"Uproar for Species Survival is a new initiative of the Global Center for Species Survival at the Indianapolis Zoo and the IUCN Species Survival Commission to spark curiosity, inspire learning and mobilize action for the planet’s most vulnerable species. This challenge showcases a variety of lesser-known species—and the conservation groups dedicated to their protection—in a fun, interactive match-up to determine how the prize money will be split between all of the participating groups... All conservation groups in this year’s challenge will share $55,000 in prize money to support their important work, with one earning the $10,000 grand prize! Vote and share to help these species come roaring back!"
I think it's March Madness style, so, running all through March 2026. You can sign up to get reminders to vote each round!
I was delighted to discover this wonderful bird, yet not surprised, since the Brazilian Cerrado holds so many unknown treasures it’s only natural that this amazing dove comes from there. First discovered in 1823, this blue fellow was thought to be extinct from 1941 until 2015, when Brazilian ornithologist Rafael Bessa spotted the first “Little-roll-of-the-flatlands” in years, living in a very particular area of the Cerrado. This species is considered critically endangered by the IUCN list, the reason being the massive destruction of the Cerrado biome by the agribusiness industry. Its scientific name literally means “blue-eyed dove” and I think that’s beautiful. In 2017, only 27 individuals were accounted for in the world (this bird being endemic to the Cerrado biome). This 15cm blue beauty feeds mainly on grains and has a very constant “whoap whoap whoap” kind of call (sorry about my terrible attempt at reproducing it). Both male and female are very similar, but the latter is paler than the former. Considering this blue-eyed preciousness disappeared off the radar for 75 YEARS, we still have loads to learn about them. I just hope we can do it before it’s too late. The cerrado must be protected.
Amazing footage of the extremely rare Glass Octopus (Vitreledonella richardi) filmed 651m (2135 ft) beneath the waves near the Phoenix Islands Archipelago.
Glass Octopus reach 11 cm (4.3 in) in mantle length; 45 cm (18 in) including tentacles.
This species is very rarely encountered and is considered one of the least studied cephalopods.
Most information scientists have managed to get is from specimens found in stomachs of predators.
It gets its name from ability to be almost completely transparent.
At end of this clip, its chromatophores (cells that produce color for camouflage, seen here as yellow dots) can be seen.
The only aspects of that are not clear are optic nerve, eyeballs, and digestive tract.
Its eyes are elongated and appear almost rectangular from the side — with lens at one end, retina at other.
This helps stealth: From below, they cast much smaller shadow than half-globe eyes of other octopuses. The eyes point upwards to gather residual daylight.
It is a pelagic octopus, swimming through the ocean far above the sea floor.
While little is known about its overall numbers in wild, the IUCN lists it as Species of Least Concern due to its apparent wide distribution across the entire globe’s tropical and subtropical waters.
Conservation Tuesday! The Owston's Palm Civet(Chrotogale owstoni) is, unfortunately, Endangered. It has a high extinction risk due to its rapid population decline(over 50% within its last three generations). This is mainly because of over-exploitation, the wild meat industry, snares, and habitat destruction.
The vaquita is the most endangered marine mammal in the world, and it might just end up as collateral damage of an illegal trade network involving Mexican cartels, Chinese black markets, and the so-called “cocaine of the sea”.
At a maximum length of 150cm, vaquitas are the smallest living porpoise, a type of marine mammal in the whale family. The species' small territory is limited to around 2300km² in the north of Mexico's Gulf of California, where it was first scientifically documented in 1958. While it is unclear how big the population was at that time, the first census done in 1997 found only 567 animals – and this figure would shrink massively in the following decades.
The main cause for this rapid decline is the fishing industry. To catch shrimp and fish, they rely on huge gill nets – vertical walls of netting up to 1km long. Unable to detect the nets with their echolocation, vaquitas end up trapped and drown, dying as bycatch like many other animals like sharks and rays.
In a bid to save the species, the Mexican government has enacted a number of laws and initiatives – from establishing a no-fishing zone in the 2000s, to completely banning gill nets in 2017. But despite this, the practise has continued illegally – on the one hand, that is due to lax enforcement of the bans. On the other, it turns out that the Vaquita is unfortunate enough to share its habitat with a far more lucrative catch than shrimp and tuna: The totoaba fish, whose swim bladder is seen as a delicacy with healing properties in traditional Chinese medicine. Sold for between $20.000 and $80.000 per kilogram, these bladders have been nicknamed “cocaine of the sea” – and similarly, their trade takes place outside of the law: fishermen illegally catch the protected fish, often with gill nets financed by the local cartels, who then organize the smuggling of the bladders to Asia, where they end up being sold on the Chinese black markets.
Therefore, the fight for the survival of the Vaquita has become a multifaceted approach on many fronts. While the environmental organisation Sea Shepard patrols directly in the Gulf of California, monitoring the population and stopping illegal fishing vessels with the help of the Mexican Government, the NGO Earth League International investigates the illegal totoaba trade and works with international law enforcement to go after the people responsible – not to mention many other groups spreading awareness for the vaquita.
There have been positive developments in recent years, like a 98% reduction in fishing vessels in the protected zone after submerged hooks were installed to catch and destroy gill nets, or several arrests and seizures connected to the totoaba bladder trade, but with only an estimated 6-8 individual vaquitas left, their continued existence is still hanging by the thinnest of threads.
This is a metal snail (Volcano Snail) that lives on underwater volcano vents in the Indian Ocean. Its shell and scaly feet both are armoured with layers of iron, making it the only animal to incorporate iron sulfide into its skeleton 🐌
I was bored so I made this Picker Wheel of Critically Endangered Animals according to the IUCN.
for science tag what you got and vote on this poll
the animal you got
I already knew of this animal and that it was CR
I already knew of this animal but not that it was CR
I did not know of this animal I will research more about it
I did not know this animal and I don't care
nuance
Voting ended onFeb 12, 2025
There are currently 95 animals in the wheel but it is open to expansion if anyone wants to suggest more species thaat fall in the CR category.
all of the animals on this list are currently also part of an Art project i'm planning where i'll hopefully draw most of them, but it is also very hard to find any photo or picture for some and i'd be more than happy for other artists to join too, either with this same list or making their own and covering more species
The International Union for Conservation of Nature says tree species are at risk of extinction in 192 countries.
More than one in three species of trees are at risk of extinction worldwide, threatening life as we know it on Earth, according to a report published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
The report published on Monday has warned that over 16,000 tree species are at risk of extinction. More than 47,000 species were assessed for the IUCN study, out of an estimated 58,000 species thought to exist in the world.
