A dramatic decrease in Canada’s sage grouse population reported this spring has led many to believe this prairie bird, listed as endangered in Canada since 1998, is facing extinction. The sage grouse is the largest grouse in North America. This ground-dwelling bird is brownish-grey plumage with white patterning. Males have large black pointed plumes on their tails and a special…read more →
[youtube_sc url="http://youtu.be/MAT_cyhdsaQ" embedcode="old" rel="0" nocookie="1"] Baby Andatu playing in water. Last Saturday, June 23, 2012, at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Way Kambas National Park, the female rhino Ratu gave birth to a baby male after a 16-month gestation period. The baby rhino was named Andatu, a combination of its parent’s names. Andatu is the first Sumatran rhino born in captivity…read more →
Research published earlier this year, detailing the effects of the popular herbicide atrazine on amphibians, reignited ongoing controversy over using chemicals to control our environment. Various scientific studies have shown that frogs that come in contact with the herbicide are often born hermaphroditic, which threatens frog populations and brings up further questions about the safety of the herbicide for humans. According…read more →
Twenty young flightless rowi kiwis got the chance to fly this week, as part of intense conservation efforts by the BNZ Save The Kiwi Trust to preserve this rarest of kiwi birds. The wingless kiwi is sometimes referred to as an honorary mammal, because it has such un-bird like habits and characteristics. For example, kiwis nest in burrows, sleep standing…read more →
A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science has made a clear connection between lead poisoning in California Condors and the lead found in hunting ammunition. An article published early today in the Los Angeles Times describes the findings of the study. The study consisted of 150 free-flying condors in California, and found that one-in-three…read more →
The solitary and elusive Giant Pacific octopus, found in coastal waters of the North Pacific, holds the title of largest and longest-lived of the octopus species. The largest Pacific octopus on record weighed 600 pounds, but on average these octopuses weigh from 22 to 110 pounds. They have a lifespan of three to five years. The Pacific octopus’s habitat ranges…read more →
The last known wild Tasmanian tiger (thylacine) was shot in 1930, and the last thylacine in captivity died six years later in the Hobart Zoo. The Tasmanian tiger was officially declared extinct in 1986, although sightings of the animal are reported every year. Unfortunately, no proof of living thylacines has come forth. Today only bones, fossils, and a few photographs…read more →
Caves have their own divided ecosystems with different animals occupying each region. Organisms found around the entrance of the cave are generally the same as those found on the surface – spiders, salamanders, etc. Further inside, the creatures tend to fall into three categories – trogloxene, troglophile, and troglobite – distinguished by the amount of time the organism spends on…read more →
The Denver Zoo has created a system that converts waste into energy, as part of the zoo’s campaign to become the “World’s Greenest Zoo.” Later this year, when the system goes online, three million pounds of annual waste created by zoo animals and trash left behind by zoo-goers will be converted into a sustainable and renewable energy source. Instead adding…read more →
From our friends at Planeterra, two videos on sustainable tourism: A message from the director of Planeterra. Planeterra’s “Did You Know?” video, below, is an educational overview of how tourism impacts international communities. Planeterra envisions tourism as a tool to preserve and protect the planet, support local and environmental needs, provide emergency support for communities in crisis, and support small and local…read more →
Murera, a young female elephant at the Nairobi Elephant Nursery, was rescued from Meru National Park earlier this year. Both her hind legs were seriously injured from stepping on poison elephant spikes and one of her legs was paralyzed. Elephant spikes are planks of wood with poison-coated nails jutting out of them. Poachers place these traps in and around water holes…read more →
Africa Altaire Cambata American West animal Anthropology art australia BBC biodiversity biodiversity loss Birds birth control Canada Climate Change Communication conservation culture Ecotourism Elephant endangered endangered species Environmental education Environmentalism Europe extinction forest global warming Gray Wolf guest post Horse Indonesia Interwoven invasive species IUCN Izilwane Jami Wright New Mexico Pam Cooper photography population preservation rainforest research seethewild South Dakota species sustainability Switzerland Taos Tara Lumpkin tourism travel Video Wade Davis Washington D.C Wildlife WWF yellowstone national park YouTube Zoo
WP Cumulus Flash tag cloud by Roy Tanck requires Flash Player 9 or better.