Polar bears and wolves may get the glory, but small predators like weasels, foxes and their cousins play outsized ecological roles. And many of these species are declining fast.
Red knots stop to feed along the Delaware shore as they migrate from the high Arctic to South America.
Gregory Breese, USFWS/Flickr
Governments, scientists and conservation groups are working to protect 30% of Earth’s land and water for nature by 2030. Two scientists explain why scale matters for reaching that goal.
Hammerhead sharks schooling near Costa Rica’s Cocos Island.
John Voo/Flickr
A study offers evidence that marine biology’s biggest stage is broken, and suggests ways to fix it.
Four Père David’s deer (Elaphurus davidianus), also known as milu deer, on a wetland near the Dafeng Milu National Nature Reserve in Jiangsu Province, China.
He Jinghua/VCG via Getty Images
China has rich natural resources and is seeking to play a leadership role in global conservation, but its economic goals often take priority over protecting lands and wildlife.
‘Otus bikegila’, the new species of owl discovered in Central Africa.
Martim Melo
Inbreeding usually leads to an accumulation of genetic defects, but evolution on a small archipelago may have helped the severely inbred Chatham Island black robin to avoid this fate.
It’s important that citizen science projects engage volunteers from across society, including young people. A new Australian initiative is doing just that.
Papua New Guinea frog Xenorhina macrodisca.
Stephen Richards
Honey bees, wild and native bees face threats from parasites, pesticides and habitat loss. Shorter winters, more extreme weather and more habitat destruction won’t help.
Spraying from either a ground-based vehicle or an airplane is a common method for applying pesticides.
Edwin Remsburg/VW Pics via Getty Images
Published in 1962, ‘Silent Spring’ called attention to collateral damage from widespread use of synthetic pesticides. Many problems the book anticipated persist today in new forms.
Populations of Fleay’s barred frog in Australia’s ancient rainforests were decimated by the chytrid fungus. Now, the frogs have developed a natural resistance.
Cute and fluffy species get most of the attention that attracts resources to conserve them. But a new study finds people respond well to creepy crawlies if they’re given time in the media limelight.
Do you know zoopharmacognosy is? Some animals use trees to treat themselves.
Whitetip sharks amid a school of anthias near Jarvis island in the South Pacific.
Kelvin Gorospe, NOAA/NMFS/Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center Blog/Flickr
Sharks are much more severely threatened by humans than vice versa. A marine biologist explains how people can help protect sharks and why some strategies are more effective than others.
Habitat degradation, insufficient food and water and climate change have led to a decline in the number of North American monarch butterflies, which is now on the IUCN’s Red List.
(Shutterstock)