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Reposted by Esther Wullschleger

Sara Zaske @zaskestanford.bsky.social · 5d

Snow leopards have the lowest genetic diversity of all big cats–a dubious distinction once held by cheetahs. It increases their risk of extinction in a warming climate. #Stanford-led #research #snowleopards @kasolari.bsky.social @petrovadmitri.bsky.social
news.stanford.edu/stories/2025...

Snow leopards’ low genetic diversity puts future at risk

A Stanford-led study reveals that snow leopards are the most genetically similar to each other among big cats, making them particularly vulnerable to drastic changes like the warming climate.

news.stanford.edu

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Reposted by Esther Wullschleger

Mongabay @mongabay.com · 15d

A new study found that 75 streams in Alaska’s Brooks Range have turned orange due to thawing permafrost, which releases metals like iron, aluminum and cadmium that exceed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency safety thresholds for aquatic life.

Alaskan rivers turn orange as permafrost thaws, threatening fish and communities

The writer John McPhee once described Alaska’s Salmon River as having “the clearest, purest water” he’d ever seen. Today, that same river runs orange with toxic metals unleashed by thawing…

news.mongabay.com

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Esther Wullschleger @estwsl.bsky.social · 15d

a new species described from remote Peruvian Andes

Mystery creature found in 'forbidden cloud forest' of Peru is new species of marsupial

The newly described mouse opossum was discovered at a surprisingly high altitude in the Andes.

www.livescience.com

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Reposted by Esther Wullschleger

MBARI @mbarinews.bsky.social · Sep 8

Meet the newest (and cutest) addition to the snailfish family 🐟

MBARI collaborators @sunygeneseo.bsky.social have described three new deep-sea snailfishes, including one first discovered using MBARI’s remotely operated vehicle Doc Ricketts.

Learn more: www.mbari.org/news/mbaris-...

MBARI's advanced underwater technology reveals a new species of deep-sea snailfish • MBARI

The bumpy snailfish is one of three new species of deep-sea snailfish described by MBARI collaborators at SUNY Geneseo.

www.mbari.org

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Esther Wullschleger @estwsl.bsky.social · Sep 12

good news from India

BirdLife International @birdlifeglobal.bsky.social · Sep 12

Lost bird rediscovered! 🙌

After more than 20 years, the Critically Endangered Jerdon's Courser has been documented again by a team of Indian birdwatchers. 🎉

Find out more about the ‘Search for Lost Birds’ here 👉
www.birdlife.org/news/2025/09...

Glimmer of hope: Sought-after lost bird rediscovered in India

After more than 20 years, the Critically Endangered Jerdon’s Courser has been documented again.

www.birdlife.org

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Esther Wullschleger @estwsl.bsky.social · Aug 30

" Conservationists say social media has made matters worse, with photos of rare orchids triggering some people to rush in to harvest them, proving social media to be a double-edged sword that can be used both for positive and negative purposes. "

Mongabay @mongabay.com · Aug 30

After 160 years, scientists in Sri Lanka have rediscovered Vanda thwaitesii, a delicate tropical Asian orchid, by referring to scientific drawings to make the connection.

Conservationists caution that this rediscovery does not mean recovery and call for urgent measures to safeguard floral heritage.

After 160 years, an old drawing leads scientists to a long-lost Sri Lanka orchid

COLOMBO — In the mist-wrapped folds of Sri Lanka’s Knuckles Mountain Range, a UNESCO-recognized world heritage site, where clouds softly wrap the rugged peaks in a soft embrace, a group of scientists…

news.mongabay.com

Reposted by Esther Wullschleger

Spektrum der Wissenschaft @spektrum.de · Aug 29

Die zunehmende Nachfrage nach den Schwimmblasen von Fischen sorgt nun zunehmend für Raubbau an den Tieren im Meer vor Neuguinea.

Haie: Entdeckt, verloren, wiederentdeckt

50 Jahre lang galt eine bizarre Haiart als verschollen

www.spektrum.de

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Esther Wullschleger @estwsl.bsky.social · Aug 29

a likely human-animal partnership to survive in an extreme environment

The mysterious, extinct ‘Fuegian dog’ was actually a semi-tame fox

Historic European accounts long described the canids as domesticated dogs. A new study suggests that’s probably not true.

www.sciencenews.org

Esther Wullschleger @estwsl.bsky.social · Aug 27

thanks to control of invasives

Tiny Australian predator defies drought to recover from near-extinction

Rat-sized carnivore called the ampurta makes speedy comeback despite unprecedented drought.

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Esther Wullschleger

Wildlife Conservation Society @wcs.org · Aug 5

A rare sight from Kabobo Wildlife Reserve in DRC. This footage shows the Foa’s red colobus—the first ever of this Endangered species.

They used to be widespread in Kahuzi-Biega National Park and across the Itombwe Mountains all the way down to Kabobo, but now maybe only in Kabobo. 🌍

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Esther Wullschleger @estwsl.bsky.social · Aug 6

More than 10,000 species on brink of extinction need urgent action: Study

Extinction is an overwhelming concept, difficult to grasp in its enormity and finality. Thousands of species are barreling toward that grim fate, unless we help. A comprehensive new study provides the...

news.mongabay.com

Esther Wullschleger @estwsl.bsky.social · Aug 6

" There has never been perfect agreement on what counts as de-extinction — such as whether it means cloning exact replicas of extinct species, creating proxies that fulfil their roles in ecosystems, or something in between. "

This company claimed to ‘de-extinct’ dire wolves. Then the fighting started.

Colossal’s bold announcements have drawn criticism from many scientists, but the billion-dollar firm is not backing down.

www.nature.com

Esther Wullschleger @estwsl.bsky.social · Jul 28

The kākāpō - on one of conservation's most carefully managed comebacks

World Nature Conservation Day: How a large, flightless parrot rebounded from the verge of extinction

Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. In the mid-1990s, the kākāpō seemed destined for extinction. Only 51...

news.mongabay.com

Reposted by Esther Wullschleger

New Scientist @newscientist.com · Jul 24

A toxic algal bloom in South Australia has caused mass deaths of many species since March this year – now researchers warn that leafy and weedy seadragons may be facing the threat of extinction.

Thousands of seadragons are dying in Australia's toxic algal bloom

An algal bloom in South Australia has caused mass deaths of many species since March - now researchers warn that leafy and weedy seadragons could be facing the threat of extinction

www.newscientist.com

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Reposted by Esther Wullschleger

Eos @eos.org · Jul 27

46% of trees in Mesoamerica are at risk of extinction. Researchers hope a new regional study will inform targeted conservation strategies.

First Species-Level Assessment Reveals Extinction Risk in Mesoamerica - Eos

Forty-six percent of tree species in Mesoamerica are threatened with extinction. Researchers hope a new regional study will inform targeted conservation strategies.

eos.org

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Esther Wullschleger @estwsl.bsky.social · Jul 19

'It's just a weird, weird bird': Why we got the dodo so absurdly wrong

The extinct flightless pigeon has captured imaginations for over 400 years. Experts and artists are now revealing how much we have distorted what the dodo was really like.

bbc.com

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Reposted by Esther Wullschleger

Mongabay @mongabay.com · Jul 18

Mennonites in Belize own thousands of hectares of rainforest that make up part of a “biological corridor” for wildlife moving between protected areas.

Critics say they started clearing the forest in 2022 without carrying out an environmental impact assessment, which destroyed wildlife habitats.

Mennonite farming in Belize threatens essential biological corridor, critics say

A stretch of rainforest in Belize that allows wildlife to pass freely between protected areas is under threat of deforestation, and conservationists are scrambling to contain the damage. Mennonites,…

news.mongabay.com

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Reposted by Esther Wullschleger

Convention on Wetlands @ramsar.org · Jul 18

Wetlands are in global decline!

Since 1970, an estimated 411 million hectares of wetlands, approximately 22% of the global total have been lost, with an ongoing annual decline of 0.52%.

Read more: www.global-wetland-outlook.ramsar.org

#GlobalWetlandOutlook2025 #GWO2025

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Esther Wullschleger @estwsl.bsky.social · Jul 19

noteworthy for travelers to the far north or south ecosystems..

Visiting Antarctica or the Arctic? Here's how to minimise your impact

As polar tourism surges, experts warn of its environmental impact. From transport choices to local food, here's how to visit responsibly while protecting fragile ecosystems.

bbc.com

Reposted by Esther Wullschleger

Jens-Christian Svenning @jcsvenning.bsky.social · Jul 11

Nearly half of #tree species in Mexico and Central America threatened with extinction 🌳🌴🌲🌿🪓🐄 news.mongabay.com/2025/07/near... #trees

Nearly half of tree species in Mexico and Central America threatened with extinction

Lions have been dubbed the king of the jungle, but one could argue the real royalty are the trees, the massive woody beasts that hold down the land and root the web of life that teems around them. In ...

news.mongabay.com

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Esther Wullschleger @estwsl.bsky.social · Jul 10

" The unexpected discovery of the Critically Endangered Chinese Crested Tern in Malaysia has stunned researchers and highlighted the urgency of protecting Sarawak’s coastal wetlands. "

“Bird of Legend” reappears in Malaysia after more than a century

The unexpected discovery of the Critically Endangered Chinese Crested Tern in Malaysia has stunned researchers and highlighted the urgency of protecting Sarawak’s coastal wetlands.

www.birdlife.org

Esther Wullschleger @estwsl.bsky.social · Jul 7

Why captive breeding won’t save wild parrots - Africa Geographic

Can commercial captive breeding of parrots reduce pressure on wild populations, or does it worsen the conservation crisis?

africageographic.com

Reposted by Esther Wullschleger

BirdLife International @birdlifeglobal.bsky.social · Jun 19

It’s World Albatross Day! 🗺️

Albatrosses are iconic, long-lived birds that travel huge distances across oceans! 🌊

From chicks to migrating adults, we can tackle the threats facing these birds.🌏

Read more in our article here 👉 www.birdlife.org/news/2025/06...

World Albatross Day: The Life and Challenges of an Albatross

Albatrosses are impressive, long-lived birds that cover huge distances across oceans! From chicks to migrating adults, we can tackle the threats facing these birds.

www.birdlife.org

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Reposted by Esther Wullschleger

Wilson Ornithological Society @wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social · Jun 16

Captive-bred loggerhead shrikes from Ontario, intended to boost the vulnerable wild population, have developed bigger bodies and shorter, thicker legs than their wild-born cousins—but the culprit seems to be random genetic drift. #ornithology

Why do captive-bred loggerhead shrikes look different? - The Wildlife Society

Managers in captive breeding programs for endangered songbirds wondered why they seemed to be growing over time

wildlife.org

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Esther Wullschleger @estwsl.bsky.social · Jun 16

finally, we have a unified global checklist of the world's bird species 🙏

AviList unites the world’s bird species

The publication of AviList means that for the first time ever, we have a unified global checklist of the species of bird found on planet Earth.

www.birdlife.org

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