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Biodiversity

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Biodiversity refers to the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem. It is necessary for life to thrive on Earth.

Aldo Leopold, one of the great thinkers of conservation, observed more than half a century ago the importance of protecting species. "To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering," he wrote. Losing species is like throwing away one by one the engine parts of an airplane while flying.

Biodiversity is a major initiative of Conservation International.

Biodiversity conservation provides substantial benefits to meet immediate human needs, such as those for clean, consistent water flows; protection from floods and storms; and a stable climate. 

Curated by mokiethecat

That's Wild: Bats' Ventricular Folds of Mayhem
January 11, 2023
Scientists recently revealed that bats are one of just three groups of living beings who make sound with the throat’s ventricular folds instead of vocal cords. The other two groups of beings? Tuvan throat singers and death-metal vocalists. Using ultra-high-speed video, a Danish biologist discovered that bats use their ventricular folds to create calls in lower frequencies — just as death metal singers do when grunting out their most guttural lyrics, observes NPR. Since bats can also make extremely high-pitched calls, they have a tremendous vocal range unparalleled in mammalian sound production. So actually, we at the Center argue, bats are more like grindcore vocalists, who use very low- and very high-pitched frequencies. Bonus: This musical genre — which combines elements of punk, hardcore and metal — is also known for its life-affirming progressive politics. Check out our video to hear some biodiversity-loving grindcore artists’ ventricular folds in action and see some brutally cute bats. Photo & video credits: Alash Ensemble by Johanna Kovitz; Reversal of Man by Graham Donath; Monster X courtesy of Nate Wilson; Eastern small-footed bat by Gary Peeples/USFWS; Whiskered Bat by Mnolf; Eastern small-footed bat by Gary Peeples/USFWS; pallid bat by Richard Jackson, USFWS; California leaf-nosed bat by National Park Service; Indiana bats by R. Andrew King/USFWS; Yuma myotis by Don Loarie (BY-NC-SA 3.0); red bat catches moth by Jesse Barber/Boise State University; Indiana bats by R. Andrew King/USFWS; slow-motion bat video courtesy of BLM; millions of bats exiting cave by Ann Froschauer/USFWS; video of bat waking up by USFWS. ************** About the Center: The Center for Biological Diversity is a 501c3 nonprofit headquartered in Tucson, Arizona. At the Center, we believe that the welfare of human beings is deeply linked to nature — to the existence in our world of a vast diversity of wild animals and plants. Because diversity has intrinsic value, and because its loss impoverishes society, we work to secure a future for all species, great and small, hovering on the brink of extinction. We do so through science, law and creative media, with a focus on protecting the lands, waters and climate that species need to survive. We want those who come after us to inherit a world where the wild is still alive. Where to find us: WEBSITE: https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/CenterForBioDiv FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/CenterforBioDiv/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/centerforbiodiv/ TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@centerforbiodiv TAKE ACTION: https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/action/alerts/ For questions or media inquiries, email us at center@biologicaldiversity.org.