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The Wildlife Society
@thewildlifesociety.bsky.social
Our mission is to empower wildlife professionals to advance conservation through science, community, and professional excellence. Visit us at wildlife.org
Highly pathogenic avian influenza has led to a 50% decline in breeding females in the largest southern elephant seal colony in the world. Researchers are worried about the population’s long-term stability.
Avian flu cuts through elephant seal numbers - The Wildlife Society
Virus may have caused loss of 50% of breeding females
wildlife.org
December 5, 2025 at 9:02 PM
New episode drop! 🎙️ This week on the Our Wild Lives Podcast, we talk with TWS member, Colleen Olfenbuttel about all things black bears. 🐻

She's got stories, insights and fun facts you don’t want to miss.
 👉 Listen now:https://www.buzzsprout.com/2542693/episodes/18293927
December 5, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Bettongs are able to crack nuts that would break other mammals’ jaw. The mystery about why was tough for scientists to crack, though.
Bettongs' head shape gives them a tooth up - The Wildlife Society
Marsupials' nut-cracking mystery no longer too tough to crack
wildlife.org
December 4, 2025 at 11:02 PM
A recent UN report says the world is off target on greenhouse gas emissions reductions and headed toward an escalation of climate damages. How does TWS navigate this politically charged topic?
Politics shift the semantics of climate change - The Wildlife Society
A recent UN report says the world is headed toward an escalation of climate damages, while politics muddle climate science in the US.
wildlife.org
December 4, 2025 at 3:52 PM
City raccoons may not be ready for adoption, but their shrinking snouts suggest they’re physically showing the signs that they starting on the same evolutionary path that turned wolves into lap dogs.
Are raccoons domesticated? Not quite yet - The Wildlife Society
Trash pandas may be going the way of the wolves
wildlife.org
December 3, 2025 at 10:02 PM
On farms, bats can be nature’s pest control. But only if there are sufficient natural areas to support their populations.
Bats help German farmers beat pests - The Wildlife Society
With enough natural areas around, bats protect agriculture
wildlife.org
December 3, 2025 at 3:34 PM
What if the wildlife videos filling your social media feed weren’t real? AI-generated wildlife videos continue to widen the gap between people and nature and may have an impact on conservation.
Q&A: AI videos reveal seeing should not be believing - The Wildlife Society
The potential impact of artificially generated videos on conservation
wildlife.org
December 2, 2025 at 10:02 PM
This #GivingTuesday, every contribution, no matter the size, fuels policy advocacy for wildlife and wildlife professionals.

Support The Wildlife Society: wildlife.org/givingtuesday
GivingTuesday - The Wildlife Society
Wildlife thrives because of dedicated professionals. Wildlife thrives because of dedicated professionals. Wildlife faces unprecedented challenges in our changing world. But it’s not just about saving ...
wildlife.org
December 2, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Missouri has seen rare success in controlling an overwhelming wild pig problem. Researchers interviewed wildlife managers and stakeholders across the state to determine how the state achieved its success.
Why has Missouri succeeded in wild pig control? - The Wildlife Society
While other areas struggle against an overwhelming invasion, one state’s holistic approach to control has revealed that control is possible
wildlife.org
December 1, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Spiderwebs may be an unlikely but effective eDNA tool on par with active air samplers. New research examines the effectiveness of different eDNA sampling techniques.
Spider webs ensnare environmental DNA - The Wildlife Society
Arachnid silk emerges as a superior eDNA sampler than soil or water
wildlife.org
December 1, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Commercial turkey welfare may be fully modernized with the use of drones, cameras and AI to identify their behavior and needs. Learn more 🦃👇
Healthy turkey with a helping of drones - The Wildlife Society
Automation may help detect distress and disease in poultry
wildlife.org
November 26, 2025 at 9:02 PM
The EPA faces a capacity crunch as “Waters of the United States” is potentially redefined in the Clean Water Act.
EPA shrinks workforce and wetlands definition - The Wildlife Society
The Trump administration has proposed to remove federal wetlands protections as workforce shrinks by 17%
wildlife.org
November 25, 2025 at 8:03 PM
What began as a lost cave in a remote karst jungle has evolved into a rare conservation success story for community and forest alike Read more 👇
Conservation brings biodiverse cave from darkness - The Wildlife Society
The rediscovery of a cave network has sparked an unlikely conservation renaissance
wildlife.org
November 25, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Congress has passed a FY2026 spending bill for agriculture programs that includes key federal conservation funding. Read more 👇
Congress passes spending bill for USDA conservation - The Wildlife Society
FY2026 funding was included in the continuing resolution that ended the recent government shutdown
wildlife.org
November 24, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Avian predators are one of nature’s last lines of defense against the invasive spotted lanternfly. But new research shows the insects can accumulate chemical defenses from feeding on another invasive species.
Birds avoid spotted lanternflies fed on invasive plants - The Wildlife Society
Spotted lanternflies that feed on the tree of heaven are unpalatable to birds
wildlife.org
November 24, 2025 at 2:31 PM
At night, the forest floors of Pacific islands glitter with tiny blue points of light and hope as released snails slowly move toward recovery. This year marks the largest release of endangered Partula snails.
Watch: Once extinct, reintroduced snails glow with hope - The Wildlife Society
Conservationists conduct the largest release ever of recovering extinct-in-the-wild snails
wildlife.org
November 23, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Hanging with an ocelot is fun and games—until you’re its next meal. Why are opossums walking this dangerous line?
Are ocelots and opossums in cahoots? - The Wildlife Society
Scientists document first-ever associations between ocelots and opossums
wildlife.org
November 22, 2025 at 3:04 PM
LISTEN: From grizzlies and cougars to bobcats and river otters, Maurice Hornocker has seen it all. His stories reveal the fundamental base for which much of the wildlife profession now works off.
LISTEN: How to stalk a predator - The Wildlife Society
How does a lifetime of research lay the foundation for what we know about the world’s top predators?
wildlife.org
November 21, 2025 at 3:04 PM
A new cure-all to African snake bites may soon be ready for clinical use. But economics, not technology, might be a bigger barrier.
New antivenom works against 17 snakes - The Wildlife Society
Researchers develop a new preliminary antidote for African serpents in rodents in lab mice
wildlife.org
November 20, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Road noise often scares wildlife away. But new research reveals that squirrels may actually be drawn towards busy highways in an effort to stay away from predators.
Road noise may give solace to squirrels - The Wildlife Society
Researchers finds that gray squirrels may actually seek out busy highways
wildlife.org
November 19, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Endangered Barton Springs salamanders are mostly found only in one spring in the middle of Austin, Texas. A new study examined whether retrofits wildlife managers made to a highly modified spring have boosted the population.
Wild Cam: Restoration boosts cryptic salamander numbers - The Wildlife Society
Endangered Barton Springs salamanders are found only in a handful of places in downtown Austin
wildlife.org
November 19, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Bioenergetics is a way of tracking the movement of energy to understand ecosystem changes. Researchers say this metric may be a way to track restoration progress.
Mapping nature’s power lines - The Wildlife Society
Scientists use the movement of energy to understand ecosystem changes
wildlife.org
November 18, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Need to know what to get the wildlifer in your life? Your holiday shopping just got a whole lot easier 👀

Order by December 4 for shipments to arrive in time for the holidays 👉 https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-wildlife-society/
November 18, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Millions of eBird checklists helped scientists figure out that birds respond to fire differently in different parts of their ranges. What could this mean for forest management?
How birds react to fire depends on where they live - The Wildlife Society
Data from eBird shows regional fire effects on bird populations
wildlife.org
November 18, 2025 at 2:03 PM
The official count of mammals is up 25% since scientists last made their list. But some researchers are worried that under-documented species are falling through the cracks.
Scientists now recognize close to 6,800 mammal species - The Wildlife Society
The total number of species jumped 25% from last count in 2005
wildlife.org
November 17, 2025 at 10:02 PM