Conservation

Protecting natural resources—from sea to sky—is about much more than planting a few trees.

Latest in Conservation

White axolotl seen underwater

Is it illegal to own an axolotl? It depends.

a mother whale and calf

2026 is off to a hopeful start for these critically endangered whales

By Margherita Bassi

The tiny blooms of Dendrobium eruciforme, known as the caterpillar orchid due to its creeping habit and small size. © Andre Schuiteman RBG Kew

Zombie fungus, ‘living stones’ among favorite botany discoveries of 2025

an iguana with blue and green scales

10 vulnerable wildlife species to watch in 2026

By Laura Baisas

three side by side images of a large jellyfish in a deep sea canyon

Giant phantom jellyfish spotted deep in Pacific

By Laura Baisas

an elk with horns in the wood

New wildlife cam features 800-pound elk in northern Michigan

By Laura Baisas

A fluffy beavers sits in front of a fallen tree branch with yellow leaves.

Idaho once dropped 76 beavers from airplanes—on purpose

By Jennifer Byrne

African penguin chick close-up

Aquarium welcomes third endangered penguin chick in less than a month

a cave painting of two warty pigs

Pigs have been island hopping for 50,000 years

By Laura Baisas

a yellow flag with a coiled rattle snake and the words "dont tread on me"Gadsden Flag, Vikkram, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0.

How the timber rattlesnake became a symbol of American independence

By Laura Baisas

two smuggled spider monkeys hugging

Baby spider monkeys rescued in Texas

By Laura Baisas

Anti-icing chemicals in winter season. Street treated with technical salt or de-icing chemicals, closeup view. Effective tool to fight ice on surfaces. Rock salt on road.

Stop using so much sidewalk salt

By Alisha McDarris

Pair of African penguin chicks

Newborn African penguin named after a hot dog

A pink octopus squid floating upside down spotted by MBARI researchers

Dive into 2025’s most stunning deep-sea wildlife encounters

Water flowing through the Hamlin Lake Dam in Ludington Michigan.

2,500 ‘high-risk’ U.S. dams are sinking into the ground

a mother polar bear walking on ice with two cubs behind her

Rare polar bear adoption could save cub’s life

By Laura Baisas

‘Mr. Fezziwig's Ball,’ an 1843 illustration by John Leech for ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens. This novella was the earliest and most popular of Dickens' Christmas stories. The kissing under mistletoe (left) and evergreen decoration hanging from the ceiling are vestiges of pre-Christian winter rites.

A history of mistletoe: The parasitic ‘dung on a twig’

A cross sectional image of an actively growing microbialite from South Africa.

‘Living rocks’ suck up a lot of carbon

By Laura Baisas

a small orange frog sits on a pencil tip for scale

Teeny tiny orange toadlet found in Brazil

By Laura Baisas

a big group of oysters still in the shell

Pills, powders, and opioids stress out oyster babies

By Laura Baisas