New research has found that even small amounts of plastic can be deadly to seabirds, sea turtles and marine mammals. While previous research has established that plastic can lead to mortality in many species, this new study identifies the types and amounts of plastic that pose the greatest danger, and estimates how likely an animal […]
Tag: seabirds
It’s as sleek as a torpedo, as long as a bus, and weighs the same as an elephant: Discover the ocean creature that slices through our waters at 35 km/h
Minke whales are the smallest and often overlooked members of the baleen whale family, yet they are fascinating creatures with complex behaviors and surprising adaptability. What are minke whales? Minke whales are one of 16 species belonging to the family of Baleen whales How big are minke whales? Minkes are the smallest of the whales, […]
Meet The Seabirds That Fly Into Hurricanes for Survival
When most creatures flee from hurricanes, some seabirds fly directly into the chaos. According to a BBC report, the Desertas petrel, a rare seabird native to the North Atlantic, actively seeks out tropical cyclones to feed on the rich bounty of squid, fish, and other creatures churned up from the ocean’s depths. With only about […]
Floating nests and decoys: how fairy terns are being charmed back to Port Phillip Bay
It’s an attractive piece of real estate – coastal living in a safe neighbourhood with waterfront views, 55km south-west of Melbourne. The floating island, installed at the Avalon coastal reserve on the western side of Port Phillip Bay, features sand and shell grit floorings, and twigs and branches for cozy nooks. It has been specially […]
Officials plan to literally “bomb” invasive mice that are eating seabirds alive
Marion Island, a speck of volcanic rock about 1,243 miles southeast of Cape Town, hardly looks like the setting for a horror story. Yet on this windy, treeless outpost, an invasion of house mice is turning a haven for seabirds into a crime scene. Night after night, the rodents swarm across the nests of wandering […]
‘They started nibbling at its head’: the bold plan to rid an island of albatross-eating mice
By 2015, scientists knew from camera trap evidence that mice were attacking albatross chicks on Marion Island, but no one had ever witnessed it first-hand on the small volcanic outcrop off the coast of South Africa. So, when researchers Stefan and Janine Schoombie came across a badly wounded wandering albatross chick in a relatively accessible […]
Bird Flu Reaches Antarctica Threatening Penguins and Seabirds
A deadly strain of bird flu has officially made its way to Antarctica, raising serious alarm among scientists and wildlife advocates. According to New Scientist reporter Michael Le Page, H5N1 bird flu has been confirmed in dead skuas along the Antarctic Peninsula, marking the virus’s first known impact on the frozen continent’s wildlife. Researchers from […]
What Did Scientists Learn After Thousands of Penguins Were Slaughtered by Mountain Lions?
In 2007, only three years after the creation of Monte León National Park along the wild coastline of Argentine Patagonia, efforts to protect penguins took an unexpected turn. A female puma was slaughtering Magellanic penguins in droves. Some of these she would eat, while other surplus kills were left to rot. Before long, her cubs […]