The North Atlantic right whale is one of the world’s most endangered whales. Once common along the eastern U.S. seaboard, the whale was hunted to near-extinction by the 1750s. While no longer pursued ...

DESCRIPTION: The giant Palouse earthworm can reach three feet or more in length, has light-pink skin, and emits a unique, sweet fragrance. HABITAT: This species inhabits permanent or semipermanent ...

A sweeping look across southeastern California's Algodones Dunes betrays little but a wide expanse of rolling dunes and deep-blue desert sky. But just at and beneath the surface of the shifting sands, ...

The first species ever to be emergency-listed as an endangered species in Canada, the Oregon spotted frog was on the U.S. candidate list for 23 years before it federal protection in the United States.

Water is life — and in North Dakota the Standing Rock Sioux tribe is leading an inspiring, historic battle to protect it by stopping the Dakota Access pipeline. This pipeline would carry almost 19 ...

The word jaguar comes from the South American Tupi and Guarani languages. A likely origin is the word yaguareté, meaning “true, fierce beast.” DESCRIPTION: The largest cat native to North America and ...

Snake-killing contests, aka rattlesnake roundups, are contests calling for hunters to bring in as many snakes as they can catch in a year — and then slaughter them. Some snakes' bodies are sold for ...

Critical habitat is key to the survival of endangered species. In fact, a study by the Center found, plants and animals with federally protected critical habitat are more than twice as likely to be ...

With sumptuous, fleshy lips and a bulbous, protruding forehead, the humphead wrasse is an unforgettable fish. This enormous, colorful coral-reef dweller is slow to reproduce, making it vulnerable to ...

For every county in the United States, the map below shows information on all the animals and plants protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act as threatened or endangered. To see the number of ...

Dusky gopher frogs spend most of their lives underground, in burrows created by gopher tortoises — hence their name — and other animals. In the winter they migrate to temporary ponds to breed, and ...

The sound of a rattlesnake's shaking tail can evoke a visceral response of fear in almost anyone. But in reality, snakes like the eastern massasauga have more reason to fear us than we have to fear ...