354 Items Tagged

Conservation

A California condor, the largest North American bird with a wingspan of up to 10 feet.

How the California Condor Comeback Was Hatched

Once on the brink of extinction, the massive birds now number in the hundreds.

Danna Staaf June 7, 2023

On the nesting colony platform, a common tern watches over its chicks beside tufts of artificial grass that mimic the birds' traditional nesting habitat.

Maryland's Rare Seabirds Get a Life Raft and Babysitters

Scientists don bike helmets and dodge bird poop to care for a colony of endangered common terns.

Ashley Stimpson June 6, 2023

To reduce the risk of conflict between humans and elephants, scientists are looking at the situation from the animals' perspective.

To Reduce Conflicts With Humans, Get Inside an Elephant's Head

Understanding how the giant mammals weigh risk and reward could help prevent clashes with people.

Mridula Chari June 5, 2023

Kelps provide food and habitat for myriad coastal creatures.

Kelp Seed Banks Save Biodiversity and Indigenous Traditions

In Washington State, a new preservation facility offers a back-up plan for an uncertain future.

Natalia Mesa May 29, 2023

The crossing offers a safer way for animals to move across the highway.

9 Real-World Animal Crossings

These bridges, tunnels, and viaducts help wildlife safely navigate the road.

Michelle Cassidy May 26, 2023

This New Species Is a Fish out of Water by Choice

The Juan Deriba killifish, found in a tiny area of Bolivia, jumps out of water to evade threats.

James Hall May 23, 2023

A Steller’s sea eagle near Sapporo, Japan.

What a Roving Steller's Sea Eagle May Tell Us About Ourselves

Thousands of miles from its native range, the raptor illustrates how attitudes toward nature vary.

Adriana Craciun May 22, 2023

In 11th-century England, people used more than half a million eels in rental payments.

To Pay Rent in Medieval England, Catch Some Eels

The “Surprised Eel Historian” has mapped every eel rent recorded in medieval England.

Leah Hamilton May 18, 2023

Pando, called simply The Tree by those who know it best—and love it most—is a single organism that covers an area larger than 100 football fields.

Pando As You've Never Seen It Before

The Utah aspen grove is one of the world's oldest and largest living things. It's finally getting its close-up.

Amiee Maxwell May 16, 2023

A sea lamprey that's clearly ready for its close-up—and for a new appreciation of its role in its native ecosystems.

Sea Lampreys, Long Reviled, Are Finally Getting Some Respect

Once dismissed as "ugly," this sucker-mouthed fish plays an important role in its native ecosystem.

Ted Williams May 15, 2023

The last wild Round Island hurricane palm stands nearly 30 feet tall, towering above other palms.

This Mauritius Palm Is the Last of Its Kind in the Wild

Dedicated scientists are going to extremes to save this rare plant from extinction.

Ryan Truscott May 10, 2023

A bald eagle catches a coot in its talons at Orlando Wetlands Park in February 2023. The park—a natural wastewater treatment facility—attracts more than 230 bird species, as well as alligators, turtles, bobcats, and other wildlife.

This Orlando Water Park Is Wild. No, Really.

At Orlando Wetlands Park, water goes for a ride—through a natural filtration process—and attracts birds, gators, and more.

Gemma Tarlach May 9, 2023

Amherst, Massachusetts

Henry Street Salamander Tunnels

One of the first amphibian migration tunnels in the United States encourages a tradition that has inspired Amherst residents for decades.

Podcast: Caring for Canids

Spend a day hanging out with domesticated Russian foxes at a California conservation center.

The Podcast Team April 25, 2023

Podcast: Telling Time Through the Trees With the Places Team

These trees have seen major moments in history.

The Podcast Team April 24, 2023

Junior Novera (right), a conservation scientist, is working with his community in Papua New Guinea to protect imperiled Bougainville monkey-faced bats and other local species.

Saving Bats in Papua New Guinea Through 'Knowledge-Weaving' Tradition and Science

A Indigenous scientist blends local and Western perspectives about the culturally significant animal to safeguard its future.

Monica Evans April 17, 2023

Snow geese fly away from Montana's Berkeley Pit after a sunrise hazing in 2021.

At Montana's Infamous Berkeley Pit, Saving Lives Means Hazing Birds

Engineers and ecologists have considered everything from lasers to cannons to keep waterfowl out of the toxic water.

Sarah Trent April 10, 2023

This photo, captured by researchers Matthew Gardner and David Pereira on Grand Bahama in 2018, is one of the last-known sightings of the Bahama nuthatch. It is believed the bird was wiped out by Hurricane Dorian in 2019.

The Last Days of the Bahama Nuthatch

What's it like to "very probably" witness extinction?

Shoshi Parks March 15, 2023