IUCN Species of the Day: Atlantic Sturgeon

 

Photo credit: Jean-Francois Hellio and Nicholas Van Ingen

 

The Atlantic Sturgeon, Acipenser sturio, is listed as ‘CRITICALLY ENDANGERED‘ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™.

IUCN Species of the Day: Tulotoma Snail

 

Photo credit: T.A. Conrad

 

The Tulotoma Snail, Tulotoma magnifica, is listed as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™.

Video of the Day: Don’t You Just Hate it When Someone Else’s Rubbish Ruins Your Lunch Break!?

 

 

 A few facts about litter and pollution:

• Litter that is dumped in certain areas can stunt plant growth.
•  Every year, millions of fish, birds and animals are killed from consuming or getting tangled up in litter with the biggest culprits being plastic bags and plastic six pack rings.
• Litter carries germs that are quickly and easily spread to humans through rodents.
• Plastic bags take hundreds of years to break down.
• Cigarette butts account for over 50 percent of littered items.
• Broken glass cuts the feet of a multitude of animals such as foxes, raccoons, coyotes, badgers, squirrels, cats and dogs.
• Deer love sweets and bread and will often feed on littered leftovers however, much of this food can become contaminated and cause food poisoning.
• Chewing gum is a dangerous piece of litter that can kill animals that attempt to eat it
• Nearly nine billion tons of debris end up in the oceans around the world every year.
• Every cigarette butt takes at least 12 years to finally break down while it pollutes waterways and soil with lead, arsenic and cadmium.
• More than two million cigarettes are littered in the United States every day.
• Over 28 percent of ocean debris is cigarette butts.
• Littered cigarette butts in America could build a seven feet wide highway of butts across the country.
• 81 percent of litterers admit that higher fines and stricter laws would stop them from littering.

 

Yamuna River, India (photo via Mother Nature Network)