Driftnets, vertically hanging nets that drift with ocean currents and can stretch for kilometers, are used to catch large pelagic species such as swordfish and tuna. However, they have long drawn criticism from conservationists as they also capture and kill sharks, turtles, dolphins and other marine wildlife. For decades, debate has raged about use of […]
Tag: whales
These endangered whales have lived in a small sea for 70,000 years. One of them just broke the pattern
Scientists documented the first long-distance travel of an Arabian Sea humpback whale (ASHW): a small population of only around 82 individuals that live off Oman’s coast. Unlike other humpbacks around the world, these endangered whales usually stay close to home. The population is genetically distinct from other humpbacks, having diverged around 70,000 years ago, and individuals usually stay within […]
Canadian government endorses a plan to move whales from shuttered Marineland park to US and Spain
TORONTO (AP) — Canada’s government endorsed a plan Wednesday to move the last remaining captive whales from a shuttered theme park in Ontario to aquariums in the United States and Spain — a plan that could save them from mass euthanasia if the deal goes through. There are 30 belugas and four dolphins left in the Marineland park […]
David Attenborough narrates ruthless, shocking footage of orcas kidnapping a vulnerable humpback whale calf right under its poor mother’s nose…
In a display of sophisticated predatory behaviour, three orcas were seen using a highly strategic hunting method to ‘kidnap’ a young humpback whale, from under its mother’s nose. This entirely new tactic had never been seen before by scientists and was documented by a camera team for the first time for the BBC’s 2024 documentary series, Mammals, narrated […]
A real-life kraken monster? At 19m it was longer than a railway carriage, devilishly smart and able to crush prey with a devastatingly lethal bite…
The largest predators in Earth’s oceans are typically vertebrates, so when palaeontologists recently announced they’d found fossils from a 19m-long octopus that lived during the Late Cretaceous, it’s no surprise a lot of people were left scratching their heads. What is Nanaimoteuthis haggarti? This colossal cephalopod is perhaps the closest palaeontologists have ever got to finding […]
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 […]
“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 […]
They can have 30,000 teeth and some really do die if they stop swimming: 35 incredible, hard-to-believe, fascinating shark facts
Before the Spielberg’s film Jaws was released in 1975, sharks were beautiful and fascinating fish. But the novel and film gave sharks an undeserved reputation as mindless man-eaters – but the truth is far more engaging. Author Michael Bright celebrates the wonder and variety of these ancient, much-misunderstood fish. 35 amazing shark facts 1. How long have […]