Birds on the Brain

Consumers of shark fin soup — a delicacy served in Washington and major cities around the country — may be unwittingly consuming animals threatened with extinction, according to a analysis released Thursday. A team of scientists from Stony Brook University and Chicago’s Field Museum, working in conjunction with the Pew Environment Group, found that some of the soup purchased in 14 major U.S. cities featured fins from imperiled species — including scalloped hammerheads, smooth hammerheads, school sharks and spiny dogfish. All four species face some threat of extinction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. (via Shark fin soup contains endangered species, new analysis shows - The Washington Post)