This creature goes by several different names: Johnson’s abyssal seadevil, humpback anglerfish and black seadevil anglerfish. None of them are particularly endearing. That’s possibly down to the fact that this deep-sea fish looks like the creature from the black lagoon… if you chopped off its head, added a gleaming fishing rod and left it bobbing […]
Tag: elephant seals
Australia has just 12,000 sea lions left – and ‘carnage’ may await them as bird flu takes hold, scientists warn
Scientists have warned deadly H5 bird flu could cause “carnage” for Australia’s seal and sea lion populations after detection of the virus in long-nosed fur seals in South Australia. SA confirmed Australia’s first case in a mainland mammal on Saturday after a dead long-nosed fur seal found at Beachport on the Limestone Coast tested positive for H5N1. The […]
“Once they’ve caught their prey it may be shaken violently to ‘deglove’ and they then tear the carcass into pieces small enough to swallow”
With a huge reptile-like head, powerful jaws and a sleek, muscular body, the leopard seal is one of Antarctica’s most formidable apex predators. The third-largest seal species ranking behind elephant seals and walruses, these solitary hunters are capable of tackling penguins and even other seals and can swim at speeds of up to 25mph. What do leopard […]
Tasmanians warned of ‘loving Neil to death’ as 1,000kg seal’s antics feed ‘double-edged sword’ of fame
Wildlife officials have warned people to give Neil the seal space during his visit to Tasmania, saying some have gone so far as to bring their human babies close to the 1,000kg giant for a photo. Neil, a southern elephant seal, was born in Tasmania in October 2020, but his existence is an anomaly: most […]
More than 13,000 seal pups die on remote Australian island amid bird flu outbreak
More than 13,000 seal pups have died on an Australian territory, as testing confirmed the spread of deadly H5N1 bird flu among penguins, seals and petrels on subantarctic islands. The mass mortality of southern elephant seal pups on Heard Island, about 4,000km south-west of Perth and 1,700km north of Antarctica, was observed by government scientists […]
Petition: Climate Change Pushed Emperor Penguins onto the Endangered Species List
For most of us, when we think of emperor penguins, we think of cute black-and-white birds on ice, waddling, sliding, and cuddling close to one another. They’re the largest species of penguins on Earth, living only in Antarctica. That means they’re reliant on the cold weather that the southern pole provides. Which also explains why […]
“They can survive up to an hour in the icy water and use razor-sharp protruding teeth to scrape away ice.”10 amazing, remarkable Antarctic animals…
Antarctica is the southernmost, coldest continent and the only one with no permanent human habitation. With most of its surface covered in ice, it’s a tough wilderness to survive in. But incredibly, some of the world’s most captivating species thrive. Early in spring 2025, scientists caught the first-ever footage of the incredible glacial glass squid (Galiteuthis glacialis). It […]
Gentoo penguins the first birds on Australian territory to contract H5N1 as bird flu spreads
The gentoo penguin has become the first bird to test positive for the H5N1 bird flu on an Australian territory, with samples confirming the virus has spread on a sub-Antarctic island. The deadly and contagious strain of bird flu, which has already killed millions of seabirds, wild birds and poultry overseas, was confirmed in southern […]