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Wildlife
Armed With Many Weapons, We Are Killing Our Oceans
November 19, 2009 11:58 AM - Mike Millard, The Boston Phoenix, Environmental Health News
It's not just ruthless whaling and foolhardy fishing practices that are plaguing the world's oceans. Underwater, things are bad all over — from the acidifying Atlantic to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. A perfect storm of climate change, pollution, and rapacious global fishing practices has the potential to gravely imperil Earth's oceans and their intricate, highly sensitive ecosystems.
Ladybugs Taken Hostage by Wasps!
November 18, 2009 12:20 PM - Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News
A University of Montreal entomologist is investigating a type of wasp (Dinocampus coccinellae) present in Quebec that forces ladybugs (Coccinella maculata) to carry their larvae. These wasps lay their eggs on the ladybug's body, a common practice in the insect world, yet they don't kill their host.
Birth of New Species Witnessed by Scientists
November 17, 2009 10:09 AM - Brandon Keim, Wired Science
On one of the Galapagos islands whose finches shaped the theories of a young Charles Darwin, biologists have witnessed that elusive moment when a single species splits in two.
U.N. Tropical Forest Plan May Threaten Species
November 16, 2009 03:46 PM - Peter Griffiths, Reuters
A United Nations plan to protect the world's tropical forests to fight climate change could threaten more animals and plants with extinction, scientists said on Monday. The U.N. scheme, to be discussed at climate talks in Copenhagen next month, could save some species, while inadvertently endangering many others, according to the team of international researchers.
Penguins, Sea Lions Help Produce New Atlas of Patagonian Sea
November 16, 2009 03:32 PM - Wildlife Conservation Society
Recording hundreds of thousands of signals sent by satellite transmitters fitted on penguins, albatrosses, and marine mammals, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Birdlife International have released the first atlas of South America’s Patagonian Sea. The atlas contains the most accurate maps ever assembled for this ecosystem.
Bad News for Elephants: Illegal Ivory Trade Rising
November 16, 2009 09:45 AM - WWF
The illicit trade in ivory, which has been increasing in volume since 2004, moved sharply upward in 2009, according to the latest analysis of seizure data in the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS).
Rare Species Discovery Honors Wildlife Campaigner Steve Irwin
November 13, 2009 10:39 AM - Queensland Museum
Queensland Museum scientist Dr. John Stanisic has named a rare species of tree snail discovered in north Queensland in honor of wildlife advocate and conservationist Steve Irwin. Like its namesake, the Crikey steveirwini is a unique creature with some interesting qualities that set it apart from other land snails.
Brown Pelicans Recover from DDT, no longer Endangered
November 12, 2009 06:31 AM - Roger Greenway, ENN
Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior, Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Tom Strickland, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Sam Hamilton announced that the brown pelican, a species once decimated by the pesticide DDT, has recovered and is being removed from the list of threatened and endangered species under the Endangered Species Act.
Trouble Down Under: Koalas Could Face Extinction
November 11, 2009 12:32 PM - BBC News via, Environmental Health News
Australia's koalas could be wiped out within 30 years unless urgent action is taken to halt a decline in population, according to researchers. Development, climate change and bushfires have all combined to send the numbers of wild koalas plummeting.
North American Governments Agree to Protect Wilderness
November 11, 2009 09:47 AM - Ben Block, Worldwatch Institute
The United States, Canada, and Mexico agreed this week to work together to protect wilderness areas across North America. The cooperation agreement establishes an intergovernmental committee to exchange research and approaches that address challenges such as climate change, fire control, and invasive species in land, marine, and coastal protected areas throughout the continent.