National News

Threatened: A Green-Haired Turtle That Can Breathe through Its Genitals. “In the debate over saving endangered species, it may be that some should get priority just because of how weird they are. Take the green-haired turtle. It breathes through its genitals. Not all the time — but after a long time underwater, an alternative way to get oxygen really helps. The turtle is thirtieth on a new list of reptiles in trouble put out by the Zoological Society of London. The Edge of Existence program at the society looks at the evolutionary trees of animals that are endangered to determine which are most evolutionary distinctive. Previously, they put out lists for mammals and amphibians. The new list ranks reptiles on a combination of how distinctive and how endangered they are. Rikki Gumbs and other researchers at the society who worked on the new list wrote a paper explaining how they arrive at the rankings, which was published in the journal PLOS One on Wednesday.” [New York Times, 4/12/18 (=)]

Kirtland’s Warbler Recovery Success Story for Endangered Species Act. “State and federal wildlife agencies say the Kirtland's Warbler can safely be removed from the endangered species list.  The yellow breasted songbird breeds only in stands of young jack pines, trees found mainly in northern Michigan, but also in the U.P., Wisconsin, and Ontario. The bird numbered only about 330 individuals at its lowest point in 1987, but it has since recovered and now numbers about 4,600.” [Michigan Radio, 4/22/18 (=)]

Report: Wolves Continue Comeback in Oregon after Eradication. “Biologists in Oregon counted 124 wolves in their annual tally, an 11 percent increase over last year's numbers, and hailed the results Thursday as evidence that wolves are regaining their foothold in the state after being wiped out by bounty hunters more than 70 years ago. Wolf advocates, however, blasted the report by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and said the report exaggerates the success of wolf recovery at a critical juncture when state officials are considering how to manage the species going forward. They also criticized the agency for allowing ranchers to kill wolves to prevent attacks on livestock, including a kill order that was issued this week for up to any two wolves from a new pack that includes a heavily pregnant female.” [ABC News, 4/12/18 (=)]