Where do sea otters keep their favorite tools? 🦦 No, this isn’t the beginning of a hilarious otter-themed joke; it’s a real question about some peculiar animal habits! Many animals exhibit behaviors that may seem strange to us, but to them it’s a normal part of life. Learn more! 🧵⬇️ (1/6)

Did you know that beetles 🪲 make up 25% of all accounted for animal species? Found in nearly every habitat in the world, beetles form the order Coleoptera, the largest of all orders. Move over John, Paul, Ringo, and George and say hello to Hercules, Ladybug, Scarab, and Weevil!

“Repealing the Roadless Area Conservation Rule would not be in the long-term interest of the American people, the National Forests or the communities they serve.” Four former U.S. Forest Service chiefs wrote in support of the Roadless Rule. Read it on @thehill.com: dfnd.us/3M9Glig

A Great Gray Owl lands on a post in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming 🦉 Photo credit to Jim Chagares.

A wolverine treks higher into the mountains in search of deep snowpack for his den. Due to her favorite food becoming scarcer, a sea otter uses tools to broaden her food sources. For wildlife, changing behavior is not a choice. It’s survival.🌱 (1/7)🧵⤵️

Say NO to offshore drilling. Any expansion of offshore drilling is simply reckless. Thankfully, the Department of the Interior is taking public feedback on their draft Offshore Drilling Plan – this is our chance to protect our coastal wildlife and communities. Submit your comment: dfnd.us/4boxVxC

DYK the top carnivore of the Sonoran Desert weighs in at around 3 ounces & stands just over 6 inches tall? If you were a lizard or bug, you’d fear the cactus ferruginous pygmy-owl! While small, they play an outsized role in the health and vitality of entire ecosystems. dfnd.us/3ZlL82X 🦉

Today, I’m grateful for polar bear cubs because they know how to enjoy a cold day ❄️

Say NO to offshore drilling. Any expansion of offshore drilling is simply reckless. Thankfully, the Department of the Interior is taking public feedback on their draft Offshore Drilling Plan – this is our chance to protect our coastal wildlife and communities. Submit your comment: dfnd.us/4boxVxC

🗣️📢 Call the clean-up crew! That’s an important role that wolverines play in nature! By scavenging dead animals, they help recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem and reduce disease spread by eating carcasses. Learn more about wolverines (and why they’re coming back to Colorado): dfnd.us/4aRMHwQ

Happy 25th anniversary to the Roadless Area Conservation Rule! This Rule protects some of our most pristine forests and the wildlife that calls these areas home. Species like these are just a snippet of animals across the country that benefit from the Rule’s protections.

Flying out of 2025 into Dry January like...

Our journeys into 2026 may be long, but we aren’t alone! Each year whales all over will trek thousands of miles in search of warm waters and breeding waters. For humpbacks, they almost always return to the same breeding grounds throughout their lives. Even if they're long, we know it's worth it!

When you’re in Florida waterways, what you’re seeing is likely not a floating rock but a manatee! Manatees face many threats, but one of the most serious—and preventable—is collisions with watercraft. So, if you’re out boating in manatee waters, slow down and keep your eyes open! dfnd.us/4sqDyS4

Resolutions can be amazing opportunities to set new intentions and make new habits in the new year. Consider making a new habit of protecting animals in small and large ways. Here are some of our 2026 Resolutions for Wildlife! 📝

Same, bear...wake us up when it’s the 2nd.

Did you know opossums don’t choose to “play dead?” They’re entering a state called tonic immobility. No, it’s not the newest trendy drink, but it’s their body’s response to extreme stress. If you stumble upon an opossum “playing dead,” it means they want you to lose interest in them and move along!

2025 hasn't been easy. But, for many species, communities and regions, there were victories to celebrate! In fact, there were plenty to choose from – so, we made it a little easier for you. From historic bison transfers to new wolf pups across the country, here’s our Top Five Wins of 2025!

It’s always good to give!

DYK: the Izembek tundra swan is the world’s only non-migratory population of swans? They remain in and around Izembek’s rich geothermal lagoons year-round, enduring harsh winter conditions instead of migrating elsewhere. Why migrate when you have a jacuzzi at home? Learn more: dfnd.us/4qlhgQ1

This holiday season, as carols are sung, remember this promise and pass it along: From ocean to meadow, from mountains to sand, we're ALL the defenders of our public lands. Read more from “The Grinch Who Stole Public Lands Protections” on our blog: dfnd.us/3Y5Vtj4 💚

Need a last-minute holiday card? Look no further than our festive feathered and furry friends in the wild. They’ve got dashing reindeer, blustery bison, caroling wolves and winter wonderlands a-plenty! ❄️

Nobody should be pro-extinction. But when you let economics guide your decisions instead of the best science, it may seem that way. Let’s put science back in the driver’s seat and protect the Endangered Species Act. dfnd.us/48w2Bda

Have some natural light for the darkest day of the year!

The deceptively named Pet and Livestock Protection Act passed in the House by a narrow margin today and now moves to the Senate. Make no mistake; this bill won’t protect pets and livestock – but it will gut ESA protections for gray wolves and block any attempt to challenge this delisting in court.

You’ve heard of Elf on the Shelf so get ready for...

DYK we can jumpstart ecosystem recovery in some rivers and streams by throwing large trees into rivers and building our own beaver dams? Just like the original ecosystem engineers, beavers, we don’t need hardhats or cranes to build these structures – just some logs and sticks! dfnd.us/48EYAEH

If wolves are to have a chance at recovery in the Lower 48, they need federal protection, science, and public input – not politics, ignorance and the premature delisting of gray wolves. Tell your representatives to oppose the misleadingly named Pet and Livestock Protection Act: dfnd.us/4954yhk

Culture isn’t just for us! As scientists observe distinctions like whale song dialects, we’re recognizing many animals exhibit something like human culture. You won’t find orcas at the ballet. Instead, think of animal cultures as specific behaviors passed on socially within groups. dfnd.us/3XKr6hX

Where would you sit? ✈️

If you’re going to choose a controversial color like Cloud Dancer ☁️, at least make it a little wild 🐾

The trek home for the holidays can be a long one, but when you get there, you know you can finally kick your feet, or wings, or flippers, or hooves up with your loved ones! 

Science community 🤝 Religious community Protecting the ESA dfnd.us/3XKgAr9

As the most aquatic garter snake, the giant garter snake can be found swimming in natural wetlands like marshes, sloughs, ponds and small lakes and streams, as well as artificial waterways and agricultural wetlands! Read our blog to learn more about California's state snake. dfnd.us/44QKayP

Sometimes the wild world can hit close to home!  The annoying little sibling, the cool cousin, the helpful parent – all these family dynamics can help us learn a bit more about symbiotic relationships.

Rolling back ESA regulations is a one-way ticket towards extinction. With more than 1,600 species listed under the ESA, it’s reckless to cast aside our most effective law for protecting wildlife. Let’s not ramp up the extinction crisis. Let’s stop it in its tracks.  dfnd.us/48w2Bda  

Take a break and sit for a bit with us (and our wolf friend) as we celebrate 65 years of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge!

The trek home for the holidays can be a long one, but when you get there, you know you can finally kick your feet, or wings, or flippers, or hooves up with your loved ones!

They’ve spotted new spots in Arizona!  A new jaguar, dubbed “Cinco,” was recently detected in Southern Arizona – the latest of the five big cats spotted in the state after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border over the last 15 years.  Read more: dfnd.us/49VuGgD  

Hidden deep within the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Southern Cascades is a fox – the elusive Sierra Nevada red fox. These foxes are hard to find in their snow, rugged habitat high in the mountains so researchers rely on trail cameras and…their scat!  Learn more: dfnd.us/4oxRjLH 

Mussels at the Sea Otter house? Crawfish at the Hellbender house? Prairie dog at the Black-Footed Ferret house? There’s plenty of options for a great meal, so whose house would you eat at? 

Watch where you’re walking on your next hike! Instead of crunching a great leaf, you might accidentally crunch an underground bee colony. Rusty patched bumble bees rely heavily on undisturbed soil. In addition to providing new queens a place to hibernate, these bees’ colonies nest in the ground!

There’s little lives and worlds all around you, at your feet, in the air, in your backyard. When you move too fast, you might miss them. Don’t just stop and smell the roses. Listen to the birds, watch the deer go by, and practice the art of noticing.

We're thankful to be able to wake up each day and fight for wildlife. While there’s still much to do, we are grateful to be able to celebrate wins like a historic bison transfer, safeguarded refuges, new wolf packs in Colorado and more. And most of all, we’re grateful to have you by our side!

We are at a crossroads – extinction or recovery. We should walk down the road that has manatees and otters in our waters and wolves and owls in our forests, not speed down the one with dying animals, ecological devastation, and a betrayal of our conservation legacy. Read more: dfnd.us/487jPgS 🧵⬇️

You’re on a date, it’s going well. Then, he gets up and starts strutting around, inflating his chest and shaking his rump. Do you get up and walk away, or do you think he’s the one?  While this may be strange to you, if you were a sage-grouse it’d be perfectly normal!  Learn more: dfnd.us/42TwnH8

We can’t imagine a Yellowstone without wolves, an Everglades without alligators, a U.S. without bald eagles, and especially not a world without wildlife.  The Endangered Species Act protected those iconic species and will continue to protect even more – as long as WE protect IT.

Ever had to take your kids grocery shopping? Ever have a particularly good piece of salmon? Ever eat too much and have to nap for what feels like months? If so, you might have a lot in common with an Alaskan brown bear!

For manatees searching for warm waters, it can be a maze of obstacles in Florida. When moving between waterways, they must avoid dredging operations, coastal development, and boats. They also must navigate manmade obstacles that should be simple to solve: dams and their locks. dfnd.us/3LHyJD7  

Take a pause and float peacefully with us for Manatee Awareness Month.