U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)

Based on the best available science, we are proposing to list the monarch butterfly as threatened with species specific protections and flexibilities to encourage conservation under section 4(d) of the Endangered Species Act. We are also proposing to designate critical habitat at the overwintering grounds in California. Through spring 2025, we are gathering public comments and encourage the submission of any new information. Over the rest of the year, we will analyze these comments and issue a final decision. Comments submitted on this social post, do not count toward these public comments. Public comments must be submitted officially via the link below. Photo of monarch on blooming swamp milkweed by Jim Hudgins/USFWS

Nice rack! Did you know that elk, caribou, moose, and deer are among the species native to North America that have antlers? Here's another fun antler fact - they're made of bone. All antlered animals have a velvet phase when the immature antlers are covered with fine hair. The velvet phase facilitates the growth of the antlers by providing a blood supply to the growing bone. Before breeding season the velvet dries up and the animal rubs the velvet off on vegetation. Are you itching for more pokey stick facts? Pokey sticks are antlers, btw. Check out our ANTLERS story here: https://lnkd.in/eRDhRge9 Photo of a white-tailed deer at the National Bison Range by Nathan Luebbe (sharetheexperience)

River views, dining for one. A beautiful bald eagle finishes eating its catch while perched atop an old wood piling in the lower Columbia River, between Oregon and Washington. USFWS photo: Jake Bonello

The tufts I planned for New Year’s vs. the tufts I got… Either way, tufted puffins stay ✨iconic✨! The feather tufts are part of the puffin's breeding plumage, usually worn between April and October. Puffins spend winters at sea, sporting dark feathers, a smaller orange beak, and little-to-no tufts. They return to their nesting areas among coastal Alaska refuges, living among steep cliffs and in deep earthen burrows. Here they can carry as many as 20 small fish or squid at once and will serve em’ up to their chicks. During the non-breeding season, adults forage largely on a mix of fish and invertebrates like squid and euphausiids (shrimp-like marine crustaceans, commonly called krill). Gotta eat to look like a treat! 📍 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge 📷 USFWS

We'll say it louder for those of you that are hard of heron. It's self-reflection season again! Time to look back on the past year and wonder if you made good choices. We hope you have no egrets. Happy New Year! Photo of a great egret by Michael Zheng (sharetheexperience)

Find out which fishes have made the cut for season 5 of our award-winning podcast! Co-hosts Katrina and Guy bring listeners behind the scenes for a peek into the annual fish draft. 🏈🚫🏀🚫...🐟✅ We've left space for your ideas so if you have any fish or guest ideas please let us know! About this podcast: Fish of the Week! is a week-by-week tour of interesting ichthyofauna with guests around the country from all walks of life. Listeners journey across America and beyond learning about fish that are big and small, common and rare, beautiful and downright strange. Diverse guests bring their perspectives about the latest fisheries science and how fish are woven into the fabric of communities and cultures. Listeners walk away from each episode with practical information and calls to action about how to live with, live from, discover and enjoy our amazing finned friends. If you haven't caught the other 200+ episodes, it's time to set aside some quality time for listening to fishy content! Catch new episodes every Monday at FWS.gov or wherever you get your podcasts. 🎣🎧 American paddlefish & lake sturgeon. 📷 USFWS/Sam Stukel & Ryan Hagerty

Every day is a good hare day. Snowshoe hares blend in with their snowy surroundings. This adaptation allows them to hide and escape from predators. Their annual coat change gives them excellent camouflage for every season – white fur during the winter months and brownish fur during the warmer months. Photo: Loren Merrill (sharetheexperience)

Angel Velasquez, shares her journey from being dependent on aquatic resources to conserving them through a meaningful career path. "Throughout my (USFWS) internship, I have solidified my pathway of working with aquatic species, fish in particular. I’m able to pave the way into the aquatic conservation field with the goal of protecting our fishes, waters, and environment as a whole. While there is a small representation of Filipino Americans in conservation, I want to showcase that fish are more than just food for the table." Discover more about Angel's career path here: https://ow.ly/F0I850UtwZV Photo of Angel holding a bucket of sculpin caught during an electrofishing survey on the Duckabush River. Photo by Megan Frey/USFWS

ESA! ESA! ESA! Happy Anniversary! On this day in 1973, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was signed into law. This historic piece of legislation has proven to be effective in stabilizing species populations, preventing species extinction and conserving the habitats upon which they depend. There’s still work to do and challenges ahead for the ESA. Species recovery and conservation take strong partnerships and communities willing to lend a hand. Join us in the celebration and support of the ESA! Photo of a biologist holding a freshly banded western snowy plover chick at Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge by Bradley Dunbaugh (sharetheexperience)

Postcards from Hawaiʻi are just rubbing it in sometimes. These ones are from Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge on Kauaʻi, a 900-acre wetland sanctuary for threatened and endangered birds. USFWS photos: Laurel Smith