Two men pleaded guilty to killing a rare pupfish in Devil’s Hole, a geothermal pool in Death Valley National Park. They entered the protected area in 2016, fired at least ten rounds, left beer cans
Two men pleaded guilty to killing a rare pupfish in Devil’s Hole, a geothermal pool in Death Valley National Park. They entered the protected area in 2016, fired at least ten rounds, left beer cans behind, and one swam in the pool. The incident caused damage that biologists said likely destroyed eggs and disrupted breeding on the only spawning shelf the species has.This is not the first time the s…
Thirty years have passed since European bison were reintroduced to the tall-grass prairies, an ecosystem that had been dormant for over a century. The population has since grown steadily.
Thirty years have passed since European bison were reintroduced to the tall-grass prairies, an ecosystem that had been dormant for over a century. The population has since grown steadily. Historically, herds of Europe’s largest land mammal moved by the thousands through ancient forests, shaping meadows, dispersing seeds, and creating trails that other species learned to follow. Centuries of huntin…
In the summer of 1980, a cargo plane landed on a gravel airstrip in Canada’s Northwest Territories, near the Liard River Valley. On board were 28 wood bison, the largest land animals in the Western
In the summer of 1980, a cargo plane landed on a gravel airstrip in Canada’s Northwest Territories, near the Liard River Valley. On board were 28 wood bison, the largest land animals in the Western Hemisphere. The species had been absent from this part of the country for more than a century. The animals were released onto ground their kind had not occupied since before the late 1800s.The immediate…
In the early 2000s, Florida began a large-scale effort to restore the Picaune Strand, a 55,000-acre swamp in the southwestern part of the state. Decades earlier, the land had been drained and divided
In the early 2000s, Florida began a large-scale effort to restore the Picaune Strand, a 55,000-acre swamp in the southwestern part of the state. Decades earlier, the land had been drained and divided into a grid of roads and canals by a real estate company that sold it as dry lots. The restoration project was designed to reverse that damage and create one of the last viable habitats for the endang…
In the swamps of southern Florida in the early 1990s, wildlife biologists were monitoring a population of Florida panthers that appeared to be in terminal decline. By the mid-1990s, fewer than 30 of
In the swamps of southern Florida in the early 1990s, wildlife biologists were monitoring a population of Florida panthers that appeared to be in terminal decline. By the mid-1990s, fewer than 30 of the animals were believed to remain in the wild, and projections suggested the subspecies could disappear entirely within about four decades. In January 1995, eight female cougars were brought from Tex…
The Florida panther, once on the brink of extinction, has been slowly recovering in a case that has become a landmark in wildlife conservation. Known for its solitary nature and difficulty to
The Florida panther, once on the brink of extinction, has been slowly recovering in a case that has become a landmark in wildlife conservation. Known for its solitary nature and difficulty to observe, the panther is sometimes called the “ghost cat.” By the early 1990s, only 26 panthers remained in Florida, and the population showed serious signs of genetic decline. Many animals had deformed tails…
In 2012, while a large wildfire still burned above them, biologists entered a smoky canyon in southwestern New Mexico carrying plastic buckets and an electric fish-stunning rod. The fire, known as
In 2012, while a large wildfire still burned above them, biologists entered a smoky canyon in southwestern New Mexico carrying plastic buckets and an electric fish-stunning rod. The fire, known as the Whitewater-Baldy Complex, burned roughly 300,000 acres and was the largest in state history at the time. According to New Mexico wildlife officials, it destroyed nearly half of the Gila trout populat…
A sperm whale can dive beyond 2,000 meters, enduring pressure that would crush steel, yet researchers continue to find organisms living inside their bodies that are as remarkable as the animals
A sperm whale can dive beyond 2,000 meters, enduring pressure that would crush steel, yet researchers continue to find organisms living inside their bodies that are as remarkable as the animals themselves. Routine examinations of dead whales have produced discoveries that range from massive blockages caused by the animal’s own biology to parasitic worms longer than most vehicles.Sperm whales are t…
During one of California’s most severe droughts on record, juvenile coho salmon survived in small creeks of the Scott River watershed at rates several times higher than in normal years. The
During one of California’s most severe droughts on record, juvenile coho salmon survived in small creeks of the Scott River watershed at rates several times higher than in normal years. The difference came down to a simple intervention: hand-built structures designed to mimic beaver dams.In the summer of 2015, a team from the Scott River Watershed Council, led by executive director Betsy Stapleton…
A century ago, roughly one in four hardwood trees in the eastern United States was an American chestnut. The species was widespread, practical, and highly regarded for its wood and its annual nut
A century ago, roughly one in four hardwood trees in the eastern United States was an American chestnut. The species was widespread, practical, and highly regarded for its wood and its annual nut crop. In about forty years, a fungus introduced accidentally on imported seedlings killed an estimated three to four billion of these trees, making it one of the most destructive environmental events in A…