What’s the difference between cold-blooded and warm-blooded? The animal kingdom can be split based on how body temperature is controlled (thermoregulation): ‘cold-blooded’ ectotherms use external sources of heat, such as solar energy, whereas ‘warm-blooded’ endotherms generate internal heat via metabolism. But while this difference helps define features and behaviour, some species show that the distinction […]
Tag: seals
It’s as big as a Ford transit van, can reach speeds of 50kph and can detect blood from a gobsmacking 3 miles away…
The great white shark is the only extant species in the genus Carcharodon and the largest predatory fish in the world. Why are they called great white sharks? Great white sharks belong to the family Lamnidae, which also includes porbeagle sharks, salmon sharks and mako sharks, which are the fastest shark in the ocean. A type of mackerel […]
Snow shoes, ‘anti-freeze’ blood and group hugs: How 10 snow animals outsmart winter
During the winter, as the cold nights draw in, many people like to curl up by the fire with a soft blanket and a hot drink to warm their cockles. But wild animals don’t have the luxury of warm houses and thermal clothing to protect them when the thermostat plummets. So, how do the animals […]
‘There’s biological treasure here’: Chile’s endemic seals gain protection with new marine park
Six decades ago, pioneering oceanographer and conservationist Sylvia Earle made a bittersweet discovery while diving off Chile’s oceanic islands with the US National Science Foundation vessel, the Anton Bruun. She found the remains of a baby fur seal, one of the world’s most isolated aquatic mammals. Endemic to the Juan Fernández archipelago, in the Pacific Ocean, and […]
“As the great whites move in for the kill, the seals do something astonishing.”
In the waters off Robberg, South Africa, Cape fur seals benefit from powerful ocean currents that bring in plentiful amounts of fish. The Robberg Peninsula is home to thousands of this seal species, which is endemic to South Africa, who don’t need to swim out too far for a meal. However, the huge shoals of fish also […]
Southern elephant seals recover in Southern Africa, but global picture is mixed
The southern elephant seal population in South Africa has seen its conservation status improve from near threatened to least concern, with a recent assessment citing the absence of serious threats to the species’ breeding colonies. Elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) are native to sub-Antarctic islands, including Prince Edward Island and Marion Island, which are part of […]
Greek tragedy: the rare seals hiding in caves to escape tourists
Deep in a sea cave in Greece’s northern Sporades, a bulky shape moves in the gloom. Someone on the boat bobbing at a distance offshore passes round a pair of binoculars and yes! – there it is. It’s a huge Mediterranean monk seal, one of the world’s rarest marine mammals , which at up to […]
Republicans try to weaken 50-year-old law protecting whales, seals and polar bears
BOOTHBAY HARBOR, Maine (AP) — Republican lawmakers are targeting one of the U.S.’s longest standing pieces of environmental legislation, credited with helping save rare whales from extinction. Conservative leaders feel they now have the political will to remove key pieces of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, enacted in 1972 to protect whales, seals, polar bears […]