endangered species

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Bacteria May Be Weapon Against Cheatgrass Invading the West

Cheatgrass now 'dominates' the Great Basin

(Newser) - Cheatgrass is about as bad as it sounds. The invasive plant sends out roots in the spring that deprive nearby plants of water, then dries out in the summer as it transforms into extremely effective tinder for wildfires to then kill competing nearby native plants, not to mention the habitat...

These Stingrays Can Be 8 Feet Wide, Are Turning Up Dead

Officials blame wastewater leak at ethanol plant

(Newser) - Picture a stingray. Is it 8 feet wide? Didn't think so, but that's the incredible size the giant freshwater stingray can grow to. Less incredible: More than 70 of the endangered fish have turned up dead in Thailand's Mae Klong River in recent weeks, reports National Geographic...

'Saturation Point:' Wildlife Populations Have Collapsed Since 1970

New report is 'a pretty shocking snapshot of where we are,' says WWF rep

(Newser) - A disturbing study says the world's wild animal population has plunged 58% since 1970, the BBC reports. Researchers from the WWF and the Zoological Society of London warn that if current trends continue, two-thirds of the world's wildlife will be gone by 2020. The finger points squarely at...

Hawaii&#39;s Monk Seals Face New Threat: Cats
It's Cats vs. Monk Seals
in Hawaii
Oct 24, 2016 5:00 PM CDT

It's Cats vs. Monk Seals in Hawaii

Feline feces causes a real threat to endangered creature

(Newser) - The feral cat population has exploded in Hawaii, where they are not native and face no natural predators—and this could spell disaster for the endangered monk seal. That's because cat poop often contains a parasite called Toxoplasmosa gondii, and when sewage and polluted runoff carry the infected feces...

Hungry Humans Are Eating Wild Mammals Into Extinction

Study finds 285 species are close to gone because they're hunted for food

(Newser) - Hungry humans are in danger of eating nearly a quarter of all endangered land mammals into extinction, according to a study published this week in Royal Society Open Science . Quartz reports that 301 species of land mammals—from bats and primates to rodents and big cats—are being hunted into...

Thousands of Endangered Tadpoles Fly to Puerto Rico

Crested toad is on the comeback trail

(Newser) - More than 4,000 wiggling tadpoles conceived via wine fridges in California and then packed in a passenger plane headed to Puerto Rico this week as part of a program to re-establish a technicolor native toad once thought extinct. Since 2014, the Oakland Zoo has taken part in a campaign...

Want to Swim With Dolphins? TripAdvisor Can't Help You

It will also stop selling tickets to ride elephants, pet tigers, and more

(Newser) - TripAdvisor, which claims to be the biggest travel site in the world, says it will stop selling tickets to elephant rides, swims with dolphins, and other attractions that involve humans getting up close and personal with wild animals or endangered species, NPR reports. According to National Geographic , these kinds of...

Scientists Might've Accidentally Killed an Endangered Orca

Tracking dart possibly led to fungal infection

(Newser) - Scientists hoping to protect endangered orcas might have inadvertently killed one instead. A killer whale tagged by NOAA researchers in Washington state in February turned up dead in British Columbia five weeks later, reports the CBC . On Wednesday, US researchers released a report suggesting the 20-year-old whale, known as L95,...

Anyone Who Eats Food Should Be Worried About This Bee

It's the first proposed for endangered species list

(Newser) - The rusty patched bumblebee has gone from a widespread and well-known pollinator to the edge of extinction in just 20 years. Reuters reports that the species, which got its name from the reddish patch on its abdomen, has been proposed for the endangered species list by the US Fish and...

Pandas Now Off the Endangered List

They're now listed as 'vulnerable,' WWF says

(Newser) - The animal on the World Wildlife Fund 's logo now represents a rare and very welcome environmental success story. The group says the giant panda has been bumped down a notch in the Red List of Threatened Species and is now classed as "vulnerable" instead of "endangered,...

Someone Is Killing California's Protected Sea Otters

4 bodies have been found, 3 of them shot, and killer could face jail

(Newser) - Before being hunted to near extinction for their pelts in the 18th and 19th centuries, sea otters littered the Pacific coast. Today the biggest threats to the 3,000 that remain are oil spills and tankers, reports the Guardian , and now a shooter on the loose near Santa Cruz, Calif....

California's Island Foxes Make Amazing Comeback

They're now off endangered species list

(Newser) - The little island foxes of California are back, maybe for good. Three fox subspecies found only on the state's Channel Islands have made a big comeback since they were placed on the endangered species list in 2004 and have just been removed. No mammal on the list has made...

M&Ms Might Save This Endangered Ferret

Vaccine-laced candies to protect its food source

(Newser) - The US Fish and Wildlife Service plans to save endangered ferrets with a "glorified gumball machine" that shoots M&Ms. Beginning in September, government scientists say they'll use a drone armed with a device that shoots candies in three directions in an effort to stop a plague in...

Wild Orangutans Now Critically Endangered

Borneo population added to red list

(Newser) - A global conservation group says Borneo's orangutans are now a critically endangered species due to hunting and destruction of forest habitat. The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates the number of Bornean orangutans has dropped by nearly two-thirds since the early 1970s and will further decline to 47,...

Activists: 'Pay to Play' Loophole Exploits Endangered Animals

Species can be traded if, in many cases, money is donated

(Newser) - It's illegal to import animals as "trophies" to the United States if they're on the endangered species list—but hunters, circuses, zoos, breeders, and theme parks can obtain permits to import, export, or sell animals on the list as long as they show that by doing so,...

People Have Killed to Get Their Hands on This Fish
People Have Killed to Get Their Hands on This Fish
in case you missed it
Jun 4, 2016 6:50 AM CDT

People Have Killed to Get Their Hands on This Fish

The Asian arowana was once a food source

(Newser) - A few decades ago, the Asian arowana was more likely to be on a dinner plate than in an aquarium. But today, the fish is a highly sought-after specimen that enthusiasts will go to great lengths to obtain, including breaking endangered species laws , paying thousands upon thousands of dollars ($150,...

Say Goodbye to Earth's Smallest Porpoise

Vaquitas are illegally fished in the Gulf of California

(Newser) - Fishermen are on the verge of eradicating a porpoise known for its little body and distinctive smirk—and only a massive effort by three world governments can save it, scientists say. The vaquita, also known as "little cow," was already the most endangered marine mammal on Earth. Now...

Fishermen Slaughter One of the World's Largest Animals

Whale shark's killing sparks outcry in China

(Newser) - People around the world have taken to social media to rant about the killing of a whale shark off the coast of China a couple weeks ago—and while two fishermen have been arrested after selling it at market, it's unclear whether they'll be punished, reports Fusion . The...

Sheriff: Vandals May Have Killed 1 of the World's Rarest Fishes

They also allegedly vomited and skinny-dipped all over a protected area

(Newser) - Three Nevada men have been questioned by investigators about vandalism in an environmentally fragile area of Death Valley National Park that may have killed one of the rarest fishes on earth, the AP reports. No arrests have been made in the April 30 intrusion while authorities continue to investigate what...

World's Tiger Count Rises, but It's Complicated

There could be more of them, or it could mean something else entirely

(Newser) - The latest count of the world's tigers reveals that conservation groups deserve congratulations, though it's not entirely clear what for. Tiger numbers in the wild worldwide are up after more than a century of drastic declines, which the AP reports can mean one of two things: There are...

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