News
News and interesting photography and wildlife tidbits from around the web.
Endangered Species FAQs
These FAQs will guide you through the basic concepts concerning endangered species, the Endangered Species Act, and protection of rare wildlife.
Why Amphibians Are in Decline
In recent years, scientists and conservationists have been working to raise public awareness of a global decline in amphibian populations. Herpetologists first started noting that amphibian populations were falling at ...
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Mediterranean Snail Found in Britain Isles
During Victorian times, a tiny land snail from the Mediterranean found its way to the British Isles. Scientists are only now sorting out how the snail made the journey and ...
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Paper Wasps Frown on False Advertising
Paper wasps punish their peers if they falsely advertise their fighting prowess. For wasps, such advertisement is writ on their faces—their facial markings indicate their fighting ability. Wasps with more complex, fragmented facial patterns are mo...
Going Home - Rare Toads Return to Tanzania
One hundred rare, captive-bred toads recently braved a trans-Atlantic journey from breeding centers in US to their native country of Tanzania. Now in Dar es Salaam, the toads—Kihansi spray toads to be exact—are settling-in at a new, cutting-edge ...
Bearded Gobies to the Rescue
The bearded goby is an ecological superhero. In less than five decades, this six-inch fish managed to revive an entire marine ecosystem—one that had careened to the brink of collapse. Now scientists are beginning to unravel how the bearded goby st...
Top 10 Cutest Mammals
Mammals are easily among the cutest of all animals. Who can resist the cuteness of a furry face or a bushy tail? Here we'll explore ten of the cutest of ...
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Prides and Coalitions - The Social Lives of Lions
Lions are definitely not loners. In fact, lions are unique among felids in that they are the only species of cat that forms social groups. All other cats are solitary hunters that, outside of mating season, shy away from others of their kind.
The...
Climate and the Lion's Magnificent Mane
A lion's mane is more than just a bushy bunch of fur framing a big cat's face. A mane is a declaration of a lion's vitality, fighting prowess and social status as well as an acknowledgement of the climate in which the lion lives. This is the concl...
Plastics Pollution: Threats to Ocean Habitats
Discovery News has a good article on The Great Atlantic Garbage Patch which highlights the concerns about ocean pollution, particularly the accumulation of plastics in our seas. You can also read more about the plastics pollution problem...
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Podcasts from the PBS Nature Series
The following podcasts require Quicktime or iTunes and are in .m4v format. They are very large files, so it will take awhile to download before they start playing. The videos are not full shows, but shorts from a full show. They’re interesting though.
Superfish (8/29/10)
Behind the Scenes of "Superfish" - Rick Rosenthal, the biologist and award-winning filmmaker featured in "Superfish," discusses the challenges of finding elusive billfish and capturing these awe-inspiring underwater creatures on film. "Superfish" ...
Rhinoceros (8/22/10)
Rhino Horn Lab - By analyzing the chemical "fingerprint" of rhino horns, scientists create a database that they hope will help in the fight against poaching. "Rhinoceros" airs Sunday, August 22 at 8 p.m. (check local listings). For more informati...
Violent Hawaii (8/15/10)
The Hawaiian chain of islands, made up of six main islands plus two smaller ones, stretches for more than 1,500 miles through the heart of the Pacific Ocean. It is a place of idyllic beauty. But it is also a land of volcanic fury, raging mountaint...
Penguins of the Antarctic (08/01/10)
Penguin Family Reunion - Penguin mothers return to their mates and chicks, celebrating survival in the harshest of climates. "Penguins of the Antarctic" airs Sunday, August 1 at 8 p.m. (check local listings). For more information, visit http://ww...
Andes: The Dragon's Back (7/18/10)
Only a mountain range of extremes could harbor such a rich and diverse variety of life forms. Here you will find some of the highest, saltiest, wettest and driest terrains on the planet. Penguins, opossums, hummingbirds, llamas, pumas, foxes, cond...