The leopards of southeastern Asia are in trouble. A new study finds that the habitat of the subspecies known as the Indochinese leopard ( Panthera pardus delacouri ) has shrunk to less than 6 percent of its historic ...
READ MORE ›All posts by John R. Platt
Freelance journalist John R. Platt covers endangered species and related environmental topics for Scientific American, TakePart and other publications. He lives in Portland, Oregon.
Snow Leopard Conservation Gets Boost from New Tech
This September, researchers studying snow leopards in southern Mongolia discovered something unexpected: the big, elusive cats maintained much larger home territories than anyone had previously realized. On average, ...
READ MORE ›Climate Change Could Turn Up Heat on Already Vulnerable Koalas
Koalas just can’t catch a break. Throughout their native territories in eastern Australia, the famously tree-loving marsupials face ever-shrinking habitats. Human development has carved up their eucalyptus forest homes ...
READ MORE ›Can the Saltmarsh Sparrow Keep Its Head Above Water?
The saltmarsh sparrow is in trouble. This tiny coastal bird, which weighs less than an ounce, is rapidly disappearing from the eastern United States. Fifteen years ago their population was estimated at more than 250,000. ...
READ MORE ›A Buzz-Worthy Way to Protect Elephants
When it comes to fighting giants, sometimes all you need is something small. In Africa, the proverbial Goliath is the iconic elephant, which not only faces ongoing pressures from poaching and habitat loss but also, unfortunately, ...
READ MORE ›