Written by Zachary Shahan
Published on August 28th, 2009
Texas A&M professor and world-leading cave researcher, Tom Iliffe, and others discovered numerous new species in an underwater cave a mile long in the Canary Islands recently. The cave was in Lanzarote off the coast of Africa in the Atlantic Ocean. One of the species might be one of the oldest crustaceans in the world. It might be about 200 millions years old, from the time of dinosaurs.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags:
africa,
atlantic ocean,
Australia,
Canary Islands,
Caribbean,
cave,
caves,
Cesar Manrique,
crustaceans,
dinosaurs,
fangs,
Iliffe,
Lanzarote,
lava,
Marine,
marine biology,
new species,
ocean,
oceans,
poison,
Remipedes,
species,
submarine,
Syllidae,
Texas A&M,
Tom Iliffe,
water,
worms
Written by Jace Shoemaker-Galloway
Published on August 27th, 2009
Earlier this week, eight Hermanus police officers and four inspectors from the Marine and Coastal Management (MCM) agency, were ambushed by alleged abalone poachers during a raid in Hawston, South Africa. When officials arrived on the scene, they found 50 men counting fresh abalone in the back yard. The suspects fled. Read the rest of this entry »
Written by Jace Shoemaker-Galloway
Published on August 24th, 2009
A female humpback whale is fighting for her life after getting tangled in a long line near Tonga. The controversial fishing lines, which can be several miles long, are often left floating in deep waters. Baited hooks are placed along the lines, snaring unsuspecting turtles, sharks and whales. Read the rest of this entry »
Written by Jace Shoemaker-Galloway
Published on August 23rd, 2009
There are all kinds of amazing creatures under the sea. Scientists have discovered a strange new species of worm-like creatures that put on quite a colorful display when threatened. Scientists believe the worms, nicknamed “green bombers,” release fluid-filled balloons or spheres from their body as a defense mechanism to distract or confuse prey. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags:
4270,
Dr. Karen J Osborn,
glow-in-the-dark worms,
glowing bombs,
green bombers,
luminescent bombs,
luminescent worms,
marine biologists,
new species,
Swima bombiviridis,
worms with green bombs
Written by Zachary Shahan
Published on August 19th, 2009
Sam, the koala who became famous when it was saved from forest fires in Victoria’s Black Saturday bushfires and drank water from its savior while holding his hand, died this month.
Read the rest of this entry »
Written by Jace Shoemaker-Galloway
Published on August 18th, 2009
A very special whale was spotted recently on two separate occasions by researchers off the Great Barrier Reef. Migaloo, an all-white humpback whale, is truly one-of-a-kind. First spotted in 1991 off the coast of Australia, the 20-something male is the only documented white humpback whale in the world. Derived from an Aboriginal name meaning “white fella,” Migaloo’s last confirmed sighting was back in 2007. Read the rest of this entry »
Written by Jace Shoemaker-Galloway
Published on August 10th, 2009
Yellow-lipped sea kraits, Laticauda colubrina, are proving two heads are better than one! According to a recent study, the poisonous sea snakes trick predators into believing their tail is a second head!
Read the rest of this entry »
Written by Rhishja Larson
Published on August 10th, 2009
Controversial proposals by the Australian government would mean shooting more than 650,000 camels from helicopters – and even making camel burgers.
Camels have become a problem in Australia’s remote Outback.
There are now about a million camels, and the population doubles every nine years. The animals were introduced to the Australia in the 1840’s by explorers who relied on them to journey through the desert. But now, camels are competing with livestock for food – and are apparently scaring people by destroying water pipes and bathrooms as they search for water.
Sky News has reported that the Australian government believes the population needs to be culled by two thirds – and they have a budget of $19 million AUD to take care of the situation.
That means the mass killing of more than 650,000 camels.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags:
Australia,
burgers,
camels,
erin burnett,
helicopters,
invasive species,
jim cramer,
Kevin Rudd,
outback,
population,
prime minister,
sharpshooters,
slaughter
Written by Rhishja Larson
Published on August 5th, 2009
More than 4,000 Loggerhead turtle hatchlings made their way safely into the sea, thanks to the help of hardworking volunteers.
A dedicated team of about 70 Sunshine Coast volunteers are celebrating a wonderful outcome of the turtle nesting season: 4,000 Loggerhead hatchlings (Caretta caretta) have survived the treacherous journey from their nests into the sea.
Turtle Care Sunshine Coast and Coolum Coast Care help ensure hatching survival with a monitoring program for nesting beaches. Turtle nests are identified, recorded, and protected from predators (such as foxes).
According to My Sunshine Coast, 56 Loggerhead nests were identified this season between Caloundra’s Kings Beach and Noosa Heads.
Turtle Care Sunshine Coast coordinator Julie O”Connor is pleased with the results:
Given that there are only around 500 nesting Loggerheads along Australia’s east coast, the Sunshine Coast population is small but significant.
At the end of each turtle nesting season, volunteers enjoy a barbeque and celebrate their important contribution to the survival of endangered Loggerhead turtles.
Here’s to the volunteers!
Image source: istock.com
Tags:
Australia,
caretta,
endangered species,
hatchlings,
loggerhead,
marine turtles,
nesting,
nests,
sunshine coast,
turtle,
volunteers
Written by Jace Shoemaker-Galloway
Published on August 4th, 2009
Yu-Chan, an endangered loggerhead sea turtle, is one very lucky turtle. Found entangled in fishing nets in Japan in 2008, the 20-year-old loggerhead had also been attacked by a shark. Covered in bite wounds, she lost half of her forelimb and part of another due to her injuries.
Read the rest of this entry »
