Fewer flutterers; Photo Ark's 13,000th animal
|  | Thursday, July 21, 2022 | | | | |
 | PHOTOGRAPH BY GARY CORONADO, LOS ANGELES TIMES/GETTY IMAGES
| | It’s hard to accept that something so beautiful—a fluttering highlight of North American gardens and backyards—could be gone soon. Forever.
The beloved migratory monarch butterfly, known for its twice-yearly 2,500-mile journeys, has just been declared endangered by the world’s leading authority on biological diversity. An assessment found these types of monarchs have declined by between 23 percent and 72 percent in the past decade, Nat Geo’s Natasha Daly reports.
If habitats can be preserved and pesticide use cut, there’s a sliver of hope for the fast-reproducing monarch. “If we reduce some threats,” lead assessment author Anna Walker says, "the butterfly can do the rest of the work.” (Pictured above, a monarch in a California preserve in January.)
Read the full story here. Learn more about monarchs here.
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| | Bottom feeders: Is there any animal we fear more than sharks? Well, the three nurse sharks above are slow, gentle, and won’t bother you if you don’t bother them. They’re nocturnal and often rest in groups during the day, says Reiko Takahashi, who took this photo from the Bahamas island of Bimini for our Instagram page. Nurse sharks give birth to about 30 pups every other year. Nat Geo has written about what kids—and even adults—can learn from sharks. Take a look at a group creating more opportunities in shark science. | | | |
 | | PHOTOGRAPHS BY BRENT DURAND, GETTY IMAGES | | | Cooking for conservation: With quills like porcupines, purple sea urchins might not look so appetizing. But scientists and chefs are hoping you’ll dig in. Off the coast of California, scientists have found 60 times more purple sea urchins than normal, Kristen Pope reports. The kelp munchers have eaten much of the underwater forests along the Mendocino Coast, so they’re captured and added to porridges, pastas, and whipped into butter. (Pictured above, purple sea urchins encroaching on kelp in Mendocino Headlands State Park and in Monterey.) | | | |
 | | Before moving to [the Zambian village of] Mfuwe, our family lived in a small town surrounded by sugarcane plantations, so we never saw any wildlife. When I moved and had to change completely to a different way of life, without running water or electricity, that was difficult at first. But I think it turned out to be OK, because it set me on the path that I’m on. | | | | Thandiwe Mweetwa | Wildlife biologist and conservationist, Nat Geo Explorer
Watch: How a New Generation Is Saving Zambia's Lions | | |
 | | ILLUSTRATION BY BOB NICHOLLS/PALEOCREATIONS.COM | | | Back to Brazil: Germany is sending a one-of-a-kind feathered dinosaur back to Brazil, the country where the fossil was found. The government has said it had doubts as to whether the 110-million-year-old Ubirajara jubatus (pictured above) was ethically, or even legally, acquired. Ubirajara (“lord of the spear” in Brazil’s Tupi language) had long, spear-like feathers. Scientists in Brazil now hope the return leads to additional fossils from Germany and elsewhere being reclaimed and housed in its museums, Nat Geo reports. | | | |
| This newsletter was curated and edited by David Beard, Jen Tse, Heather Kim, and Monica Williams. Do you have a story idea or feedback for the newsletter team? Let us know. If you want to receive our daily newsletter, sign up here. | |
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