extinction

There are only about 400 North Atlantic right whales remaining in the world today. After being hunted nearly to extinction in the 18th century, they are now most at risk from ship strikes. But starting today, the whales will get the right of way.

A new federal rule requires ships 65 feet or larger to slow down to 11.5 miles per hour, or 10 knots, near East Coast ports when whales could be nearby. The whales -- so-called because they were the "right" whale to kill for oil because they floated when dead -- feed close to the surface and are especially vulnerable because many shipping lanes cut across their migration routes.

Many of the creatures also get tangled in fishing gear, but scientists say ships are their main killer: At least one-third of all the right whales that died in the last decade died from ship strikes.

The controversial measure has environmentalists cheering, but will the measure be enough to save the species?

The most thorough assessment of land and marine mammals in 12 years, just published in Science, says that a quarter of the world's wild mammal species are at risk of extinction.

It took nearly 2,000 experts in more than 100 countries five years to complete the research. In other words: this one's big, and ought to be paid some serious attention.

While land mammals are most threatened by habitat loss and hunting, marine mammals are more in danger from bycatch, ship strikes and pollution.

After years of successful conservation efforts, it appears puffins might be in trouble... at least according to this year's breeding numbers. A survey showed a 30 percent reduction in the number of nesting pairs on the Isle of May off the coast of Scotland.

The possible causes? The usual suspects: intensive fishing, agriculture, and global warming.

While the puffin is not in imminent danger of going extinct, some scientists say what's more worrisome is the recent decline in puffins as a larger symptom of greater ocean ills.

Puffins are adorable, no two ways about it -- they look almost fake in their cuteness. So what was British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay thinking when he hunted and feasted on a raw puffin heart on a recent episode of his TV show, "The F Word"? Bad form, Mr. Ramsay.

[Image: Terry Cavner via www.bbc.co.uk]

Fact: All six sea turtle species in U.S. waters are threatened with, or in danger of, extinction. Fact: Bottom trawl fisheries are the single greatest threat to loggerhead sea turtles. This is where we come in...

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has some sad news: the Caribbean monk seal is extinct. The last confirmed sighting of the seal was in 1952, and it's the first type of seal to go extinct from human causes. Perhaps this will be a wake-up call to protect the remaining Hawaiian and Mediterranean monk seals, both of which are endangered and at risk of extinction.