Two thirds of all species of freshwater crab maybe at risk of going extinct

September 30th, 2009 LONDON - Reports indicate that the giant Chinese paddlefish, which is one of the world's largest freshwater fish, is on the verge of going extinct. According to a report by BBC News, a three-year quest to find the giant Chinese paddlefish in the Yangtze river failed to sight or catch a single individual.

September 29th, 2009 SYDNEY - A report has found that one in five species of Australian mammals are at risk of extinction. According to www.news.co.au, of the 388 species of mammals found naturally in Australia, 78 are listed as vulnerable, endangered or extinct in the wild.

September 23rd, 2009 SYDNEY - BBC wildlife presenter and conservationist Chris Packham has stirred controversy after calling on wildlife groups to let giant pandas go extinct because of their inability to effectively evolve. According to a report in www.news.com.au, the leading conservationist has called on wildlife groups to leave giant pandas alone and let them die out "with a degree of dignity".

September 14th, 2009 LONDON - Archaeologists have discovered teeth and bones from late Ice Age animals, including hyenas, deer and woolly rhinos at a cave in Devon, UK, which may yield clues as to why Neanderthals became extinct. According to a report by BBC News, the dig, organised by the University of Durham and the University of Sheffield, is part of a study into Neanderthals.

September 7th, 2009 LONDON - An expedition team has found a new species of giant rat in an extinct volcano in the jungle of Papua New Guinea, which at 82cm length, is as big as a cat. According to a report by BBC News, the creature, which has not yet been formally described, was discovered by an expedition team filming the BBC programme 'Lost Land of the Volcano'.

August 14th, 2009 LONDON - A seabird thought to have been driven to extinction by hungry European sailors in the late 18th century has been rediscovered, in the laboratory. It turns out the 'extinct' species is actually a sub-species of a bird very much alive.

August 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a surprising finding, scientific sleuths have rediscovered an "extinct" bird living under a false name and wearing a mask. Native to small islands off Australia and New Zealand, the species, known as the Tasman booby, was dealt its first near fatal blow around A.D.

August 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - An international team of scientists has discovered an extinct rodent species, based on fossil tooth remains found in Alborache, Valencia, which is the oldest find within this genus in the world. The small number of Eomyops noeliae fossils found has prevented the scientists from the University of Valencia (UV), who have led this research study, from being able to gain a full picture of this "new" rodent.

July 29th, 2009 WASHINGTON - An international team of scientists has discovered an extinct rodent species, based on fossil tooth remains found in Alborache, Valencia. Eomyops noeliae, from the Eomyidae family, represents the oldest find within this genus in the world.

July 29th, 2009 LONDON - A new study has found that the Earth is in the throes of its "sixth great extinction event" and Australia and the Pacific are becoming the worst regions for the destruction of animals and plants. According to a report in the Telegraph, the study, published in the journal Conservation Biology, said that since records began, Australian agriculture had changed or destroyed half the woodlands and forests of the country.

July 3rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - The successful reintroduction of a once extinct butterfly in Britain has led scientists to determine that intelligent countryside management could improve the survival chances of animal and plant species threatened by climate change. This is the conclusion drawn by scientists at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) from a British study on saving the Large Blue butterfly (Maculinea arion).

June 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - The loss of endangered species sends alarm bells ringing among conservationists, but what happens to the parasites they host? Although most people would side with the panda over the parasite, which group should we worry about more? North Carolina State University (NCSU) biologist Rob Dunn and colleagues examined the concept of co-extinction, the loss of one species upon the extinction of another. "Decline in host species could drive parasite species to switch onto alternative hosts, which could escalate the rate of emerging pathogens and parasites both for humans and our domesticated animals and plants," Dunn said.

June 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new study, scientists have determined that when host species go extinct, their parasites could switch onto alternative hosts which in turn could increase the rate of emerging pathogens for humans, domesticated animals and plants. The study was carried out by North Carolina State University biologist Rob Dunn and colleagues.

May 30th, 2009 SYDNEY - Australian researchers have said that ancient refuges could be the key to saving the country's unique biodiversity under threat from climate change. According to a report by ABC News, the researchers are mapping areas they believe could remain untouched, despite climate change, in an effort to save species from extinction.

May 8th, 2009 LONDON - Scientists have warned that the wild ancestors of common domestic fruit trees are in danger of becoming extinct. According to a report by BBC News, the warning has come as researchers have published a "red list" of threatened species that grow in the forests of Central Asia.