Endangered species

The 350 elephants died because of a toxic algal bloom exacerbated by climate change.

Protecting a little bit more of the ocean could lead to big changes for whales.

Rising temperatures are pushing many species to the brink, alongside disease, pollution and unsustainable fishing.

Climate change is putting the future of the biggest fish in the world at risk.

It took a controversial conservation tactic to prevent these giant vultures from going extinct. 

Some seabirds might have a ‘sixth sense’ at the end of their beak, new research reveals.

The power of machine learning could be used to protect threatened fishes.

Only 1,000 Bornean elephants are thought to be left in the wild.

Artificial hotspots might be able to help frogs fight off chytridiomycosis.

A vast colony of breeding seabirds experienced “unprecedented” mortality.

A new project to kickstart conservation for some of the world’s rarest fishes is making a splash.

The lesser flamingo is in danger of losing its feeding and breeding grounds.

Since 2020, millions of birds have been struck down by avian influenza, but Oceania remains virus free.

We now know more about the threats affecting birds than ever before.

Learn about Barbary macaques and the challenges they face.

Some of the world’s largest and most unusual fishes could be wiped out.

The first State of the World’s Migratory Species report found that countries aren’t doing enough to save threatened species.

Scientists have successfully managed to perform IVF on a rhino for the first time.

Amphibians are the most threatened group of vertebrates in the world.

Rising temperatures and habitat loss could spell an uncertain future for bumblebees in Europe.

Bivalves have been touted as a food of the future – but wild populations might not last that long.

The discovery of a new parasitoid wasp could help to save an Endangered Pacific butterfly.

How much do you know about these incredible marine reptiles?

The Victorian grassland earless dragon was last seen in 1969, but recent surveys of its habitat have revealed new populations of the species.

Five species are set to receive greater legal protection under a new extension to the UK’s ivory ban.

These characterful creatures also have amazing regeneration abilities.

Primate poo is revealing how pollutants are affecting threatened species in the wild.

Bird populations in the UK continue to freefall as the government moves further away from achieving its own targets to protect nature.

Humans have increasingly determined the future of elephants over recent centuries.

Why are elusive spectacled bears roaming Quito's city limits?

Almost a third of Mauritius' native fruits are no longer being dispersed as no animals are big enough to swallow their seeds.

Of the almost 3,500 British plant species, non-native plants now outnumber native species by 51% to 49%.

Explore the stories of the giant redwoods and the extraordinary Cherokee man Sequoyah, who influenced their name.

While these strandings are thought to be the result of an unseasonably stormy year, climate change could make them more common in future. 

The race is on to learn more about these fragile forests as human impacts threaten their survival.

While some argue de-extinction could help to restore damaged ecosystems, others believe it is an expensive distraction from the threats facing living species.

The Yangtze finless porpoise has faced habitat loss and a reduced range as a result of sand mining, but a suspension of the practice offers hope that they could recover. 

Though it may have gone extinct over 600 years ago, understanding more about Astrochelys rogerbouri could help to save its living relatives. 

Here are just 20 of the ways humanity's efforts to help nature paid dividends in 2022.

Museum plant specialist Ana Claudia researches global biodiversity decline.

Nature faces a series of unprecedented threats in the twenty-first century - and the Convention on Biological Diversity sets the stage to help it fight back.

Native mussels in the River Thames are in decline, with some species having disappeared since a landmark study in 1964.

Dam building in Australia is reducing gene flow between platypus groups, piling pressure on populations whose numbers are already falling.

The aye-aye is one of 12 primates that pick their nose - but we have no good reason why the behaviour evolved.

Red squirrels are developing differently depending on the region of the UK they live in. 

Sometimes reminding ourselves of a conservation failure can be just as important as celebrating our successes.

The tropical arachnids have been named after the musician to draw attention to the threats they face. 

The days of the most distinctive bird species could be numbered as the most unusual forms bear the brunt of global extinctions.  

The evolution of penguins has been laid out in unparalleled detail, revealing how they came into being.

Frogs with less diverse microbiomes are more severely affected by chytridiomycosis than those with a greater range of microbes, suggesting possible new treatments. 

The world's largest waterlily has been discovered in the wetlands of northern Bolivia.

Nepenthes pudica is changing what we know about carnivorous species, but may already be Critically Endangered.

Thousands of seabirds are dropping dead from bird flu at some of the UK's most important seabird colonies.  

Discussions which will define the future of the world's biodiversity are set to take place in Canada later this year.

A Critically Endangered species of albatross may be in more danger than previously thought. 

A group of newly-discovered polar bears may reveal how the Arctic mammals could survive climate change. 

While more butterflies are being threatened, the report finds they can recover with our help.

Scientists have called for greater protections for species which are at risk of being collected into extinction.

Crowdsourced photographs are helping to demonstrate the value of nature reserves to one of the world's largest fish.

Another bird from the island of the dodo is in danger of becoming extinct, scientists have warned.

There are fewer than 10 vaquita left in the world, but it's still possible to save the species.

Habitat loss and human persecution are the key drivers of their decline, with crocodiles and turtles most at risk.

Though Gasteranthus extinctus may be Critically Endangered, there is hope it can be brought back from the brink.

Freezing koala eggs and sperm may help to buy the species time while wider threats are tackled.

Some of the species, described for the first time, are smaller than a 1p coin.

Populations of raptors are over 50,000 birds smaller than they would otherwise be.

There is currently not enough evidence to prove they are a genuine new species, or just a distinct population of an existing one. 

Up to three quarters of all of Britain's rural hedgehogs have been lost in the past 20 years.

Pandas develop a supercharged gut for part of the year, allowing them to gain weight when they chow down on the most nutritious parts of bamboo.

The historic loss of large mammals such as wolves and aurochs means that plants are much less able to spread their seeds to suitable climates.

A newly described species of tree has received international attention after being named in honour of actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

Scientists, activists and members of the public fought to ensure that 2021 won't be remembered as all bad for conservation.

Over 30 species globally are named for Christmas Day, recognising their bright colours, place of origin or reproductive cycle.

One of the world's 'most wanted' fish has been tracked down, almost 50 years after it was last seen.  

Some of the world's most picturesque coral reefs are at risk of being wiped out in the next 50 years.

There are over 600 million fewer birds in Europe than there were 40 years ago. 

One of the world's most endangered birds can choose to have young without sex, it has been found.

Populations of the North Atlantic right whale fell by almost 10% in 2020, leaving only a few hundred of the animals surviving.

A breakthrough in why eggs from one of the world's most endangered birds fail to hatch could provide a lifeline for the species. 

Gorillas react more strongly to the voices of unfamiliar humans and those they like less, researchers have found. 

Over 100 species of European birds are on the road to becoming extinct, a new report has warned. 

The US government has announced that 23 species of American animals and plants are believed to have gone extinct. 

The loss of the world's primates will lead to a greater loss of diversity than first thought, as their parasites also risk extinction. 

Levels of cocaine in the river are at levels potentially harmful to eels. 

Officials are investigating after over 60 endangered penguins were reportedly stung to death by bees.

The world's largest lizard, the Komodo dragon, could disappear in the next century as rising sea levels threaten to submerge its habitat.

Mammoth ivory is appearing from melting permafrost and joining international markets.

The mountain chicken is teetering on the brink of extinction, but we may now have a way to save them.

In a conservation success story, gharials are slowly coming back to the rivers of India and Nepal - but sand extraction practices threaten their long-term survival. 

A species of frog not seen for over 60 years is likely to be extinct.

For the first time ever the two species of African elephants have been assessed separately.

Gamestop investors donate hundreds of thousands of pounds to endangered gorilla charity.

Specialised conservation work saves kākāpō from the brink of extinction. 

Fishermen in the southwest Atlantic are mutilating endangered seabirds. 

How people power is saving plants from local extinction in North West England.

The decline in native birds is threatening the existence of island biodiversity.

One of Britain's most threatened mammals is being given a boost.

A series of 'safety nets' are needed to prevent the next set of goals from failing. 

There's more to the snot-like secretions of the internet-famous hagfish than meets the eye.

Rodents of unusual size once lived across the Caribbean.