walmart. The University of Miami this month sold 88 acres of...

Our Only Native Stork Back From Brink of Extinction

Wood stork is taken off endangered list

(Newser) - America's only native stork has made a comeback a few decades after scientists warned it could be extinct by the year 2000. The wood stork—a four-foot-tall wading bird with a five-foot wingspan—has been officially declared a threatened species instead of an endangered one, though it will continue...

Baby Rhino Won't Sleep Alone After Poachers Killed Mom

Little Gertjie getting some TLC from endangered species center

(Newser) - Gertjie is only four months old, but he's got a backstory terrible enough to keep most people awake at night, so perhaps it's no surprise that the little guy has trouble sleeping by himself. The Independent has the tale of the baby rhino, who came to live in...

For $20K, George RR Martin Will Kill You

Literarily speaking, of course, and to save some wolves

(Newser) - If you happen to have $20,000 burning a hole in your pocket, George RR Martin will cut you for it. The author behind Game of Thrones will slay you with all appropriate gore—on the written page, of course—if you are a top-tier donor of his current crowdfunding...

World on Brink of 6th Great Extinction
 World on Brink of 
 6th Great Extinction 
STUDY SAYS
May 30, 2014 7:47 AM CDT

World on Brink of 6th Great Extinction

Humanity has raised extinction rate a thousandfold

(Newser) - Human activity is wiping out species of plants and animals at a dizzying rate, leaving the world on the verge of the sixth great extinction in its history, a new study warns. Researchers found that species are vanishing around 10 times faster than previously believed—and 1,000 times faster...

Wandering Wolf's Epic Quest May Be Over

OR7 appears to have found his mate, and might be a dad

(Newser) - It may have taken three years, two states, and something of a movie deal, but the wandering gray wolf known as OR7 appears to have found his girl. OR7 first attracted attention in 2011 when he abandoned his pack in northeastern Oregon and trekked to California in search of—what...

France Spending $4M to Save Its Hamsters

The Great Hamster of Alsace needs something to eat

(Newser) - They're furry, with little round ears, and grow up to 10 inches long—and they're costing France $4.2 million. Europe's top court has pressured Paris into saving the Great Hamster of Alsace, an endangered rodent whose fate has drawn official attention before, the Guardian reports. In...

Biologist Has Found Way to Make Caviar Cheap

We could see 'greener' delicacy for $20 an ounce

(Newser) - A biologist in Germany is ready to revolutionize caviar, and her plan could save fish lives even as it cuts costs for consumers. Caviar comes from sturgeon—"an animal as old as dinosaurs, today nearly extinguished from its natural habitats," as Dr. Angela Köhler's company puts...

Rare Croc Killed in Zoo Mating Gone Wrong

Male false gharial suffocated female

(Newser) - A Dutch zoo's attempt to breed a rare, endangered crocodile went terribly wrong when the female half of the horizontal tango died in the act, the zoo revealed yesterday. While mating, the male false gharial crocodile usually holds the female down with his mouth "to show his superiority,...

Unusual Way to Help Whales: Colored Lobster Rope

Scientists say it can cut down on entanglements

(Newser) - Preventing endangered northern right whales from becoming entangled in lobster gear could be as simple as changing the color of rope, a whale researcher says. If the whales can see the fishing gear more clearly, then they are better able to avoid it, says Scott Kraus, a leading researcher on...

Only 600 Whooping Cranes Left, and 3 Were Just Shot

A 4th male may never fly again

(Newser) - The endangered whooping crane population currently stands at only about 600 in all of North America—and shootings are cutting into that number. In the past few months, three of the continent's tallest birds, at some five feet, have been killed: Two were apparently killed in November in Kentucky,...

Meet First Fish to Leave Endangered List

Tiny Oregon chub is poised for a milestone

(Newser) - It's only about 3 inches long, but the Oregon chub is about to achieve a first among fish: It's coming off the endangered species list, reports Popular Science . The Fish and Wildlife Service announced the move yesterday, though it won't become official until after a 60-day period...

Biologists Can&#39;t Find Mexico&#39;s &#39;Water Monster&#39;

 Biologists Can't 
 Find Mexico's 
 'Water Monster' 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Feb 2, 2014 5:40 PM CST

Biologists Can't Find Mexico's 'Water Monster'

Leading to fears the axolotl has gone extinct in nature

(Newser) - The disappearance of a "water monster" sounds like a good thing—but in this case, it's not. The salamander-like axolotl has but a single habitat, the Xochimilco network of lakes and canals in Mexico, and researchers spent four months in skiffs trying to net the "water monster"...

World's Biggest Shark Slaughterhouse Exposed

China factory turns whale sharks into fish oil

(Newser) - Huge numbers of sharks from endangered species are being slaughtered and turned into products including health supplements at a giant slaughterhouse in China, a conservation group has discovered. Investigators from WildLifeRisk found that more than 600 whale sharks are slaughtered at the factory every year, along with large numbers of...

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