Esther Wullschleger
@estwsl.bsky.social
Zoologist, freelance journalist on topics around nature, ecology, biodiversity and conservation / with some focus on birds / based in Switzerland (schreibe meistens in deutsch)
www.nature-themes.ch
www.nature-themes.ch
Reposted by Esther Wullschleger
The Vallarta mud turtle, the world’s smallest turtle, lives only in temporary lagoons in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, posing a huge challenge for its conservation.
By the time scientists determined they were a distinct species, just 1,000 turtles remained.
Their population has since dropped to 300.
By the time scientists determined they were a distinct species, just 1,000 turtles remained.
Their population has since dropped to 300.
In Mexico, world’s smallest turtle faces big threats from trafficking, habitat loss
It sounds like a scene out of the Ocean’s series of heist movies. Only this one didn’t happen in Las Vegas, but at a Mexican university campus surrounded by lush tropical vegetation. And it wasn’t…
news.mongabay.com
November 19, 2025 at 11:53 AM
The Vallarta mud turtle, the world’s smallest turtle, lives only in temporary lagoons in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, posing a huge challenge for its conservation.
By the time scientists determined they were a distinct species, just 1,000 turtles remained.
Their population has since dropped to 300.
By the time scientists determined they were a distinct species, just 1,000 turtles remained.
Their population has since dropped to 300.
einen ganz besonderen Nachzuchterfolg hat der Zoo Zürich kommuniziert
Kleiner Frosch, grosser Erfolg | Zoo Zürich
www.zoo.ch
November 19, 2025 at 2:13 PM
einen ganz besonderen Nachzuchterfolg hat der Zoo Zürich kommuniziert
Have wild wolves learned to use tools? | Science | AAAS
An impressive behavior captured on video anyway
An impressive behavior captured on video anyway
Have wild wolves learned to use tools?
Video captures a lone female pulling crab traps out of the water, but does it count as tool use?
www.science.org
November 19, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Have wild wolves learned to use tools? | Science | AAAS
An impressive behavior captured on video anyway
An impressive behavior captured on video anyway
Reposted by Esther Wullschleger
“As the planet warms, so much ice has been erased from around Mount Everest that the elevation at base camp in Nepal, which sits on a melting glacier, has dropped more than 220 feet since the 1980s.” www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Melting Glaciers in the Himalayas Feed Lakes That Threaten Towns Below
Melting ice from the Himalayas is creating thousands of unstable lakes, a growing menace to towns and cities below.
www.nytimes.com
November 14, 2025 at 2:07 PM
“As the planet warms, so much ice has been erased from around Mount Everest that the elevation at base camp in Nepal, which sits on a melting glacier, has dropped more than 220 feet since the 1980s.” www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
a rare mutation points to a serious problem
The curious case of the tigers who changed their stripes
Decades ago, India’s tigers were on the brink of extinction. Slowly, their numbers have rebounded. But that ecological success has prompted a dire problem—and a race to save many of them from genetic ...
www.nationalgeographic.com
November 15, 2025 at 9:47 AM
a rare mutation points to a serious problem
Reposted by Esther Wullschleger
The Asian golden cat is a medium-sized cat species that was once abundant across Asia, ranging from India to China. Today its population is undergoing a significant decline.
That’s resulted in it now being declared a threatened species as its habitat is lost or fragmented.
That’s resulted in it now being declared a threatened species as its habitat is lost or fragmented.
Asian golden cat range expands, but declines continue amid rising threats
A single camera trap image of an Asian golden cat, photographed in Nepal’s Jajarkot district, has expanded this felid species’ range westward by nearly 400 kilometers (248 miles). Out of nearly…
news.mongabay.com
November 11, 2025 at 5:14 PM
The Asian golden cat is a medium-sized cat species that was once abundant across Asia, ranging from India to China. Today its population is undergoing a significant decline.
That’s resulted in it now being declared a threatened species as its habitat is lost or fragmented.
That’s resulted in it now being declared a threatened species as its habitat is lost or fragmented.
Reposted by Esther Wullschleger
Are we the only rational thinkers? New research on our primate cousins suggests otherwise
Chimps Can Rethink Their Beliefs—Just Like Humans
Are we the only rational thinkers? New research on our primate cousins suggests otherwise
www.scientificamerican.com
October 30, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Are we the only rational thinkers? New research on our primate cousins suggests otherwise
Reposted by Esther Wullschleger
The reintroduction of the Spix’s macaw in Brazil’s Caatinga shrubland faces a health crisis: seven birds have tested positive for circovirus, a highly contagious, potentially fatal disease with no known cure.
Virus outbreak deepens rift over return of Spix’s macaw to Brazil
CURAÇÁ, Brazil — Under the scorching sun of Brazil’s semiarid Caatinga shrubland, squawks tear through the skies, signaling the arrival of one of the most threatened bird species in the world.…
news.mongabay.com
October 29, 2025 at 6:18 PM
The reintroduction of the Spix’s macaw in Brazil’s Caatinga shrubland faces a health crisis: seven birds have tested positive for circovirus, a highly contagious, potentially fatal disease with no known cure.
how to protect inconspicuous though critically endangered plant species?
Save This Species: The ‘Little Three-Horned Devil,’ One of Puerto Rico’s Rarest Plants @therevelator.org therevelator.org/save-little-...
Save This Species: The ‘Little Three-Horned Devil,’ One of Puerto Rico’s Rarest Plants • The Revelator
As the island faces continuous urbanization, this rare shrub has gone unnoticed and ignored for decades, shrinking into near-forgotten obscurity.
therevelator.org
October 31, 2025 at 9:29 AM
how to protect inconspicuous though critically endangered plant species?
Reposted by Esther Wullschleger
Announcement: 30 new species discovered from expeditions to the Southern Ocean. Read more 👇
oceancensus.org/press-releas...
@schmidtocean.bsky.social #NewSpecies
oceancensus.org/press-releas...
@schmidtocean.bsky.social #NewSpecies
Carnivorous “Death-Ball” Sponge Among 30 New Deep-Sea Species from the Southern Ocean
Thirty previously unknown deep-sea species, including a carnivorous “death-ball” sponge, have been confirmed from one of the most remote parts of the planet by The Nippon Foundation–Nekton Ocean Censu...
oceancensus.org
October 29, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Announcement: 30 new species discovered from expeditions to the Southern Ocean. Read more 👇
oceancensus.org/press-releas...
@schmidtocean.bsky.social #NewSpecies
oceancensus.org/press-releas...
@schmidtocean.bsky.social #NewSpecies
Even more urgent - what about PFAS?? "Germany plans to phase out the use of nutrient-rich sewage sludge as fertilizer in most agricultural fields, in part because of concerns about plastic pollution"
How do microplastics affect soil? The answer is more complicated than you might think.
Microplastics Have Widely Varying Effects on Soil - Eos
A new study finds that a microplastic concentration of just 0.4% alters the drainage of soil, which could affect the growth of crops and other plants.
eos.org
October 30, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Even more urgent - what about PFAS?? "Germany plans to phase out the use of nutrient-rich sewage sludge as fertilizer in most agricultural fields, in part because of concerns about plastic pollution"
A tiny fossil suggests bowerbirds once lived in ancient New Zealand – new research
A tiny fossil suggests bowerbirds once lived in ancient New Zealand – new research
New Zealand’s ancient bowerbird was smaller and more slender than the species living in Australia and New Guinea today.
theconversation.com
October 25, 2025 at 3:33 PM
A tiny fossil suggests bowerbirds once lived in ancient New Zealand – new research
Reposted by Esther Wullschleger
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...
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
October 7, 2025 at 5:32 PM
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...
news.stanford.edu/stories/2025...
Reposted by Esther Wullschleger
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
September 27, 2025 at 3:35 PM
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.
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
September 27, 2025 at 5:01 PM
a new species described from remote Peruvian Andes
Reposted by Esther Wullschleger
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 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
September 8, 2025 at 4:24 PM
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 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-...
good news from India
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...
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
September 12, 2025 at 1:49 PM
good news from India
" 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. "
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.
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
August 30, 2025 at 12:51 PM
" 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. "
Reposted by Esther Wullschleger
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
August 29, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Die zunehmende Nachfrage nach den Schwimmblasen von Fischen sorgt nun zunehmend für Raubbau an den Tieren im Meer vor Neuguinea.
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
August 29, 2025 at 9:52 AM
a likely human-animal partnership to survive in an extreme environment
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
August 27, 2025 at 3:21 PM
thanks to control of invasives
Reposted by Esther Wullschleger
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. 🌍
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. 🌍
August 5, 2025 at 4:45 PM
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. 🌍
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. 🌍
