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Diamondbacks (Malaclemys terrapin) are something of a revered species in Maryland, designated not only as the state reptile but the mascot of the University of Maryland, College Park. A long lived species, the diamondback terrapin can reach ages in excess of 20 years. Their diet includes mollusks, insects, crustaceans, and small fish. Chesapeake colonists ate terrapin prepared Native-American fashion, roasted whole in live coals. Abundant and easy to catch, terrapin were so ample that landowners often fed their slaves and indentured servants a staple diet of terrapin meat.

Gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) belong to a group of land turtles that originated in North America about 60 million years ago, making the species one of the oldest living today. This plodding, methodical, armored reptile is at once eye-catching and fascinating. Pure nature lovers might even describe the sluggish critter as winsomely attractive, albeit grotesquely so. Of all Southern turtles, the familiar “gopher” is one that seldom fails to capture the attention of most observers, first-time spotters or otherwise.

Two decades ago, there were tens of thousands of bats on the Rock. Now, some species can be counted in the hundreds, while others have become extinct here altogether. “Nearly 99% of the entire population of bats in Gibraltar has disappeared in the last 20 years,” said Gibraltar Bats project member Stewart Finlayson.

Something is killing off Paris’s house sparrows (Passer domesticus). This common urban bird used to be so ubiquitous in the city as to scarcely draw attention, but since 2010, Paris’s house sparrow population has dropped by 50 percent. The huge drop comes some time after a similarly massive drop in London, where sparrow populations dropped by 60 percent between 1994 and 2004. While their disappearance is alarming to say the least, the reasons for Europe’s vanishing urban sparrows remain perplexingly murky.

A new analysis of the population status and trends of all landbirds in the continental U.S. and Canada documents widespread declines among 448 bird species — a troubling indicator of the health of these species and their ecosystems. According to the new Partners in Flight Landbird Conservation Plan, released August 15, nearly 20 percent of U.S. and Canadian landbird species are on a path toward endangerment and extinction in the absence of conservation action. Partners in Flight is a network of more than 150 partnering organizations throughout the Western Hemisphere.

According to a new study published in the journal Ecology Letters, Europe's bird population is under siege — and it's all our fault. Researchers found that the continent now has 421 million fewer birds than it did in the beginning of the 1980s. After studying 144 species, they concluded that the number dropped from a little over 2 billion birds in 1980 to just 1.64 billion in 2009. The main culprits, perhaps unsurprisingly, are humans — specifically, modern agriculture methods, reports the Agence France Presse. Nice going, everyone.

Queen bees exposed to nicotine-based insecticides become less active and lay fewer eggs, a University of Minnesota study released Friday shows. It is an important finding in the growing understanding of why bee populations are in decline. The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, fills in some gaps in that knowledge.

Much of England’s best-loved wildlife remains in serious decline, according to the latest official assessment from the government. Birds and butterflies on farmland have continued their long term downward trend and 75% of over 200 “priority” species across the country – including hedgehogs, dormice and moths – are falling in number. The Natural Environment Indicators for England also showed that water quality has fallen in the last five years, with just one in five rivers and lakes having high or good status, and the amount of time given by conservation volunteers has also fallen.

Embraced by kings and freedom fighters alike, Myanmar's peacocks have long been a national symbol of pride and resistance—but they are becoming ever harder to spot in the wild. Ornithologist Thet Zaw Naing is worried. Every year that goes by, Myanmar's national bird becomes a less familiar sight.

Britain’s wildlife is facing a “crisis” with more than 120 species at risk of extinction due to intensive farming, a report will warn. Hundreds of the country’s best-known animals - including types of woodpecker and butterfly - will have an uncertain future with some disappearing completely as their numbers decline rapidly, the State of Nature 2016 report will say. Sir David Attenborough, writing in a foreword for the report, is expected to label the drastic changes a “crisis”.