Elizabeth Devitt

Is your dog vomiting? Three veterinary specialists share red flags, color clues, and when it's time to see the vet.

Feline experts say that cats often hide pain as a survival response. In the wild, cats are “mid-level predators” who become prey if they show signs of injury or illness. So even though studies estimate that 60% of cats aged 6 years and older have degenerative joint disease, it’s not common for cats to limp or cry out. That self-protective behavior can prevent us from recognizing their discomfort and seeking veterinary care.

They’ve been called “bubble chasers,” and “seep seekers,” though they sometimes call themselves “flare hunters.” They’re a small group of scientific specialists searching the world’s oceans for tiny streams of methane gas-filled globules rising from seafloor sediments. On expeditions ranging from the Arctic to Antarctica, carried out in shallow waters to thousands of meters below […]

Financing veterinary care can be a challenge for families, but these tools let your team provide care (without sacrificing the bottom line).

It’s well established that the slow incremental “press” of rising temperatures is changing the Arctic landscape, threatening the survival of plants and animals adapted to this unique ecosystem. Less noted are short-lived “pulses” of extreme weather — another product of climate change — which can wreak long-term havoc on cold-climate-adapted wildlife and vegetation. These were […]

Is a pet insurance specialist right for your practice? Learn more about what they do and how they can help clients and clinics alike.

Sea ice extent is at record, and near record, lows for this time of year in both polar regions, leaving the planet increasingly vulnerable to the cascading effects of global warming. This March, the Arctic sea ice winter maximum reached its lowest extent in the 47-year satellite record, while the Antarctic sea ice summer minimum […]

For sea ice scientists, September is the time for polar highs and lows. Around mid-month, the Antarctic winter sea ice approaches its highest extent, while the Arctic summer thaw melts the region’s sea ice to its lowest extent. This year, Antarctic sea ice is shrinking to new winter lows for the second year in a […]

A new study finds the terrestrial part of the Arctic has shifted from being a greenhouse gas sink to being a source. Another finds that El Niño undermines Antarctic ice shelves by intensifying melt from below, putting onshore glaciers at risk.

It’s been two years since Russia invaded Ukraine and since the Arctic scientific community was cut off from its Russian colleagues. But permafrost melt is quickening and renewed data flow is needed to track Russian carbon emissions.

Interbreeding with domestic cats, and also with other wildcat species, is altering the behaviors and genetic profiles of some small wildcats, creating conservation dilemmas about how best to define and protect these species.

With their slimy skin, snake-like bodies, and fearsome faces, there is little charismatic about moray eels. But they fascinate UCSC professor Rita Mehta, who studies the role morays play as top predators in marine ecosystems.

A new model that links climate change-reduced oceanic oxygen levels to smaller ectotherms predicts marine microorganisms could shrink as the world gets warmer, with impacts up the food chain, impacting fisheries.

Earth’s vast underwater kelp forests are a vital source of food, pharmaceuticals, and more, while storing huge amounts of carbon. These undersea forests are also at risk, but researchers are working to restore them.

In the past, ocean carbon data was sparse, mostly gathered by ships. But the future of monitoring belongs to robot floats that deliver real-time data across vast oceans — even in the remote Antarctic Southern Ocean.

As climate change worsens, sea turtles on the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf seaboards, and in other coastal areas around the world, are increasingly at risk from cold-stunning events. But rescuers often await.

Cold snaps, when sea temperatures suddenly drop below 50°F (10°C) can leave sea turtles literally dead in the water.That’s because most of them are ectotherms, needing warm surroundings to maintain internal body temperature. Below 50°, sea turtles…

All seven sea turtle species are already endangered. Now humanity’s overshoot of planetary boundaries — climate change, ocean acidification, pollution and more — is upping the ante. Can turtles, people and conservation adapt?

Caring for sick and injured wildlife has always been challenging, but during the pandemic, for many rehabilitators, it has become a grueling, 24/7 labor of love. Photography by Lauren Owens Lambert.

When doctors for people and those for animals share their expertise, they can discover new ways to take better medical care of all species.