Freshwater Animals News

While recent research (and media attention) has focused on the alleged negative impacts of pesticides on bees, the problem may be far broader according to a new study in the…

The 2013 Zoos and Aquariums: Committing to Conservation (ZACC) conference runs from July 8th—July 12th in Des Moines, Iowa, hosted by the Blank Park Zoo. Ahead of the event, Mongabay.com…

Chinese environmental authorities have approved construction plans for what could become the world's tallest dam, while acknowledging that the project would affect endangered plants and rare fish species. The 314…

After a final sighting in 1991, the Madagascar pochard was thought to have vanished for good. But this diving duck was rediscovered in 2006 when a flock of 22 individuals…

Home to giant catfish and stingrays, feeding over 60 million people, and with the largest abundance of freshwater fish in the world, the Mekong River, and its numerous tributaries, brings…

A survey late last year found that the Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis) population has been cut in half in just six years. During a 44-day survey, experts estimated…

A fisherman on the Mekong River in Laos. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Fish are a hugely important protein source for many people around the world. This is no more…

Chinook salmon. Photo by: USGS. In March of this year the Elwha Dam, which had stood for 99 years, was demolished in the U.S. state of Washington. Five months later,…

Since 1898 North America has lost at least 39 species of freshwater fish, according to a new study in Bioscience, and an additional 18 subspecies. Moreover, the loss of freshwater…

A new video highlights recent efforts to restore rivers in the Tongass Forest, the world's largest intact temperate rainforest. Industrial logging in vital watersheds have hurt salmon populations and other…

Two male smooth-coated otter cubs were recently born at the Colchester Zoo. Photo by: Colchester Zoo. Smooth-coated otters (Lutrogale perspicillata) are found from India to Sumatra. They are listed as…

The world's fourth most endangered turtle has received a happy boost from breeding efforts, reports the AFP. Bangladeshi scientists have successfully hatched 25 northern river terrapins (Batagur baska) using an…

Devastated rainforest in Indonesian Borneo. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. In 48 years wildlife populations in the tropics, the region that holds the bulk of the world's biodiversity, have fallen…

There are two subspecies of the finless porpoise, one is found in the Yangtze River, the other in Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. This individual is the latter and was…

New species of purple crab: Insulamon palawanense. Photo by: Hendrik Freitag. Scientists have discovered four new species of brilliantly-colored freshwater crabs on the Philippine island of Palawan. Described in the…

Roti snake island turtle, which is number 12 of the world's most endangered turtles, are being captive bred at the WCS's Bronx Zoo. Photo by: Julie Larsen Maher/WCS. The Wildlife…

An Asian small-clawed otter caught on camera trap in the Western Ghats. Photo by: Clusteronefloyd. In the fragmented rainforests of India, many animals must move through human-modified landscapes such as…

A male Potamites montanicola, a new species of lizard discovered in the Peruvian Andes. Photo courtesy of German Chávez. Researchers have discovered a new species of lizard in the Peruvian…

The giant river otter. Photo by: Frank Hajek. Behavior and conservation of the Amazon's giant river otter. Charismatic, vocal, unpredictable, domestic, and playful are all adjectives that aptly describe the…

Children watch the rereleasing of a southern river terrapin back into the wild. Photo by: Eleanor Briggs. Only around 200 southern river terrapins (Batagur affinis) survive in the wild, but…

The US Fish and Wildlife Service announced yesterday that the believe two species in Florida have vanished into the long dark night: the South Florida rainbow snake (Farancia erytrogramma seminola)…

Mekong river at Chiang Saen in Thailand. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. As the governments of Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam ready to meet on April 19th to decide whether…

Researchers discover that overexploited fish are long-distance seed dispersers. The giant tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) in Manaus Fish Market, Brazil. Photo by: Thorke Østergaard. A fruit in the flooded Amazon falls…

New study shows how greater biodiversity more efficiently scrubs pollutants from freshwater. A new landmark study not only proves that adding more species to a freshwater stream linearly increases the…

Heliotrygon gomesi in dorsal view. Photo taken by Ken Jones, University of Toronto at Scarborough Staff Photographer. Few people probably realize that in the rivers and lakes of the Amazon…