‘Extraordinary longevity’: great whales can live a lot longer than we thought – if we leave them alone

‘Extraordinary longevity’: great whales can live a lot longer than we thought – if we leave them alone

In Moby-Dick, Herman Melville’s epic novel of 1851, the author asks if whales would survive the remorseless human hunt. Yes, he says, as he foresees a future flooded world in which the whale would outlive us and “spout his frothed defiance to the skies”. Moby Dick was a grizzled old sperm whale that had miraculously […]

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In Conservation Success Story, Massachusetts Piping Plovers Have Their Second Record Nesting Year in a Row

In Conservation Success Story, Massachusetts Piping Plovers Have Their Second Record Nesting Year in a Row

For the second year in a row, Massachusetts beaches have recorded more nesting Piping Plovers than anytime in the last four decades — 1,196 nesting pairs, a 1.5 percent increase over 2023 and a 500 percent jump since the program began, according to preliminary data gathered by MassWildlife’s Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program and […]

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Florida’s manatees are actually relative newcomers, historical research suggests

Florida’s manatees are actually relative newcomers, historical research suggests

Manatees, long considered among Florida‘s most beloved and enchanting inhabitants, are not native at all, and only came to the Sunshine state for warm temperatures and clear blue waters like any other visitor, researchers have found. The surprise revelation by scientists at the University of South Florida (USF) and George Washington University (GWU) upends decades […]

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Australia’s flying foxes are ‘curious, gentle and intelligent’ – and often misunderstood

Australia’s flying foxes are ‘curious, gentle and intelligent’ – and often misunderstood

One of the most spectacular sights at Adelaide’s Womadelaide music festival is not on the official lineup. As dusk approaches, thousands of grey-headed flying foxes begin chattering and stretching their wings as they prepare to ascend from their roosts in Botanic Park and set out in search of food. “It’s an amazing sight,” says associate […]

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