Endangered Species
grrlscientist | January 26, 2008tags: coral reef, marine life, endangered species, Image of the Day
Seventeen countries have marked 2008 as the International Year of the Reef, a worldwide campaign to raise awareness about the importance of coral reefs and to motivate action to protect them.
Image: S. Zumbrunn, Conservation International. [larger size].
grrlscientist | January 23, 2008tags: Laysan Duck, Anas laysanensis, endangered species, birds, conservation, Image of the Day
The critically endangered Laysan Duck, Anas laysanensis, has had a very successful 2007 breeding season, say US Wildlife Biologists. Population numbers have quadrupled since 42 individuals were moved across the Pacific and released at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in the US in 2004.
Image: JH Breedan, Rare Birds Yearbook [larger size].
bleimanb | January 23, 2008We know this story has been covered by everyone from LiveScience to Perez Hilton, but we thought we'd do our part as well to promote awareness.
Chinese giant salamander....very tasty.
An initiative known as EDGE (Excited Dachshunds Grinding with the Elderly) has released its list of unique and critically endangered amphibians, hot on the heels of their steamy, after hours EDGE Mammals edition.
The initiative is a part of the...
...Zoological Society of London, who made the announcement yesterday. The endangered amphibians come in all shapes and sizes from the giant salamanders of China to…
zooillogix | December 31, 2007Seafood Watch is a very cool and very practical conservation effort led by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Basically, it is a regularly updated guide to which lake and ocean critters should or should not be devoured each year. At its most convenient, they print a handy business card sized reference guide which you can carry around in your wallet. Impress your animal loving, patchouli wearing date when you take her out to your favorite seafood restaurant and tell her what she is not allowed to order off the menu. In all seriousness though, it is incredibly handy, they will send you one or more for…
grrlscientist | December 28, 2007tags: blue poison dart frogs, Dendrobates azureus, Dendrobatidae, NewScientist, Image of the Day
Blue Poison Dart Frogs, Dendrobates azureus.
Dendrobates azureus is a species of poison dart frog found in the Sipaliwini District in Suriname of South America.
Image: Gail Shumway/Getty Images 2007 (NewScientist calendar 2008). [Much larger view]
The poison dart frog is the common name for the Dendrobatidae family of small, diurnal frogs that are endemic to Central and South America. These frogs are widely referred to as poison arrow frogs or poison dart frogs, which reflectes the widespread…
grrlscientist | December 27, 2007tags: Siberian tiger, Amur tiger, Panthera tigris altaica, NewScientist, Image of the Day
Amur (Siberian) tiger, Panthera tigris altaica.
Tigers are most commonly poached for their fur and body parts, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine. It is estimated that in 1991 alone, one-third of the Siberian tiger population was killed to meet the demand for their bones and other parts used in this practice.
Image: Barry Slade, 2007 (NewScientist calendar 2008). [Much larger view]
grrlscientist | December 22, 2007tags: researchblogging.org, giraffe species, Giraffa camelopardalis, speciation, evolution, conservation, molecular phylogeny
West African giraffe, currently Giraffa camelopardalis peralta.
Image: Wikipedia (Creative Commons) [larger view]
How many species of giraffes are there? Well, it may surprise you to learn this, but some people have actually thought about this throughout the decades, and they decided that there is only one species, Giraffa camelopardalis. However, a paper published today in BMC Biology convincingly demonstrates that giraffes are actually comprised of at least six…
scientificactivist | October 15, 2007 Along with thousands of other bloggers, I'm observing the inaugural Blog Action Day by blogging about the environment today.
We heard some good news out of California on Saturday. Going against pressure from his own party and particularly from the National Rifle Association (NRA), governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law AB 821 (the Ridley-Tree Condor Preservation Act), which outlawed the use of lead ammunition by large game hunters in California within the range of the highly endangered condor.
Although their numbers in the wild are slowly increasing, these majestic birds are still…
grrlscientist | October 14, 2007tags: Spoonbill Sandpiper, Eurynorhynchus pygmeus, birds, ornithology, endangered species, Image of the Day
Spoonbill Sandpiper chick, Eurynorhynchus pygmeus.
(Read a story about this species in tomorrow's edition of Birds in the News -- issue 101).
Image: J. O'Sullivan [Wallpaper size]
Thanks, Grace!
grrlscientist | October 13, 2007tags: researchblogging.org, conservation, captive breeding, endangered species, reproductive success
I bred parrots and other birds for zoos and for the pet trade for years before I moved to NYC. I often thought about applying my avicultural and ornithological skills and talents to propagate birds for release into the wild, to supplement wild populations that are decreasing. But in addition to the practical challenges of captive breeding birds, I often wondered about the evolutionary implications of doing this: because every individual is precious in a captive breeding program, they are…
grrlscientist | October 10, 2007tags: researchblogging.org, birds, SincoraÌ Antwren, Formicivora grantsaui, ornithology, Brazil
Male SincoraÌ Antwren,
Formicivora grantsaui.
Potentially a new bird species that was recently discovered in Brazil.
Image: Sidnei Sampaio. [larger view].
In a world where many humans believe they know the identities of every living thing on the planet, it is truly refreshing to learn that we have found yet another species of bird that is new to science. This new species was recently found in eastern Brazil. The bird was captured, studied and its vocalizations were recorded by ornithologists.…
grrlscientist | October 9, 2007tags: researchblogging.org, elephant, Africanized honeybees, maize, Africa
As humans compete with wildlife for ever smaller areas, the likelihood for conflict between them grows. Unfortunately, this is a problem for the endangered African elephants, whose love for human crops has caused grief for both elephants and people. However, some creative research by a team from Oxford University has suggested a possible solution to the "elephant problem."
Elephants are not afraid of mice, but new research shows that they definitely fear the sound of bees because the angry insects can inflict painful…
grrlscientist | October 9, 2007tags: researchblogging.org, conservation, birds, ornithology, ecology, environment, endangered species
Image: Robert Linder.
I suppose this seems obvious to you city dwellers, but recently published research demonstrates that urban birds are better overall survivors than their country-dwelling cousins. Apparently, this is because city-dwelling birds are less specialized in their requirements, and thus, are more broadly adaptable to a variety of microenvironments, such as those found in large cities. While this might seem to be a mere conversational topic to many of you, this observation…
grrlscientist | September 27, 2007tags: parrot, lories, lorikeet, loriinae, loriidae, Rimatara lorikeet, Kuhl's lory, Vini kuhlii, conservation, ornithology, South Pacific Islands
Back from the brink:
The endangered Rimatara lorikeet or Kuhl's lory, Vini kuhlii,
has been successfully reintroduced to Ätiu.
Image: Phil Bender.
As I've mentioned a few times already, my life's passion is the birds of the South Pacific, particularly the Loriinae, which are parrots commonly known as the lories and lorikeets. I study them professionally and I have lived with them and bred them for most of my life. So it was exciting to me when I…
grrlscientist | September 17, 2007tags: researchblogging.org, salmon, trout, spawning, molecular biology, cloning, conservation, endangered species
A trout germ cell is transplanted into the body cavity of a newly hatched salmon embryo. This is part of the process that allowed adult salmon to successfully spawn trout offspring.
Image: Science magazine
Have you ever heard of a trout with salmon for parents? Since when has one species given birth to another species? Well, ever since scientists began experimenting with salmon in the hope that they could genetically alter these fish by injecting sex cells from trout so the…
grrlscientist | August 27, 2007tags: researchblogging.org, bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus, fishing, fishery, overfishing, sushi
Bluefin Tuna, Thunnus thynnus.
Orphaned image [larger image].
The western Atlantic Bluefin Tuna fishery in the Gulf of Maine is in danger of collapse, according to University of New Hampshire (UNH) researchers. Further, the team found that the number and quality of the captured fish has declined markedly in recent years.
Using notes collected by veteran tuna grader Robert Campbell from the Yankee Fisherman's Co-op in Seakbrook, New Hampshire, Walter Golet led a team of marine biologists that…
grrlscientist | August 12, 2007tags: northern spotted owl, Strix occidentalis caurina, politics, logging
Northern Spotted Owl, Strix occidentalis caurina.
Image: HRF [larger]
The Northern subspecies of the Spotted Owl is in trouble and needs your help. This ambassador of our old-growth forests is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and is now facing two new and serious threats, both presented by the US Fish and Wildlife Agency, which is supposed to protect our nation's wildlife.
First, the Draft Northern Spotted Owl Recovery Plan, proposed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, threatens to…
scientificactivist | July 21, 2007Another example of Bush Administration political interference in science came out in October 2006, when it was discovered that Julie MacDonald, the deputy assistant secretary of the interior for fish and wildlife and parks (a political appointee), had actively censored scientific information and inappropriately elevated industry concerns to prevent new additions to the Endangered Species list. MacDonald resigned in May 2007, and now the Interior Department is reviewing eight of her decisions. As The New York Times reports today, these are likely to be overturned:
The Interior Department…
grrlscientist | July 19, 2007tags: recurve-billed bushbird, Clytoctantes alixii, ornithology, birds, avian, endangered species
Female Recurve-billed Bushbird, Clytoctantes alixii. More images below the fold.
Image: Chris Sharpe 2004 [larger].
[listen to this species' song]
Chris Sharpe emailed me this following statement about the Recurve-billed Bushbird rediscovery, which I quote in full. I also present Chris's original 2004 images here, although some of the images will re-appear on this site soon (one will be the featured image for the next issue of Birds in the News, for example).
The Recurve-billed Bushbird,…
grrlscientist | July 17, 2007tags: coelacanth, Latimeria chalumnae, fish, living fossil, Indonesia
Indonesian coelacanth, Latimeria menadoensis, and Arnaz Mehta Erdmann, at about a 50 foot depth -- this is to give you an idea of the fish's size.
Image: Mark V. Erdmann, July 1998 (Smithsonian Institute [larger]).
This past Saturday, a rare living fossil, the coelacanth, Latimeria chalumnae, was captured by fishhermen off the shores of Zanzibar. Zanzibar is an island archipelago comprised of numerous small islands and two large ones located 25-50 km off the coast of East Africa in the Indian Ocean. The coelacanth (…