USA Today Breaking Times

Endangered Welsh cattle with a lineage tracing back over 1,000 years could become extinct, according to a conservation organization. The Ancient Cattle of Wales breed has been included in the Rare Breeds Survival Trust's (RBST) priority list in their newest watchlist, indicating it requires immediate attention to secure its continuation. The RBST mentioned that these resilient farm animals possess significant qualities, including their role as a cost-effective source of beef with flavorful meat production, particularly thriving in the poorer quality pastures found in elevated regions. This breed is also highly effective for conservation grazing, aiding in natural preservation efforts. The organization stated that the breed currently faces a critical condition due to a worrisome decrease in the registration of new calves and the dissolution of multiple well-established herds following the retirement of their owners. The breed boasts an ancient lineage, as evidenced...

Six key breeding areas are to be safeguarded to help save the African penguin, following a landmark court order in South Africa. Scientists cautioned last year that the population of this species has been decreasing by approximately 8% annually. And might vanish within ten years. The court has imposed no-fishing zones around the breeding colonies to prevent so-called purse seine fishing vessels, which use large nets, from catching sardines and anchovies for the next 10 years. The order is the result of an out-of-court settlement reached before a three-day High Court hearing was due to start between conservation groups, the commercial fishing industry and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE). Last year, BirdLife South Africa along with the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (Sanccob) initiated this lawsuit - marking the first such case in South Africa’s history. They alleged that ministers had failed to adequa...

A huge flying squirrel as big as a house cat glided through the air above Southern Appalachia about 4.75 million years ago. This reveals the findings of a group of paleontologists from East Tennessee State University (ETSU) and the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) in Spain. In their research, the scientists detailed a newly discovered fossil specimen of the enormous flying squirrel. Miopetaurista webbi Recently discovered at a remarkably well-preserved prehistoric site called the Gray Fossil Site, situated in Washington County, Tennessee. Despite its size, the team explained, the giant squirrel would have weighed in at only around three pounds, helping it to glide and giving it agility as it skittered across the tree tops. Contrary to what one might expect, however, Miopetaurista is not closely related to the squirrels currently found in North America; instead, they share more similarities with the giant flying squirrels from China, Indonesia, and J...