extinction

Across the world, migrating animal populations are dwindling. Here's why

7:00pm February 12, 2024

by Nathan Rott

In a landmark UN study, researchers found nearly half of the world's threatened migratory species have declining populations. More than a fifth of the assessed animals face extinction.

A sea otter in the estuarine water of Elkhorn Slough, Monterey Bay, Calif.

California sea otters nearly went extinct. Now they're rescuing their coastal habitat

10:49am February 08, 2024

by Ari Daniel

California sea otter populations have rebounded in recent decades. New research finds that by feasting on shore crabs, these otters are helping to protect their coastal marsh habitat against erosion.

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The Key deer is the smallest deer species in North America. The deer live only in the low-lying Florida Keys. They are considered federally endangered, with an estimated population of around 1,000.

A tiny deer and rising seas: How far should people go to save an endangered species?

5:30am November 12, 2023

The Key deer is losing the only place it lives, raising uncomfortable questions for the people tasked with keeping endangered species alive.

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A study published in the journal Nature found that the status of amphibians globally is "deteriorating rapidly," earning them the unenviable title of being the planet's most threatened class of vertebrates. Here, an endangered Agalychnis annae, commonly known as a Blue-Sided Leaf Frog, is seen at National Biodiversity Institute of Costa Rica, INBio, in Heredia, Costa Rica.

Scientists looked at nearly every known amphibian type. They're not doing great

4:36pm October 04, 2023

by Nathan Rott

A new global assessment of the world's amphibians finds that more than 2 of every 5 known species is at risk of extinction. Habitat loss, disease and climate change are the main drivers.

An artist's interpretation of a baby mosasaur hatching from an egg in the Antarctic sea.

Scientists Find The Biggest Soft-Shelled Egg Ever, Nicknamed 'The Thing'

5:36pm June 17, 2020

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

A new study of dinosaur eggs, as well as a football-size egg from Antarctica, shows how some ancient creatures relied on soft shells rather than hard ones.

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Environment

Climate Report Warning: 'The Birds Are Telling Us Something'

9:57am October 11, 2019

by Paul Garber

Changes to North Carolina's climate in the coming years could have a devastating effect on its bird population,

An engraving dating from the 19th century depicts passenger pigeons, once one of the most common birds in North America but now extinct because of overhunting and deforestation.

Books
Arts

When We Love Our Food So Much That It Goes Extinct

7:38pm September 23, 2019

by Luisa Torres

A new book explores how overhunting and habitat destruction have left us with only a fraction of the foods that existed a century ago, and the changes that are needed to preserve our culinary variety.

In this May 13 photo provided by the National Park Service, this female California condor spreads her wings. Biologists have confirmed that she laid an egg that has hatched and there is a new baby condor at Zion National Park.

Science

Once Nearly Dead As The Dodo, California Condor Comeback Reaches 1,000 Chicks

1:54pm July 21, 2019

In the 1980s, there were less than two dozen California Condors left. Today, more than 500 exist in the world, thanks to the efforts of conservationists.

George, the last known Achatinella apexfulva, a Hawaiian land snail, died on New Year's Day.

George, Reclusive Hawaiian Snail And Last Of His Kind, Dies At 14

6:36pm January 07, 2019

by Laurel Wamsley

While he was but one very lonely Achatinella apexfulva, his death takes place amid a crisis for Hawaii's native snails, whose populations have been decimated by invasive species.

An island fox, trapped by a Nature Conservancy biologist, undergoes a quick check-up before being released.

VIDEO: To Save A Fox, Scientists Took To Land, Air And Sea

3:19pm December 04, 2018

When the population of Channel Islands foxes started to vanish in the '90s, no one knew why. Bringing them back from near-extinction has meant unraveling a mystery that started with World War II.