Extinction News

September 28, 2016

Poaching: Worst Elephant Losses in 25 Years

Bizarre New Species of Extinct Reptile

Where, How Climate Change Is Altering Species

Sea Otter Survey Encouraging, But Not Perfect

Latest Headlines

updated 7:56pm EDT

Optimization Technique Identifies Cost-Effective Biodiversity Corridors

Sep. 27, 2016 — A new optimization technique could help conservation biologists choose the most cost-effective ways of connecting isolated populations of rare, threatened and endangered ... read more

Fossils Can Help Predict Future Species Survival

Sep. 27, 2016 — Many people are concerned about conservation of the planet's cute and cuddlies. But in a world of global climate change, sometimes we must prioritize which species we can and ... read more

Malaysia's Unique Freshwater Mussels in Danger

Sep. 21, 2016 — Peninsular Malaysia hosts at least three rare mussel species, one of which (Hyriopsis bialata) is not found anywhere else on the planet. Now investigators suggest that this species may be in danger. ... read more

More Than One in Ten UK Species Threatened With Extinction

Sep. 21, 2016 — Climate change, urban expansion and agricultural intensification blamed for risk to some of Britain's best loved species. Some of the UK's leading nature experts have delivered a clarion call for ... read more

Fate of Turtles, Tortoises Affected More by Habitat Than Temperature

Sep. 20, 2016 — Habitat degradation poses a greater risk to the survival of turtles and tortoises than rising global temperatures, according to new research. More than 60 per cent are listed as vulnerable, ... read more

Underwater 'Cystoseira Zosteroides' Forests, the Mediterranean Algae, Threatened by Human Activity Impact

Sep. 23, 2016 — The effects of an intense storm every twenty-five years could make the marine alga populations of <em>Cystoseira ... read more

How a Native Plant Ended Up on Reality TV, and Why It's at Risk

Sep. 22, 2016 — In one of television’s more bizarre recent offerings, the History Channel show “Appalachian Outlaws” follows a band of West Virginians as they hunt rugged forests for American ginseng, a ... read more

Better Models to Forecast Effects of Environmental Change on Food Webs

Sep. 21, 2016 — Ppredator-feeding behavior, global warming, and nutrient enrichment affect the basic building blocks of food webs, says a new dissertation. Just a small increase in temperature or in the availability ... read more

Reptilian Anachronism: American Alligator Older Than We Thought

Sep. 17, 2016 — From climate to the peninsula's very shape, not much in Florida has stayed the same over the last 8 million years. Except, it turns ... read more

Ancient DNA Traces Extinct Caribbean 'Island Murderer' Back to the Dawn of Mammals

Sep. 13, 2016 — From skeletal remains found among ancient owl pellets, a team of scientists has recovered the first ancient DNA of the ... read more

Endangered Hawaiian Crow Species Shows Knack for Tool Use

Dinosaurs Roar Into Life in Berlin Thanks to Virtual Reality

Add Eastern Gorillas To The List Of Critically Endangered Species

Violent Coral Bleaching Caught on Camera

Gaps in Data Place Thousands of Illegally Traded Wild Animals at Risk, Say Researchers

Sep. 26, 2016 — The fate of over 64,000 live wild animals officially reported to have been confiscated by enforcement agencies remains untraceable, according to a new report. Between 2010 and 2014, more than 64,000 ... read more

What Dinosaurs' Color Patterns Say About Their Habitat

Sep. 16, 2016 — After reconstructing the color patterns of a well-preserved dinosaur from China, researchers have found that the long-lost species Psittacosaurus (meaning "parrot lizard," a reference to ... read more

For 20 Million Years, the Diversity of Large Terrestrial Mammals Depended on Plant Growth

Sep. 15, 2016 — For more than 20 million years, the ups and downs of diversity in terrestrial large mammals were determined by primary production, i.e. net production of plant biomass. This pattern changed with the ... read more

Larger Marine Animals at Higher Risk of Extinction, and Humans Are to Blame

Sep. 14, 2016 — In today's oceans, larger-bodied marine animals are more likely to become extinct than smaller creatures, according to a new report. It's a pattern that is unprecedented in the history of ... read more

Tropical Crow Species Is Highly Skilled Tool User

Sep. 14, 2016 — An international team of scientists and conservation experts has discovered that the critically-endangered Hawaiian crow is a highly proficient tool ... read more

New Book Details South America’s Surprising Prehistoric Mammals

Sep. 14, 2016 — South America was home to a host of unique animals during the 60-some million years the continent was isolated, during most of the Cenozic Period. Details and constructions of mammals ranging from ... read more

Coastal Occupation Affects Tropical Reefs in Brazil

Sep. 14, 2016 — Researchers in Brazil warn of the negative environmental impacts of unplanned coastal occupation on tropical reefs and consequently on the conservation of marine biodiversity. Researchers state that ... read more

Land-Based Food Not Nutritionally Sufficient for Wild Polar Bears, According to New Study

Sep. 13, 2016 — On average, a polar bear loses up to 30 percent of its total body mass while fasting during the open-water season. Although some scientists previously believed land-based foods could supplement the ... read more

Initiative to Restore One Million Corals Launches in the Caribbean and Florida Keys

Sep. 12, 2016 — Research organizations are working on a coral conservation initiative that will enable coral restoration at unprecedented scales throughout the Caribbean and the Florida ... read more

Hippo Teeth Reveal Environmental Change

Sep. 12, 2016 — Loss of megaherbivores such as elephants and hippos can allow woody plants and non-grassy herbs and flowering plants to encroach on grasslands in African national parks, according to a new ... read more

A Tenth of the World's Wilderness Lost Since the 1990s

Sep. 8, 2016 — Researchers reporting in the journal Current Biology show catastrophic declines in wilderness areas around the world over the last 20 ... read more

New Reptile Species from 212 Million Years Ago

Sep. 8, 2016 — An extinct reptile related to crocodiles that lived 212 million years ago in present day New Mexico has been named as a new species, Vivaron haydeni, report ... read more

Why Moths Are Attracted to Light

Sep. 8, 2016 — Light at night changes animals’ behavior. A new study shows that moths are attracted to street lamps within a radius of approximately 23 meters. The number of specimens attracted depends on the ... read more

New Deep-Reef Butterflyfish Species Discovered in Papahanaumokuakea Monument

Sep. 6, 2016 — Scientists have published a description of a new species of butterflyfish from deep reefs in the remote Northwestern Hawaiian ... read more

European Earthworms Decrease Species Diversity in North America

Sep. 6, 2016 — European earthworms invading the forests of North America are responsible for a decline in species diversity in the forest understory. Scientists have now been able to demonstrate this general ... read more

Global Warming Data Not Enough to Predict Animal Extinction, Lizard Study Finds

Sep. 6, 2016 — Current models used to predict the survival of species in a warming world might be off target because they ignore the spatial distribution of shade, report ... read more

Blue Coral Snake, Calliophis Bivirgata: A Mysterious Beauty Armed With Exotic Toxins

Sep. 5, 2016 — Toxicologists in Malaysia published the first report on the venom proteome correlating toxic functionalities of the Malayan blue coral snake, an exotic species from the country. The toxins are unique ... read more

Four out of Six Great Apes One Step Away from Extinction, Experts Say

Sep. 4, 2016 — The Eastern gorilla -- the largest living primate -- has been listed as Critically Endangered due to illegal hunting, according to the latest update of The IUCN Red List of Threatened ... read more

Organized Poaching Is Decimating Madagascar's Sea Turtles

Sep. 1, 2016 — The illegal hunting of Madagascar's sea turtles is reaching a crisis level as a result of organized trafficking networks says a team of conservationists. The team asserts that the recent spike ... read more

Species Conservation Profile of a Critically Endangered Endemic for the Azores Spider

Sep. 1, 2016 — Subject to continuing population decline due to various factors, an endemic cave-dwelling spider from the Azores is considered as Critically Endangered. To provide a fast output potentially ... read more

Monday, September 26, 2016