An endangered species is a taxonomic group (typically at the species level) that faces a very high risk of extinction in the near future across all or a significant portion of its range, as determined by quantitative assessment criteria such as population size, rate of decline, geographic range, and degree of habitat fragmentation. In conservation biology and environmental policy, endangered status guides prioritization of management actions, legal protections, and resource allocation. Scientific evaluation commonly uses standardized frameworks (e.g., formal Red List–type criteria) based on demographic trends, reproductive rates, and known or projected threats, including habitat loss, overexploitation, invasive species, pollution, and climate change.
Vast online archives of photos, videos and sound recordings collected by the public are reshaping how scientists study the natural world, allowing researchers to answer questions that were once out of reach. A new study led ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 23, 2026
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Each spring, the meadows and hillsides of the Mediterranean draw tourists to admire flowering orchids. But in some regions, these astonishing blooms are steadily declining—or at risk of disappearing altogether.
Plants & Animals
Apr 22, 2026
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Human activities have always shaped both biological and cultural diversity. An international team led by the University of Vienna has now investigated the link between the threat to species and that to languages. Linguists ...
Ecology
Apr 21, 2026
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British Columbia's wildlife is in trouble, and governments aren't working hard enough to keep wild animals and plants alive. How do we know?
Ecology
Apr 20, 2026
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On contaminated land that is too dangerous for human life, the world's wildest horses roam free.
Ecology
Apr 19, 2026
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A new study on climate adaptation in the Pacific pocket mouse—North America's most endangered mouse has been published in Science Advances. The research highlights a major challenge for endangered species, as many lack the ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 17, 2026
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In the largest genomic mapping of Africa's elephants to date, an international team of researchers shows that elephant history is defined by the ability to move across large distances and exchange genes throughout the African ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 16, 2026
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A new report led by Conservation International and IUCN, published today in Oryx, warns that over 40% of more than 8,500 soil‑dependent species are at risk of extinction or Data‑Deficient on the IUCN Red List of Threatened ...
Ecology
Apr 15, 2026
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In 1902, British explorer Robert Falcon Scott spotted a large group of large black and white birds at Ross Island, Antarctica. This was among the many milestones of Scott's famous Discovery expedition: the first breeding ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 15, 2026
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A critically endangered Borneo orangutan has been born at Madrid's zoo, described by keepers as strong and developing normally.
Plants & Animals
Apr 15, 2026
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