Asian Wild Ass (Equus hemionus). Threat category Endangered

Photo © Jean-Christophe Vié

The IUCN assessment, which is published every four years, has been released just before the deadline governments set themselves to evaluate how successful they were in achieving the 2010 target to reduce biodiversity loss.

Deadline will not be met

The IUCN report, "Wildlife in a Changing World," shows the 2010 target will not be met, the organization said in a statement today.

"It's time to recognize that nature is the largest company on Earth working for the benefit of 100 percent of humankind--and it's doing it for free.

"Governments should put as much effort, if not more, into saving nature as they do into saving economic and financial sectors."

IUCN is the world's oldest and largest global environmental network. Based in Switzerland, it is a democratic membership union with more than 1,000 government and NGO member organizations, and almost 11,000 volunteer scientists in more than 160 countries.

Its report analyzes 44,838 species on the IUCN Red List and presents results by groups of species, geographical regions, and different habitats, such as marine, freshwater and terrestrial.

The Red List is the most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of species. It is based on an objective system of assessing the risk of extinction for a species. Species listed as Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable are collectively described as threatened.     

"A minimum of 16,928 species are threatened with extinction."

The updated list shows 869 species are Extinct or Extinct in the Wild, and this figure rises to 1,159 if the 290 Critically Endangered species tagged as Possibly Extinct are included, IUCN said.

"Overall, a minimum of 16,928 species are threatened with extinction."

Considering that only 2.7 percent of the 1.8 million described species have been analyzed, this number is a gross underestimate, IUCN added. "But it does provide a useful snapshot of what is happening to all forms of life on Earth."

Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex). Threat category Vulnerable  (

As the human population continues to grow--some estimates suggest we may be heading for a worldwide total of 11,000,000,000 people, two-thirds more than on Earth today--feeding everyone is going to be a big challenge.

New forms of sustainable farming are needed desperately. Some people propose that part of the solution might be found in giant skyscraper plantations in the cities, such as this 58-story "Skyfarm" envisaged by Gordon Graff at the University of Waterloo in Ontario.

Read more about Graf's concept and view seven more designs for vertical farms in the National Geographic News feature FUTURE FARMS: High-Rise, Beach Pod, and Pyramid Pictures >>

Image courtesy Gordon Graff, Vertical Farm Project

Rosanna Tursi, a master's student and graduate teaching assistant at the University of Central Florida, is using population genetics to aid in the conservation of the rabbits, which were declared endangered in 1990, according to a UCF news release. It is estimated that there are less than 300 of the Hefneri rabbits left in the wild.

Photo of "Playboy Bunny" Sylvilagus palustris hefneri courtesy Rosanna Tursi

Hefneri, the most recently recognized subspecies of the marsh rabbit, is small with short, dark brown fur and a grayish-white belly.

"Discovered in 1984, the subspecies was named in honor of Hefner after his organization donated money to support fieldwork on the rabbits," UCF says in a news release.

"Hefneri live in an island environment and are dependent on specific grasses and plants for feeding, nesting and shelter. Population growth and development in the [Florida] Lower Keys has led to the death of the bunnies at the hands of vehicles or domestic animals. Their natural habitat also is being destroyed."

"The loss of genetic diversity can have long-term repercussions by affecting the evolutionary potential of the species," Tursi said.

Photo courtesy Rosanna Tursi

UCF Assistant Professor Eric Hoffman and Philip Hughes, an endangered species biologist with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) in Big Pine Key, landed a grant to study the bunnies, the university release says. "Tursi joined the team and is conducting fieldwork this summer in the Everglades and Florida Keys. The USFWS is interested in Tursi's finding because it wants to prevent the bunnies' from becoming extinct."

Plans to Relocate the Bunnies

The FWS hopes to identify rabbits from the most genetically diverse populations, relocate them and create a new population in a habitat where the bunnies are less likely to be disturbed, the university added.

The project was a perfect thesis subject for Tursi, who earned a degree in Molecular Biology, Microbiology and Biotechnology from Florida Atlantic University before enrolling at UCF, the university added.

"Nature and conservation of wildlife have always been my passion, and I wanted to use my molecular and genetic knowledge to help endangered species," Tursi said.

Hoffman said Tursi's work could certainly help keep the species viable.

"Our hope is to both characterize the amount of diversity in the Keys populations and determine which rabbit populations would provide the best rabbits to found new translocated populations set up by the USFWS," Hoffman said.

Tursi is currently working with another marsh rabbit subspecies, Sylvilagus palustris paludicola, which is native to South Florida and the Everglades.

"She is using hair follicles gathered from mainland rabbits to extract DNA," UCF says. "Once sample collection is finished, Tursi will conduct DNA analysis and compare the diversities of the paludicola and hefneri over the next four or five months."

Will the endangered European eel be able to slip through the net of extinction, thanks to Norway's ban on catching it?

Photo copyright WWF-Canon/Rudolf Svensen.

The Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs also announced that all recreational fishing of European eels would stop tomorrow, July 1, as stock of the eels hit historically low levels and continue to decline. "The decision represents a major conservation decision that is a model for proper fisheries management," WWF-Norway said.

"This protection should have been implemented many years ago, and we are hoping that the long-overdue protection is not too late."

"A total fishing ban is the strongest measure the fisheries management can use, and when a species is critically endangered one must use the strongest and most efficient measures. This protection should have been implemented many years ago, and we are hoping that the long-overdue protection is not too late," said Norway-WWF CEO Rasmus Hansson.

Staff from Slapton Ley Field Centre & National Nature Reserve in the UK check the elver traps to see how many 'glass' eels have survived the two-year migration across the Atlantic from the Sargasso Sea.

As early as 1999, the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) stated that the eel stock was outside safe biological limits, and that the fishery was unsustainable. Yet, fishing has been ongoing for decades, despite scientific advice, WWF said in a statement.

"A successful rebuilding strategy for the eel, both in Norway and the EU, will have a substantial impact on eel numbers in Norwegian waters.

"Consequently, Norway has a great responsibility in influencing both the management and the research that is being undertaken in Europe. In Europe, fishing for eel continues, despite the very severe and depleted state of the stock," the statement added.

"WWF urges Ms Pedersen to fight for the EU taking similar bold measures in their fisheries management, and WWF will fight to stop the eel fishery in the EU," Hansson said.

Related National Geographic News stories:

Europe's Eels Are Slipping Away, Scientists Warn

One in Three European Freshwater Fish Face Extinction

Additional information:

Eel stocks dangerously close to collapse (ICES)

European Eel (USGS)

NASA and Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and industry (METI) released the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Global Digital Elevation Model (GDEM) to the worldwide public yesterday.

1,300,000 Images

The GDEM was created by processing and stereo-correlating 1,300,000 optical images, covering Earth's land surface between 83 degrees North and 83 degrees South latitudes, according to a news statement about the map.

The GDEM is produced with 30-meter (98-feet) postings, and is formatted as 23,000 one-by-one-degree tiles. It is available for download from NASA's Earth Observing System data archive and Japan's Ground Data System.

Los Angeles Basin Image: The Los Angeles Basin is bordered on the north by the San Gabriel Mountains. Other smaller basins are separated by smaller mountain ranges, like the Verdugo Hills, and the Santa Monica Mountains.

Death Valley Image: Death Valley, California, has the lowest point in North America, Badwater at 85.5 meters (282 feet) below sea level. It is also the driest and hottest location in North America.

Located in eastern California and western Nevada, Death Valley forms part of Death Valley National Park. The region is characterized by deep valleys and high mountain ranges, located in the large Basin and Range province of the western United States. This view looks towards the northwest.

Furnace Creek ranch in the right foreground is the only place on the valley floor where vegetation grows year-round due to water channeled through Furnace Creek.

Himalayan Glaciers in Bhutan Image: In the Bhutan Himalayas, Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer data have revealed significant spatial variability in glacier flow, such that the glacier velocities in the end zones on the south side exhibit significantly lower velocities (9 to 18 meters, or 30 to 60 feet per year), versus much higher flow velocities on the north side (18 to 183 meters, or 60 to 600 feet per year).

The higher velocity for the northern glaciers suggests that the southern glaciers have substantially stagnated ice. This view looks towards the northwest.

All images and captions courtesy NASA/METI

Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo, a leader in the effort to conserve tree kangaroos in their wild habitat in Papua New Guinea, is also working to expand the genetic diversity of these marsupials in captivity.

Woodland Park Zoo photo by Ryan Hawk

For the first time in three years, Woodland Park Zoo is again home to the Matschie's tree kangaroo, known for its bearlike head, bushy tail and marsupial's pouch, the zoo said today.

"An 8-year-old male, named Huen, arrived from Singapore Zoo in March and can now be found living in the Day Exhibit. As one of the newest conservation ambassadors at the zoo, Huen represents the international work of the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program, founded and based here at the zoo under the leadership of Dr. Lisa Dabek, Woodland Park Zoo Director of Field Conservation."

National Geographic Grantee

Dabek also received funding from the National Geographic Society/Waitt Grants Program for this work. Watch this National Geographic video about her tree kangaroo work in Papua New Guinea:

The Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program celebrated a milestone this year with the passage of Papua New Guinea's first ever national conservation area, preserving 187,800 acres of forest habitat for the endangered Matschie's tree kangaroo and thousands of other endemic and endangered species, Woodland Park Zoo said in a statement.

"On Earth Day 2009, staff from Woodland Park Zoo and partner Conservation International joined thousands of PNG villagers for a traditional Sing Sing celebration in the highlands of Papua New Guinea in honor of this conservation breakthrough."

Lisa Dabek (right), Woodland Park Zoo Director of Field Conservation, received honors on Earth Day from Papua New Guinea officials and YUS villagers for the efforts of Woodland Park Zoo's Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program to help establish the first ever conservation area in the country.

Woodland Park Zoo photo by Ryan Hawk

The arrival of Huen marks the latest step in Woodland Park Zoo's efforts to conserve this endangered species, the zoo added. "Huen will be joined by a mate in the near future to be part of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums' Species Survival Plan to breed this species in order to increase its genetic diversity."

"Papua New Guinea, particularly the Huon Peninsula, is considered a high-priority area for conservation efforts due to the significant amount of intact rainforest, high species endemism and lack of protected areas for wildlife," says a National Geographic Web site dedicated to the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program. "Destruction of the rainforest by mining, logging, and development threatens the continued existence of Papua New Guinea's unique fauna and flora, including the endangered Matschie's tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei), a flagship species for Papua New Guinea's people."

Read more about the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program >>

Pacu fish, cousins to the piranha and known as "frugivores," have human-like teeth that can crack nuts and fruits.

They and many other kinds of species of fish with weird teeth are featured in "Hooked," a new National Geographic Channel series that premieres on U.S. cable television tonight.

Also known as the "Vampire Fish," The Payara earns its "vampire" nickname with a set of two-inch daggers thrusting up from its bottom jaw.

Photos © Julia Dorn/courtesy National Geographic Channel

The odor of decay it exudes attracts flies and other insects in the wild--the corpse flower's strategy for pollination. But in botanical gardens the world over, the enormous phallic flower and gag-inducing stink seem to be a magnet for people eager to savor one of nature's most bizarre spectacles.

Photo of corpse flower courtesy U.S. Botanical Garden

"The plants, which grow in the wild only in Indonesian rainforests, flowers on an unpredictable schedule and bloom for only a 24 to 48-hour period," says a San Francisco State University media advisory about its corpse flower, which started blooming yesterday.

The corpse flower, or titan arum, is growing in the SF State's new state-of-the-art greenhouse.

The 12-room facility houses cool humid, warm humid and arid plant collections and supports research in rainforest conservation, also drought resistance, native California plants and pollination biology--and also the lifecycle and morphology of Amorphophallus titanum, also known as the corpse flower.

Corpse flower getting ready to bloom picture courtesy SF State University

Corpse flowers are highly prized by botanical gardens and research institutions. In part this is because the corpse flower is endangered in the wild. But undoubtedly another reason is because so much about this plant is bizarre, from its enormous size to its horrible smell.

Another blooming of a corpse flower generating public attention today is half the world away from California, in Europe, at the Universiteit Leiden. It is the first blooming of a corpse flower in the Netherlands in more than a decade, according to media reports.

The university extended visiting hours to its greenhouse over the weekend to allow people to view and smell the blooming of its corpse flower, which it describes as "the elephant of the plant world."

Corpse flower picture courtesy Universiteit Leiden

For those who can't make it to see and smell the real thing, the blooming can at least be viewed on a webcam, linked from the university's Web site.

At least 30 corpse flowers are believed to be in botanical collections across the world. 

Because it can be many years between the blooming of corpse flowers, it's quite an occasion when they do, prompting media advisories and throngs of visitors who want what may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see and smell one of nature's greatest oddities.

Corpse Flower Discovered in 1878

"Ever since this plant was first discovered in Sumatra, Indonesia in 1878 by Italian botanist Odoardo Boccari, it has excited worldwide attention due to its massive size, fascinating appearance and habit of producing a foul odor resembling rotten flesh (to attract insects that pollinate it)," says the University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley, which showcased the blooming of "Trudy," one of the corpse flowers in its collection, a few weeks ago..

Trudy was acquired by the botanical garden from a seed collected in Sumatra in 1995, the garden's Web site explained. "It first bloomed here in July, 2005 (at age 12 years)."

Trudy the corpse flower, in bloom in 2005 at the UC Botanical Garden.
Corpse flower picture courtesy UC Botanical Garden 

Trudy's tuber (swollen underground stem) must reach at least about 30 pounds before blooming, UC Botanical Garden said on its Web site, just as the corpse flower was getting ready to bloom in early June. "Trudy's tuber now weighs 54 lbs and fills the pot, requiring constant watering and food."

"It really does smell like there's a dead body in the room."

"It really does smell like there's a dead body in the room," Garden Director Paul Licht says of Trudy's July 2005 bloom. "The odor helps the plant attract insects that carry its pollen to other titan arums, since corpse flowers can't pollinate themselves."

Trudy is said to have "rested" for the four years between its 2005 and 2009 flowering, replenishing its tuberous stores.

Watch this University of California at Davis video about a corpse flower

Corpse flower video by UC Davis

Another remarkable attribute of the corpse flower is the speed which its spadex, the protuberance at the flower's center, can grow when it is in bloom. This was illustrated when another of UC's corpse flowers, Titania, grew at an astonishing pace prior to its blooming in 2005.

"Not until July 19 did Licht and his staff know their plant would be one of the rare titan arums that actually flowers," according to a news statement released by UC Botanical Garden in 2005. "On that day, Titania measured 36 ¾ inches. By Monday morning, July 30, her spadex----had hit the 61-inch mark. The plant can grow up to 6 inches a day," Licht noted in the release.

UC Botanical Garden's Judith Finn uses a stepladder to pollinate Titania, on August 7, 2005. Titania was raised from seed in the garden starting in 1995.

Corpse flower picture courtesy UC Botanical Garden 

Related National Geographic News story:

Researchers Uncover Secrets of Gigantic "Corpse Flower"

Watch this BBC video of a corpse flower in the wild, in Sumatra:

Corpse flower video by BBC

Photo by Thomas P. Peschak/Save Our Seas Foundation

The Indian Ocean archipelago country is famous as a destination for tourists seeking exotic island getaways. But it is also one of the planet's most important hotspots for many species, including whale sharks and manta rays, two of the largest and most charismatic fish.

At least 120 individual whale sharks, the world's largest fish, live in the ocean around the Maldives. The country is one of the few places in the world where whale sharks can be encountered all year round.

Mohamed Aslam, the Environment Minister of the Maldives, announced the protection of coral reefs and waters in and around Baa atoll Hanifaru, Baa atoll An'gafaru and South Ari atoll Maamigili to commemorate World Oceans Day on June 8.

Maldives image by NASA/ GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./ Japan ASTER Science Team

"The government is committed to protecting and preserving the Maldives' exceptional biodiversity," Aslam said in a statement announcing the proclamation.

"The marine environment is the bedrock of our economy, supporting our largest industries, tourism and fisheries.

"Not only will this initiative protect whale sharks and manta rays, but also other important megafauna, including reef sharks.

"The marine protected area sites are globally significant. By protecting them we are helping to protect manta rays and sharks throughout the Maldives."

Photo by Thomas P. Peschak/Save Our Seas Foundation

Apart from restrictions on fishing, the marine protected areas will permit diving and snorkeling only under strict guidelines. Speed limits will be imposed on boats to prevent lacerations to the giant fish from boat hulls and propellers, and waste management programs will be run on local islands to prevent pollution.

The initiative is spearheaded by the government, the Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme and the communities of Baa atoll and South Ari atoll, according to the Maldives Environment Ministry.

NGS illustration of Hanifaru by Caitlin Sargent

The new protected areas are "one of the last places on the planet where rays and whale sharks still roam in numbers reminiscent of times gone by," said Save Our Seas Foundation (SOSF) Marine Biologist Guy Stevens, who has been doing manta ray research in the Maldives for the past five years. The National Geographic article "Feeding Frenzy" covers the work of Stevens and features photographs by SOSF chief photographer Thomas Peschak.

See photographs by Thomas P. Peschak of manta rays as they converge to feed in a spectacular coral-reef ballet:
Mantas in the Maldives >>

"Each year between May and November the tide works its magic to suck krill and other plankton into Hanifaru Bay," SOSF said in a separate statement about the new marine protected areas (MPAs). "The tiny creatures then become trapped and form an irresistibly thick soup. This delightful offering attracts manta rays from all over the Maldives and they converge here to feed in the hundreds."

Photo by Thomas P. Peschak/Save Our Seas Foundation

SOSF said the proclamation of waters around Hanifaru in the Baa atoll as a marine protected area (in the map above) was a giant step towards protecting the threatened manta rays. "This and the creation of two other MPAs, An'gafaru in the Baa atoll and Maamigili in the South Ari atoll, demonstrates the new government's forward thinking in marine conservation."

The marine protected areas are the latest in a series of environmental initiatives by President Mohamed Nasheed's administration, which assumed office after the country's first multiparty presidential election by popular vote, in November last year.

"President Nasheed deserves much praise for his push to protect these ecologically valuable marine areas in the Indian Ocean," said SOSF Director Chris Clarke. "His action protects one of the world's most vital populations of manta rays by prohibiting all forms of commercial fishing, only permitting traditional bait-fishing by local fishermen."

Earlier this year Maldives banned reef shark hunting, and Nasheed announced in March that the Maldives will become the world's first carbon-neutral country by 2020.

Photo by Thomas P. Peschak/Save Our Seas Foundation

Image courtesy NASA

Sarychev Peak is one of the most active volcanoes in the Kuril Island chain and is located on the northwestern end of Matua Island, northeast of Japan.

Commercial Flights Diverted

"Prior to June 12, the last explosive eruption had occurred in 1989 with eruptions in 1986, 1976, 1954 and 1946 also producing lava flows. Commercial airline flights were diverted from the region to minimize the danger of engine failures from ash intake," NASA said.

The detailed photograph is exciting to volcanologists because it captures several phenomena that occur during the earliest stages of an explosive volcanic eruption, the space agency said.

The phenomena were listed by NASA as follows:

• The main column or plume appears to be a combination of brown ash and white steam. The vigorously rising plume gives the steam a bubble-like appearance; the surrounding atmosphere has been shoved up by the shock wave of the eruption.
• The smooth white cloud on top may be water condensation that resulted from rapid rising and cooling of the air mass above the ash column, and is probably a transient feature (the eruption plume is starting to punch through).
• The structure also indicates that little to no shearing winds were present at the time to disrupt the plume.
• By contrast, a cloud of denser, gray ash--most probably a pyroclastic flow--appears to be hugging the ground, descending from the volcano summit.
• The rising eruption plume casts a shadow to the northwest of the island (bottom center).
• Brown ash at a lower altitude of the atmosphere spreads out above the ground at upper right. Low-level stratus clouds approach Matua Island from the east, wrapping around the lower slopes of the volcano.
• Only about 1.5 kilometers [about a mile] of the coastline of Matua Island (upper center) can be seen beneath the clouds and ash.

By Janelle Nanos

Intelligent Travel

National Geographic Traveler and Photo District News are currently hosting their annual World in Focus Photo Contest, and this year they're letting readers preview the submissions and vote on their favorites.

Here's one of of the featured shots from this week:

This photo, by John Tolsma, is of a Berber guide rounding up camels in the morning in the Moroccan Erg Chebbi, near the Algerian border. Tolsma has the chance to win trips (Tanzania! St. Lucia! A windjammer in Maine!), gear, and other prizes.

Click here to find out how you can enter your photo for a chance to win one of these prizes yourself.

Australian wallabies are eating opium poppies and creating crop circles as they hop around "as high as a kite", BBC News quoted an Australian government official said.

NGS photo of wallabies by Bates Littlehales

"We have a problem with wallabies entering poppy fields, getting as high as a kite and going around in circles," Lara Giddings, the attorney general for the island state of Tasmania, told a parliamentary hearing on security for poppy crops. "Then they crash," she added. "We see crop circles in the poppy industry from wallabies that are high."

The kangaroo-like marsupials are apparently raiding poppy fields grown for medicine. (Read the full BBC News story.)

Giddings's spokesman later played down the comments as the Attorney-General "making a joke" with her colleagues, The Times Web site reported. However, "poppy growers have admitted the native wildlife are fond of jumping the fence and eating the opium-laden poppy heads," the news site said.

"Cancer is one of the leading health concerns for humans, accounting for more than 10 percent of human deaths," said Denise McAloose, chief pathologist for the Wildlife Conservation Society's Global Health Program.

"But we now understand that cancer can kill wild animals at similar rates."

Photo by Sharon Deem

McAloose is the lead author of an article published in the July issue the journal Nature Reviews Cancer, which makes the point that some wild animal species suffer from cancer at the same rates that humans and some species serve as early-warning sentinels for animal and human health.

Many species living within polluted aquatic environments suffer high rates of cancerous tumors, and studies strongly suggest links between wildlife cancers and human pollutants, says the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society, in a statement about the research.

"These whales have an extraordinarily high rate of intestinal cancer, which is their second leading cause of death.

"One type of pollutant in these waters--polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (or PAHs)--is a well-known carcinogen in humans, and PAHs are suspected carcinogens for beluga whales as well."

A beluga whale in New York Aquarium. Wild belugas in the nearby St. Lawrence River system suffer from intestinal cancer.

NGS photo by Winfield Parks

Fish in other industrialized waterways, including brown bullhead catfish and English sole, also exhibit high levels of cancer.

Virus-induced cancers can affect the ability of some wildlife populations to reproduce.

"Genital tumors in California sea lions on North America's western coast occur at much higher rates than previously documented. Oceanic dolphin species, such as the dusky dolphin and Burmeister's porpoise (both found in the coastal waters of South America), are also showing higher rates of genital carcinomas."

Other virus-induced cancers can affect the feeding ability or eyesight of wildlife.

"Green sea turtles--a migratory species in oceans across the globe--suffer from fibropapillomatosis, a disease that causes skin and internal organ tumors. A virus is suspected as the cause these tumors, and environmental factors such as human-manufactured carcinogens might exacerbate their severity or prevalence."

Green turtle with a tumor.

Photo by Cynthia Lagueux

In certain situations, cancer threatens the survival of entire species.

"The Tasmanian devil, the world's largest carnivorous marsupial, is at risk of extinction due to a cancer known as devil facial tumor disease. This form of contagious cancer spreads between individual Tasmanian devils through direct contact (primarily fighting and biting).

The authors highlight the critical need to protect both animals and people through increased health monitoring.

"Monitoring the health of wildlife can illuminate the causes of cancer in animal populations; thereby, better safeguarding animals and humans against possible disease.

"Evaluating cancer threats in wildlife populations requires the collaborative efforts of biologists, veterinarians, and pathologists as well as the earnest engagement of governments and international agencies."

The paper concludes that more resources are necessary to support wildlife health monitoring.

"Examining the impact of cancer in wildlife, in particular those instances when human activities are identified as the cause, can contribute to more effective conservation and fits within the One World-One Health approach of reducing threats to both human and animal health," said William Karesh, vice president and director of WCS's Global Health Program.

Now the chick is growing fast. At 20 days old, in the top picture, it "is doing great and meeting its expected developmental benchmarks," the zoo said in a statement yesterday.

Tawny frogmouths are nocturnal birds native to Australia, Tasmania and southern New Guinea. Although frogmouths have many similar habits to owls, they are actually more closely related to nightjars and oilbirds.

The bird born at Woodland Park Zoo marks the first time the species has hatched at the 110-year-old zoo.

"The birth is significant for the zoo population in North America. Woodland Park is one of only four zoos to have successfully bred this species in the last six years," the zoo said.

Zoo staff artificially incubated the egg for 25 days (incubation is typically 28-30 days). "Within an hour of hatching, staff returned the chick to the nest for the parents to take over parental care. The parents are attentive and protective of the chick and, based on the chick's weight gain, they are doing a good job of feeding their chick."

The 4-year-old mother and father arrived at Woodland Park earlier this year from Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia.

The chick, shown here with dad, remains off exhibit with its parents.

All photos by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo

NGS illustration by Shawn Gould

The first study to determine the global conservation status of 64 species of open ocean (pelagic) sharks and rays reveals that 32 percent are threatened with extinction, primarily due to overfishing, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Shark Specialist Group.

The percentage of open ocean shark species threatened with extinction is higher for the sharks taken in high-seas fisheries (52 percent), than for the group as a whole, the organization said in a news statement today.

"Despite mounting threats, sharks remain virtually unprotected on the high seas," said Sonja Fordham, deputy chair of the IUCN Shark Specialist Group and policy director for the Shark Alliance.

"The vulnerability and lengthy migrations of most open ocean sharks call for coordinated, international conservation plans. Our report documents serious overfishing of these species, in national and international waters, and demonstrates a clear need for immediate action on a global scale."

The report was released ahead of an international gathering next week in Spain of managers responsible for high-seas tuna fisheries in which sharks are taken without limit. It also coincides with an international group of scientists meeting in Denmark to formulate management advice for Atlantic porbeagle sharks.

A shark head is left behind by an Uruguayan fisherman.

NGS photo by Bruce Dale

IUCN experts classify great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) and scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini) sharks, as well as giant devil rays (Mobula mobular), as globally Endangered, the statement said.

Smooth hammerheads (Sphyrna zygaena), great white (Carcharodon carcharias), basking (Cetorhinus maximus) and oceanic whitetip (Carcharhinus longimanus) sharks are classed as globally Vulnerable to extinction, along with two species of makos (Isurus spp.) and three species of threshers (Alopias spp.).

Porbeagle sharks (Lamna nasus) are classified as globally Vulnerable, but Critically Endangered and Endangered in the Northeast and Northwest Atlantic, respectively.

The blue shark (Prionace glauca), "the world's most abundant and heavily fished open ocean shark," is classified as Near Threatened.

"Species are increasingly targeted due to new markets for shark meat and high demand for their valuable fins."

"Many open ocean sharks are taken mainly in high-seas tuna and swordfish fisheries," IUCN said. "Once considered only incidental 'bycatch,' these species are increasingly targeted due to new markets for shark meat and high demand for their valuable fins, used in the Asian delicacy shark fin soup. To source this demand, the fins are often cut off sharks and the rest of the body is thrown back in the water, a process known as 'finning.'

Sharks are particularly sensitive to overfishing due to their tendency to take many years to mature and have relatively few young, IUCN continued.

"In most cases, pelagic shark catches are unregulated or unsustainable. Twenty-four percent of the species examined are categorized as Near Threatened, while information is insufficient to assess another 25 percent."

NOAA Office of Law Enforcement agent counting shark fins.
Photo courtesy NOAA

Fifteen experts from government agencies, universities, non-governmental organizations, and institutions around the world took part in the preparation of the report.

The IUCN Shark Specialist Group called on governments to set catch limits for sharks and rays based on scientific advice and the precautionary approach.

Full Protection Urged

"It further urges governments to fully protect Critically Endangered and Endangered species of sharks and rays, ensure an end to shark finning and improve the monitoring of fisheries taking sharks and rays.

"Governments should invest in shark and ray research and population assessment, minimize incidental bycatch of sharks and rays, employ wildlife treaties to complement fisheries management and facilitate cooperation among countries to conserve shared populations," according to the group.

This week scientists from the International Council for Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) are meeting in Copenhagen to assess all Atlantic porbeagle populations and formulate recommendations for fishery managers.

Next week, San Sebastian, Spain will be the site of the second Joint Meeting of the five Regional Fishery Management Organizations (RFMOs) for tuna.

Photo courtesy NOAA

The IUCN Shark Specialist Group (SSG) is a network of 180 experts from 90 countries who are involved in research, fisheries management, marine conservation or policy development and implementation for chondrichthyan fishes (sharks and their relatives; the skates, rays and chimaeras).

The group's mission is to promote the long-term conservation of these species, effective management of their fisheries and habitats and, where necessary, the recovery of their populations.

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is the most comprehensive conservation inventory of the world's plant and animal species and a widely used tool for focusing attention on species of conservation concern. The assessments evaluate the conservation status of individual species, identify threatening processes affecting them and, if necessary, propose recovery objectives for their populations.