Ancient sea turtles, known for their long lifespans and incredible migrations, face numerous modern threats. These include plastic and light pollution, fishing gear entanglement, sea-level rise, and ocean acidification. Our staff has worked for decades to protect these amazing reptiles.

We recently celebrated significant wins, securing new protections for leatherback sea turtles in California and critical habitat for green sea turtles on both coasts. These successes highlight our ongoing commitment to their survival.

Learn more about our sea turtle conservation efforts and how you can contribute. Our Florida director, Jaclyn Lopez, and senior Oceans program attorney, Catherine Kilduff, will lead the presentation.

Leopard slugs exhibit a beautifully bizarre mating ritual. Each hermaphroditic individual, preferring coupling over self-fertilization, climbs a tree or rock at night. They then lower themselves on a mucus tether, entwining their bodies. Gravity assists in deploying their oversized penises, which emerge from the right side of their heads.

Once coitus is complete, both slugs ascend the mucus tether, with the one bringing up the rear consuming it. Learn more about this fascinating process at the BBC. Footage for such observations is often provided by sources like Bernoid.com.

Insect populations, from monarchs to bumble bees, are rapidly declining worldwide due to pesticides, development, and other threats. These vital creatures are essential for healthy ecosystems and human well-being.

Join our upcoming "Saving Life on Earth" webinar to learn about the "Saving the Insects" campaign and how you can help. Center senior scientists Tara Cornelisse and Tierra Curry will present.

Gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) in Arizona's borderlands are remarkable tree-climbing canids. They possess several unique adaptations for an arboreal lifestyle, unlike most other canids.

These adaptations include flexible, primate-like wrists and cat-like paws with long, curved claws. Such features equip them to hunt and play effectively within the forest canopy.

Over a billion pounds of pesticides are used in the U.S. annually, with a quarter banned in the EU due to safety concerns. Despite this, the EPA has for decades failed to assess their impacts on endangered species, human health, and pollinators, even permitting their use on public lands.

Join the Center for an hour to learn how we protect vulnerable people and wildlife from these dangerous chemicals, and discover how you can help. The presentation will feature environmental health director Lori Ann Burd and senior scientist Dr. Nate Donley.

The San Xavier talussnail, one of the world's rarest, lives exclusively on a single Sonoran Desert hill. These hermaphroditic snails can live up to 10 years, estivating for three and active only 3-4 days annually. Monsoon rains prompt their emergence from rock crevices to feed on lichen.

These unique snails are central to a major lawsuit filed by the Center against the Trump administration. The suit challenges the administration's failure to protect 241 endangered species, many facing imminent extinction.

Amidst the scorching Arizona summer, a California condor finds respite by bathing in a spring-fed creek in the Grand Canyon.

This remarkable bird is North America's largest flying species and one of the most endangered worldwide.

Endangered Blanding's turtle hatchlings begin their journey into the wild. These turtles can live 80 years, but their population is critically threatened by predation, disease, habitat destruction, and human collection.

In 2011, a Center petition secured CITES protection for Blanding's turtles. The Center, joined by renowned scientists like E.O. Wilson, further petitioned in 2012 for U.S. Endangered Species Act protection for the turtle and 52 other threatened amphibians and reptiles.

While not yet federally protected in the U.S., Blanding's turtles are safeguarded by state laws in several states.

Over 8 million tons of plastic pollute our oceans annually, devastating wildlife, beaches, and ecosystems. The facilities producing this plastic, often in low-income areas, also poison local air and water.

This week's conversation will address fighting plastic pollution at its source. We'll discuss the industry's planned production increase, our strategies to stop it, and why recycling isn't a viable solution.

The presentation features Julie Teel Simmonds, Senior Attorney, and Delia Ridge Creamer, Oceans Campaigner, from the Center.

Giant water bugs are exceptional fathers. After mating, females of some species cement their eggs to the male's back, then depart, leaving him to parent alone.

For over two weeks, the male diligently cleans, aerates, and fiercely defends the eggs from predators until they hatch.

Research indicates that female giant water bugs prefer males already carrying eggs, suggesting that strong paternal care is a highly valued trait in sexual selection.

The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery have sparked a crucial reckoning with systemic racism, police violence, and inequality in America. These racist ideologies fuel not only social injustices like income disparity, poor housing, and pollution in vulnerable communities, but also hinder the environmental movement by suppressing vital voices.

This "Saving Life on Earth" webinar will explore justice, police brutality, diversity, and biodiversity, emphasizing the critical need to align environmental efforts with the fight against racism. We all share a personal and institutional responsibility to drive lasting change.

The Trump administration plans to construct a 30-foot steel border wall through the rugged Huachuca Mountains, specifically at the terminus of the 800-mile federally protected Arizona Trail. This barrier threatens to disrupt the natural habitat of migrating jaguars and ocelots.

Such a wall would also permanently alter the experience for thousands of hikers who utilize the Arizona Trail. Matthew Nelson of the Arizona Trail Association has detailed the significant environmental and recreational consequences of this proposed construction.

Agriculture accounts for nearly 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with over half originating from meat and dairy production. Our food choices profoundly impact climate, habitat, water use, and wildlife. Adopting more plant-based foods and less meat can significantly reduce diet-related emissions, conserve land and water, and help mitigate the extinction crisis.

This week’s discussion will focus on shifting towards sustainable, Earth-friendly diets. Topics include new research on the climate impact of American diets, strategies for dietary change, how individual choices influence food policy, and why grass-fed beef isn't a complete solution. The event features Jennifer Molidor, Stephanie Feldstein, and a vegan cooking demonstration by J.P. Rose.

Meat and dairy production significantly contributes to global wildlife extinctions and the climate crisis. This industry consumes 30% of the Earth’s surface and 80% of U.S. agricultural land, while also being a major source of air and water pollution.

This week's conversation will explore our efforts to protect human health and the environment from this powerful industry. Topics will include COVID-19 in slaughterhouses, policy impacts, dangers to wildlife and workers, dietary choices, and the rise of meatless alternatives. Senior attorney Hannah Connor, population and sustainability director Stephanie Feldstein, and environmental health director Lori Ann Burd will lead the discussion.

This discussion explores the history, biology, and recovery of wolves across the American West, including the West Coast and Southwest. Once nearly extinct, wolves have returned to states like California, Oregon, Washington, and the Southwest. However, their future remains uncertain, standing at a critical crossroads.

The presentation features Amaroq Weiss, a senior West Coast wolf advocate, and Michael Robinson, a senior conservation advocate. Attendees will gain valuable insights and be inspired to contribute to conservation efforts.

A remote camera in the Arizona borderlands captured javelinas foraging and snorting.

This footage was provided by Russ McSpadden for the Center for Biological Diversity.

Observe a red bat as it captures a moth during its nocturnal flight.

These bats are incredibly efficient predators, capable of consuming 500 to 1,000 insects in just one hour.

The Western Ghats of India are home to 24 species of "dancing frogs" from the Micrixalidae family. These amphibians earned their name because males perform a unique foot-waving display, known as foot-flagging, to attract females during the breeding season.

This distinctive gesture likely compensates for their quiet croaks. Their calls are often too faint to compete with the surrounding environmental noise, making the visual foot-flagging crucial for successful mating.

The endangered Sonoyta mud turtle, an aquatic species, thrives in one of the Sonoran Desert's driest regions. This unique adaptation allows it to survive in extreme conditions.

Its habitat is severely restricted: a single spring on the U.S.-Mexico border within Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in southern Arizona, and a small section of Mexico's Rio Sonoyta.

This video showcases a unique bobcat "Valentine's Day" negotiation, where communication is key. Two bobcats engage in a date via head-bobbing yowls, rapid tail twitching, and awkward pauses. The gray cat is the female, and the red (rufus) one is the male.

We extend our thanks to Robyn Sloan for sharing this fascinating footage. Explore more of her wildlife videos here.