Against an endless blue sky, the blazing sun beat relentlessly onto the sands, throwing off a blinding white glare. Pausing for a moment in the generous shade of a cliff,…
Dead sea turtles confiscated by the Philippine National Police (PNP). Photo by: PNP-SBU/PIA. On Friday, eleven Chinese fishermen were caught by Filipino police with 555 marine turtles, 378 of which…
An alligator snapping turtle. Photo by: Garry Tucker/USFWS. So, you're a fish swimming in a river in Louisiana. Hungry, you see a little worm wiggling out from the river bed.…
WARNING: This article contains a graphic photo. ------------------ The extinction risk faced by mammals is often in the limelight. But it may be surprising to learn that next only to…
Biologists recently documented one of nature's least-known, big events. On the banks of the Purus River in the Brazilian Amazon, researchers witnessed the mass-hatching of an estimated 210,000 giant South…
Scientific American magazine recently ran an article on the rediscovery of the smoothtooth blacktip shark (Carcharhinus leiodon) in a Kuwaiti fish market. Believed extinct for over 100 years, the smoothtooth…
The number of threatened species on the IUCN Red List has grown by 352 since this summer, according to an update released today. Currently, 21,286 species are now listed as…
The leatherback sea turtle—the world's largest turtle and the only member of the genus Dermochelys—received good news today. In an update of the IUCN Red List, the leatherback sea turtle…
An assortment of marine animals and birds reside along the black volcanic sand beaches of Guatemala's Pacific coast, but lately both residents and visitors on the southeast beaches of the…
Jairo Mora Sandoval walking on the beach where he died after releasing over a hundred turtle hatchlings in 2012. Photo by: Carlyn Samuel. On the evening of May 30th, 26-year-old…
In March, two people were caught attempting to smuggle 54 ploughshare tortoises (Astrochelys yniphora) into Thailand. Listed as Critically Endangered, the tortoises' wild population is down to approximately 400-500 animals…
Lesser known than coral reefs, marine seagrass ecosystems are rich in biodiversity and are powerhouses when it comes to sequestering carbon dioxide. Yet, much remains unknown about the ecology of…
How many animal individuals are needed to ensure a species isn't doomed to extinction even with our best conservation efforts? While no one knows exactly, scientists have created complex models…
Ploughshare and radiated tortoises confiscated in Bangkok. Photo by: P.Tansom/TRAFFIC. On Friday, March 15th Thai authorities arrested a 38-year-old man attempting to collect a bag containing 54 ploughshare tortoises (Astrochelys…
Dozens of freshwater turtle and tortoise species won greater protection under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), reports the U.S. Fish and…
Leatherback sea turtle laying eggs on the coast of Suriname. Photo by: Tiffany Roufs. The world's largest sea turtle, the leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), is vanishing from its most important nesting…
Chinese soft-shelled turtle in captivity. Photo by: Bastet78. One of China's most commonly farmed turtles for consumption, the Chinese soft-shelled turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis), has a unique ability: it urinates out…
Sometimes turtles fall through the cracks: a new study in the open access journal Tropical Conservation Science, has uncovered a number of 'gap species' in the turtle families inhabiting Africa.…
Lonesome George, the last of his kind, has passed away. Lonesome George, the sole surviving member of the Pinta Island tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra abingdoni), was found dead on Sunday by…
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…
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…
At a seemingly small residence in Florida, lives the world's greatest turtle collection. The Chelonian Research Institute contains a specimen of nearly every species of turtle found worldwide and many…
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…