Local conservationist turned TV star Jeff Corwin takes his animal-rescue message to the New England Aquarium this week with the release of a dramatic book and documentary on some of the world’s most endangered species.

Corwin’s book, “100 Heartbeats: The Race to Save Earth’s Most Endangered Species,” focuses on the few species that have joined the “100 heartbeats club,” a phrase describing animal populations with 100 or fewer living in the wild.