NATURAL HISTORY VAQUITA } Phocoena sinus FAMILY: Phocoenidae The scientific name Phocoena is from the Latin word “porpoise” or “pig fish.” Sinus means “cavity,” a reference to the Gulf of California.

Just as nature inspires art, art inspires actions to defend wild places and the wild creatures that live in them. With this in mind, the Center for Biological Diversity's Endangered Species Mural ...

OCEAN PLASTICS POLLUTION A Global Tragedy for Our Oceans and Sea Life Plastic accumulating in our oceans and on our beaches has become a global crisis. Billions of pounds of plastic can be found in ...

10 Facts About Single-Use Plastic Bags The world uses 5 trillion plastic bags a year. 3 Americans use an average of 365 plastic bags per person per year. People in Denmark use an average of four ...

The vast majority of western dry forests are at risk of large, high-intensity fire because of the effects of poor forest management over the past century. The primary factors that lead to current ...

LeConte’s thrashers rarely drink surface water even when it’s available, instead meeting their water needs via their prey consumption. These wraiths of the arid saltbush flats were long considered ...

HALTING THE EXTINCTION CRISIS Our planet now faces a global extinction crisis never witnessed by humankind. Scientists predict that more than 1 million species are on track for extinction in the ...

SAVING THE DESERT KIT FOX Despite their dainty appearance, desert kit foxes are hardy animals, well adapted for living in the hot, harsh desert habitat from which they never stray. This cat-sized kit ...

OUTLAWING Snake-Killing Contests Snake-killing contests, aka rattlesnake roundups, are contests calling for hunters to bring in as many snakes as they can catch in a year — and then slaughter them.

SAVE BLUEFIN TUNA A Remarkable Species Bluefin tuna are an ocean-going fish that grow up to 10 feet long and can weigh as much as 1,200 pounds. Unlike almost all fish, bluefin tuna are warm-blooded ...

OIL SHALE AND TAR SANDS The development of "oil shale" (not to be confused with "shale oil") and "tar sands" has been shown to be environmentally destructive, and water and energy intensive.