California condor global population exceeds 600 - a milestone for California condors!
As of December 31, 2025, the global population of California condor exceeded 600 individuals, including birds in the wild and those in zoos and breeding centers dedicated to their recovery. Together the partners in the California Condor Recovery Program have grown the free-flying, wild population from a low of 22 birds in 1982 back to almost 400 today. The wild population increased to 392 individuals, up from 373 in 2024, including captive breeding and release and chicks produced in the wild. In 2025, an estimated 16 condor chicks successfully fledged in the wild across six release sites. But the work is not done. The long-term goal is to grow the wild population to be self-sustaining.
The California Condor Recovery Program is an international program led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in collaboration among many agencies and organizations. We thank our many partners dedicated to bringing this remarkable species back from the brink of extinction.
Photo 1 by Joseph Brandt/USFWS
Photo 2 courtesy of S. Herrera
Photo 3 by N. Weprin/USFWS
Photo 4 courtesy of Matt Mais/Yurok Tribe #californiacondor
Find someone who makes you want to sing and dance like these black-footed albatross!
These beautiful seabirds, named ka’upu in Hawaiian, began arriving on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in November, excitedly reuniting with mates they haven’t seen since summer.
The first ka’upu chicks will start hatching right about now on the wildlife refuge in the northwestern reaches of the Hawaiian archipelago.
USFWS volunteer video: Dan Rapp
Over 1,800 turtles stolen from the wild – a major wildlife trafficking case exposed.
Between January 2022 and December 2023, 1,700 loggerhead musk turtles, 100 striped-neck musk turtles and 15 striped mud turtles were poached from their native habitats in Florida and sold overseas. The shipments, valued in total $550,000, were part of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Operation Southern Hot Herps, a coordinated enforcement action to detect and deter turtle poachers in the southeastern United States.
The illegally collected turtles involved in this illicit pet trade were transported through San Francisco to Taiwan under export permits falsely claiming they were captive-bred. The shipment featured in these photos contained approximately 170 loggerhead musk turtles per box, packed in small laundry bags with wet paper towels and frozen packs of broccoli to keep them cool.
Florida law protects fresh and marine turtle species from unregulated harvest. Loggerhead musk turtles, stripe-neck musk turtles and striped mud turtles are all protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The suspect is under investigation.
Wildlife smuggling is not only illegal, but also incredibly cruel. Turtles caught in this illegal trade often suffer severe injuries, such as broken shells, and endure extreme stress that can lead to death. Additionally, you will face charges if you’re caught trafficking wildlife and can potentially face prison time and up to a $250,000 fine or more in certain circumstances.
Report a wildlife crime: 1-844-FWS-TIPS
Photos by USFWS #NationalPoliceWeek
Come for the nose boop, stay for the monk seal moans!
Pupping season for Hawaiian monk seals, or ‘Īlioholoikauaua, started last month on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, on the outer northwest edge of the Hawaiian archipelago.
Hawaiian monk seal pups weigh 25-35 pounds at birth, and like the 1-week-old in this video, have black fur. After five to seven weeks of drinking mom’s fat-rich milk, the pups can grow to be 200 pounds and their fur color will lighten. Mothers fast during this period and do not leave their pup to forage.
‘Īlioholoikauaua only live in the Hawaiian archipelago, the majority within the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, and are one of the most endangered seal species in the world.
There is reason for cautious optimism, however, as population numbers have slowly increased in the last decade thanks to recovery efforts. The population is now estimated to be around 1,600 seals.
USFWS volunteer video: Dan Rapp
Video captured under NOAA research permit No. 27552 with a high-power zoom lens.
Video description: A black seal pup approaches its mother in the shallow water, sharing a nose touch and some wails, as waves roll by on the white sand beach
As bears begin searching for food after months of winter inactivity, human-bear encounters tend to increase. Many of these encounters can be prevented by taking a few simple precautions:
• Give bears plenty of space and never approach them.
• Store food, garbage, pet food, grills, and other attractants securely.
• Keep campsites and outdoor areas clean.
• Make noise while hiking to avoid surprising a bear.
• Carry bear spray and know how to use it properly.
• Never run from a bear.
Learn more ways to stay safe and be bear aware at our link in bio.
Photo of a grizzly bear by Debbie Leff (sharetheexperience)
Photo of Kodiak bear on sign by USFWS/Hillebrand
Photo of a black bear by Courtney Celley/USFWS
On Endangered Species Day, we’d like to give a shoutout to wetlands.
These habitats may look wet and swampy, but they support an incredible number of threatened and endangered species across the United States. FACT: nearly half of all federally listed species in the United States are wetland dependent.
Wetlands provide food, shelter, breeding habitat, nesting areas, and migration stopovers for wildlife that depend on healthy water and intact ecosystems to survive. Wildlife like whooping cranes, bog turtles, rare fish, cool frogs, imperiled plants, and countless other species all call wetlands their home.
Wetlands also help people by improving water quality, reducing flooding, and buffering communities from storms. Wow. Wetlands for the win.
Join us in celebrating the swamps, marshes, bogs, and other gloriously soggy places helping to keep endangered species around for future generations.
Photo of a wetland at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge by Cheryl Callanan (sharetheexperience)
Photos of bog turtle, whooping crane and male Barrens topminnow by USFWS
What is the most wholesome thing you’ve seen today and why is it this opossum family?
Easy answer. Look at those little faces 😍
Once baby opossums outgrow their mother’s pouch, they often ride on their her back instead. With everyone loaded up and accounted for, she can move freely and forage for food.
📸Larry Woodward/USFWS
They may have four legs, but they’re full members of the team.
Our K9s work alongside Federal Wildlife Inspectors and Federal Wildlife Officers to detect illegal wildlife products, track evidence, and support investigations.
From ports of entry to national wildlife refuges, these teams help stop wildlife trafficking and support enforcement operations across the country. Let’s paws for a moment and recognize the K9s and handlers helping protect our nation every day.
#NationalPoliceWeek
Photos by USFWS
Meet the Western Atlantic Torpedo Ray, a very large, blobby, thick-tailed electric ray that's not well understood or well known by folks who live in New England.⚡
If you walk the beaches, you might come across this species stranded onshore in places like Cape Cod, Massachusetts. This week's "Fish of the Week" podcast episode highlights Western Atlantic Torpedo's amazing features, what can be learned from stranded fish, what can be gained by the volunteers who rescue these animals and the researchers who study the samples from necropsies, and how to report a stranded animal on the beach. Our guest is Carol "Krill" Carson from the New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance. 🐟
A stranded Torpedo Ray on Ellis Landing Beach in Eastham, MA. 📷 Kathy Miller/NECWA volunteer
Close-up of Torpedo Ray eyes and spiracles. 📷 Kathy Miller
Ovaries showing the classic green yolks and electrocyte tissue from a female who stranded on Long Point, Provincetown, MA. 📷 Amy Rothenberg/NECWA volunteer
#AllTheFish #fish #CapeCod
Happy Mother’s Day to the ones raising the next generation of wild things.
Photo 1: Brown bear and her cubs by Tom Fenske (sharetheexperience)
Photo 2: Mountain goat and her kid by Shandra Mondragon (sharetheexperience)
Photo 3: A mother American avocet and her chick by Jean Zou (sharetheexperience)
Photo 4: An American alligator protects her hatchling by Colin Dunleavy (sharetheexperience)
Photo 5: A Keys bark scorpion carries her babies on her back. Photo by Lucas Garriga (sharetheexperience)
The Met Gala - Wild Couture
Tonight’s runway runs through wetlands, and forests —where some species are turning heads with natural flair.
🐾 The Florida panther arrives in subtle earth tones, making everyone else feel underdressed without even trying.
🦅 Bold and completely unapologetic - the wood stork knew the theme was 'more is more.'
🐊 The American alligator rocks rugged streetwear that’s been trending for over a million years.
🐦 The blue jay wears head-to-toe volume and the hairstyle...perfection.
📸: USFWS
Meet the Fat Sleeper AKA "Jade Sleeper Goby" AKA "Storm Minnow" 🐟⛈️
Prized for their blue spot and legendary as bait for big snook and other sportfish, the frowny-faced Fat Sleeper is valued wherever it is: judging you from your aquarium, breathing air from the top of its head while trying to avoid becoming candy for herons, predicting storms, or unlocking nutrients from mangroves to benefit the entire food chain. You'll learn how this native fish is the ultimate survivor, where it lives, and all about its weird "parade" and sticky eggs. Guest Eddie Perry joins from our Peninsular Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office to build appreciation for this wonderful fish.
Catch new episodes every Monday on our FWS website or wherever you get your podcasts and please let us know what fish you'd like us to cover this season on Fish of the Week. If you liked this episode, you might also like "Florida's Remarkable Opossum Pipefish" (S5:E14)🎣
A FAT Fat Sleeper. 📷 Fletcher Stone CC BY-NC 4.0 #AllTheFish #Fish
