Snakes Diversified Explosively After Mass Extinction Where Dinosaurs Were Wiped Out
Modern snakes evolved from ancestors that lived side by side with the dinosaurs and that likely fed mainly on insects and lizards. Then a miles-wide…
Extinction
Looming Extinction Crisis: If Endangered Primates Disappear, So Will Their Parasites. That’s Actually a Problem
The extinction crisis looming for monkeys, apes and their kin could have even greater ripple effects on the tiny underappreciated species that set up camp…
Warming Atlantic Ocean Drives Right Whales Towards Extinction
Warming oceans have driven the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale population from its traditional and protected habitat, exposing the animals to more lethal ship…
Humans Have Caused the Extinction of Many Bird Species Over the Last 50,000 Years
A new study from Tel Aviv University and the Weizmann Institute revealed that over the last 20,000-50,000 years birds have undergone a major extinction event,…
Shark Diversity Unaffected When the Dinosaurs Were Wiped Out in Global Catastrophe
Selective extinction of apex predators suggests a shift to more generalist diets. A global catastrophe 66 million years ago led to the extinction of all…
First US Case of Human-Led Insect Extinction Confirmed by DNA From 93-Year-Old Butterfly
The Xerces blue butterfly was last seen flapping its iridescent periwinkle wings in San Francisco in the early 1940s. It’s generally accepted to be extinct,…
One of World’s Rarest Chameleons Found Clinging to Survival in Patches of Rainforest in Malawi
Chapman’s pygmy chameleon had been feared extinct due to forest loss. Urgent conservation measures are needed to save a Critically Endangered species of chameleon which…
New Research Shows Dinosaurs Were in Decline for Million Years Before the Final Asteroid Death Blow
The death of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago was caused by the impact of a huge asteroid on the Earth. However, paleontologists have continued…
Shock Find Brings Extinct “Shark Bay” Mouse Back From the Dead
An Australian mammal thought to have been wiped out over 150 years ago can now be crossed off our list of extinct animals, following a…
The “Great Dying” – Rapid Warming Contributed to Abrupt Collapse of Forest-Mire Ecosystems
Rapid Warming and Monsoonal Intensification Contributed to the Abrupt Collapse of Forest-Mire (Glossopteris) Ecosystems in the High Southern Latitudes The Paleozoic era culminated 251.9 million…
Solving a Mass Extinction Survivor Mystery With Help From Snails Carrying the World’s Smallest Computer
Study yields new insights into the survival of a native snail important to Tahitian culture and ecology and to biologists studying evolution. More than 50…
Killer of Critically Endangered Christmas Island Reptile Identified
Bacterium responsible for deaths of critically endangered species. With wild populations decimated, Lister’s gecko and the blue-tailed skink only exist in captivity. University of Sydney…
“Extinct” Pinatubo Volcano Mouse Rediscovered on Volcano That Erupted 30 Years Ago
A small mouse rediscovered on a volcano that erupted 30 years ago provides hope for wildlife conservation in the Philippines. In June 1991, Mount Pinatubo,…
It’s Not Too Late! 102 Species at Risk of Extinction Can Be Saved
Co-governance model for implementing conservation management plan gives species their best chances of survival. The Fraser River estuary in British Columbia is home to 102…
Global Extinction Risk Assessment: Nearly One-Third of Oaks Are Threatened With Extinction
First complete global extinction risk assessment reveals bleak future for keystone species. An estimated 31% of the world’s oak species are threatened with extinction according…
Zoonomia Project: Largest Set of Mammalian Genomes Reveals Species at Risk of Extinction
The Zoonomia Project has released this vast dataset to advance both biomedical research and biodiversity conservation. An international team of researchers with an effort called…
Giants of Madagascar Driven to Extinction by Humans and Climate Change
The entire endemic megafauna of Madagascar and the Mascarene islands was eliminated during the past millennium. To investigate possible drivers of this extinction, an international…
Early Human Species Likely Driven to Extinction by Climate Change
Of the six or more different species of early humans, all belonging to the genus Homo, only we Homo sapiens have managed to survive. Now,…