President Biden recently designated the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument, protecting nearly 1 million acres around the national park. Guided by the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition, this action safeguards Tribal homelands and the region's watershed, culminating decades of effort.

The Center for Biological Diversity is a Tucson-based nonprofit dedicated to securing a future for all species. We use science, law, and creative media to protect the lands, waters, and climate vital for biodiversity, ensuring a wild world for future generations.

Learn more and connect with us on our website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. For questions, email us at center@biologicaldiversity.org.

On September 17, 2023, over 75,000 supporters joined us in New York City with a giant monarch butterfly, sending an urgent message to U.S. policymakers ahead of the UN climate summit: end fossil fuel extraction and boldly address the climate emergency. The future of biodiversity and human health depend on this action.

The Center for Biological Diversity is a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to securing a future for all species. We believe human welfare is deeply linked to nature's diversity, and we use science, law, and creative media to protect the lands, waters, and climate essential for survival. For more information, visit our website or contact us at center@biologicaldiversity.org.

Whale biologists have documented the first-ever sperm whale birth, a powerful event captured by Shane Gero and the Project CETI team in the Caribbean. Gero, who has studied this specific whale family for nearly 20 years, observed an unusual gathering of 11 female whales during the birth.

The newborn was kept safe on the family's backs and heads for hours. Audio data revealed the whales transitioned from quiet to simultaneously "talking" with morse-code-like clicks, suggesting a celebration. Gero remarked, "It's hard not to see it as a celebration."

Learn more about this whale birth: [National Geographic article](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/sperm-whale-birth-dominica). Featured in "That's Wild," Endangered Earth Online: [Endangered Earth Online article](https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/publications/earthonline/endangered-earth-online-no1211.html).

A new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report details the extreme environmental harm caused by the U.S.-Mexico border wall built under former President Trump. Constructed without environmental reviews and despite Native Tribes’ concerns, the wall destroyed critical habitats, killed countless saguaro cactuses, and impacted endangered species like ocelots and jaguars. The GAO now recommends the federal government repair this damage.

For more details on the GAO's border wall report, visit https://biodiv.us/468AaPH. Learn about our fight against the border wall here: https://biodiv.us/NoBorderWall.

Center Climate Organizer Molly Morabito emphasizes the urgent threat of fossil fuel pollution to our communities, places, and species, a reality made clear this summer. She is marching to #EndFossilFuels in NYC on September 17th and encourages others to join.

For march details, visit https://endfossilfuels.us.

If you cannot attend, you can still amplify demands by sharing the action: https://biodiv.us/EndFossilFuels.

A historic climate march is scheduled for September 17th in NYC, calling on the President and world leaders to end fossil fuels and declare a climate emergency.

Join us in NYC to take action; RSVP for details at endfossilfuels.us. If you cannot attend, please amplify our demands by sharing this action: biodiv.us/EndFossilFuels.

A new study reveals that snow flies amputate their own limbs to survive extreme cold. Scientists previously knew little about these flightless insects, which inhabit frigid, hard-to-reach alpine areas.

Now, it's understood that if a leg freezes, these remarkable insects can remove it to prevent ice crystals from reaching their bodies and freezing vital organs. They then continue walking, demonstrating a unique survival mechanism.

This discovery was featured in the Center's weekly newsletter, Endangered Earth Online, issue 1,208 (Aug. 31, 2023): Endangered Earth Online No. 1208.

Rare feather stars were filmed south of Johnston Atoll in the Central Pacific during a 2022 NOAA-funded expedition. Learn more about the expedition: https://nautiluslive.org/cruise/na141

This video, featured in the Endangered Earth Online newsletter, showcased new-to-science species, including the Antarctic strawberry feather star. These free-swimming crinoids, related to starfish and sea cucumbers, are named for their fruit-like body shape beneath 20 rhythmic arms. See pictures and read more: https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/publications/earthonline/endangered-earth-online-no1207.html

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has deployed a "lethal obstacle" in the Rio Grande, comprising saw blades and netting, designed to injure border crossers. This installation, highlighted by Laiken Jordahl of the Center for Biological Diversity, has already led to bodies being discovered in the river.

Jordahl condemns Abbott's initiative as a "death trap" for both people and wildlife, driven by "racist politics" and implemented for a "photo op." These actions have transformed the U.S.-Mexico border into a dangerous zone.

Read more: What Texas Should Learn From Arizona’s Border Failure

Glassy-winged sharpshooters, common crop pests, consume 300 times their body weight in xylem sap daily, making them frequent urinators. Biophysicist Saad Bhamla discovered these insects efficiently expel urine using an "anal stylus" (dubbed a "butt flicker") to catapult droplets at high speed, a phenomenon he calls "superpropulsion."

Learn more about this physics-powered urination: research.gatech.edu/super-fast-insect-urination-powered-physics-superpropulsion

This research was featured in Endangered Earth Online, No. 1,205 (Aug. 10, 2023): biologicaldiversity.org/publications/earthonline/endangered-earth-online-no1205.html

The Center has sued NOAA Fisheries to enforce actual protection for 20 endangered Caribbean and Indo-Pacific coral species, including pillar and lobed star corals. While NOAA officially protected these species under the Endangered Species Act in 2014 following a Center petition, it has since refused to implement regulations to counter major threats like collection and climate change, despite a 2020 petition for such measures.

The agency also declines to monitor trade in these species, even though the U.S. is the world’s largest importer of live corals. Center lawyer Emily Jeffers emphasized, "Protection for corals shouldn’t be in name only." Learn more: biodiv.us/3DKztQo

Fauna & Flora International (FFI) recently filmed 15 critically endangered Burmese peacock softshell turtles hatching in Myanmar—a possible first-ever video of their species. Named for the peacock-like spots on their shells, these once-abundant freshwater animals are now among the world's most endangered.

Volunteer "turtle guardians" with FFI protected the nest sites until the eggs hatched. After a brief study, the hatchlings were released into the wild. Watch the video and learn more: Business Insider | Endangered Earth Online. Video credit: © Nyein Chan and Yae Aung / fauna-flora.org.

A rare gulper eel, also known as a pelican eel, was filmed 6,900 feet deep off Costa Rica. Its body was massively distended from a recent meal.

This sighting occurred in the Dorado Outcrop, an area also home to recently discovered, rare octopus nurseries.

Watch captivating footage of the gulper eel and other deep-sea highlights from the Dorado expedition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhH42NS8ig4. Video by Schmidt Ocean Institute, featured in the Center for Biological Diversity's Endangered Earth Online 1201. Audio: Mothership via Canva.

SpaceX launches in Boca Chica, Texas, threaten protected piping plover habitat with debris. The Center for Biological Diversity is suing to assess these impacts and needs your help to protect endangered species. Take action: https://biodiv.us/spacex.

The Center for Biological Diversity is a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to securing a future for all species. We believe human welfare is deeply linked to nature's vast diversity, protecting lands, waters, and climate through science, law, and media. Learn more at our website: https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/ or email inquiries to center@biologicaldiversity.org.

NM LAWS (New Mexico Land, Air, Water, and the Sacred) is an Indigenous, frontline, and youth collective. They hold New Mexico accountable for protecting citizens from oil and gas pollution. Learn about this landmark case via their webinar. More info: nmlandairwatersacred.org.

The Center for Biological Diversity is a Tucson-based 501c3 nonprofit. Linking human welfare to nature and biodiversity, we use science, law, and creative media to secure a future for all species. We protect vital lands, waters, and climate to ensure a wild world for future generations.

Connect: biologicaldiversity.org. Social: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok. Action: biologicaldiversity.org/action/alerts. Email: center@biologicaldiversity.org.

A recent expedition in Mexico's Gulf of California tallied just 10 to 13 vaquitas, confirming these small porpoises are critically endangered but not yet extinct. Their population has plummeted from 600 in 1997, primarily due to entanglement in gillnets set for the endangered totoaba fish.

Despite the dire situation, Mexico has largely failed to enforce its totoaba fishing ban. The Center, advocating for over 20 years, now urgently calls on the government to enforce this ban immediately to prevent the vaquita's permanent loss. Learn more: https://biodiv.us/43PxPIE

Biologists may have observed the first instance of a frog pollinating a flower. Izecksohn's Brazilian tree frogs reportedly dunk into large flowers for nectar, then hop around, dispersing pollen. While they leave covered in pollen without damaging the flowers, further study is needed to confirm this unique behavior. Read more: Live Science.

The Center for Biological Diversity is a Tucson-based 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to protecting all species and their habitats. We believe human welfare is deeply linked to biodiversity and work to secure a future where wild nature thrives. Connect with us: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Take Action. For inquiries, email center@biologicaldiversity.org.

Sand cats, rare wild felines of the Sahara, are smaller than house cats yet travel vast distances. A new study reveals they may be the only nomadic felines moving with changing rainfall, hydrating solely from prey. Learn more at panthera.org or read the full article: Tiny Sand Cats, Huge Range.

The Center for Biological Diversity is a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to securing a future for all species. We protect lands, waters, and climate through science, law, and media, believing human welfare is deeply linked to nature's diversity. Explore our work at biologicaldiversity.org.

Leafcutter bees are solitary, gentle pollinators that construct leaf-based egg chambers, provisioning them with nectar and pollen. A female may create up to 20 such cells, like the one seen in this footage of a bee emerging in the UK. Many species exist globally, including 63 in Florida. (Thanks to Emily Doorish: [Twitter](https://twitter.com/EDoorish), [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/EmiliagoXD)).

Bees are also remarkably complex. Expert Stephen Buchmann notes they feel emotions, process long-term memories during sleep, and may even dream, raising ethical questions about their treatment. Learn more about bee intelligence: [here](https://biodiv.us/3n2sePr).

The Center for Biological Diversity, a 501c3 nonprofit, works to secure a future for all species by protecting the lands, waters, and climate they need. Discover more: [biologicaldiversity.org](https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/).

The Center for Biological Diversity is a Tucson-based 501c3 nonprofit committed to securing a future for all species. We believe human well-being is intrinsically linked to nature's biodiversity. Through science, law, and creative media, we work to prevent extinction by protecting the lands, waters, and climate essential for wildlife survival.

It's time to invest in imperiled wildlife. Support our mission by donating at biologicaldiversity.org/ESAat50. Find more information on our website: biologicaldiversity.org, or connect with us on social media. For questions, email center@biologicaldiversity.org.